Full Sermon: John 13 The Spectrum of Peter to Judas

Sermon: John 13:1-20

Jesus Washes the Disciples Feet: Sermon Notes

Anecdote: One summer when I was in college, I was working at Beaver Camp and on the weekend we all went to Lowville Mennonite for church. Some of the people I worked with were Mennonite and the camp was Mennonite so I wanted to see what the church was like instead of staying comfortable in my Pentecostal/Charismatic roots.

So…. the sermon that day was on John 13, just like we are studying together today, where Jesus washes His disciples feet and tells them that they should do likewise. Unlike today, after the sermon, everyone paired up male with male and female with female and went single file into a small room off of the sanctuary and washed one another’s feet. It was a powerful and memorable thing that sticks with me now 20+ years later. My brain was swirling with thoughts:

“I’m glad I took a shower this morning.”

“It’s been really hot, I wonder how badly my feet smell.”

“I wonder how badly his feet smell?”

“Should I really scrub this man’s feet? Should I get in between the toes?”

“Is this just a little light foot baptism sprinkle?”

I was nervous, but I was also inspired, I thought: “THIS is actually what Jesus did. I’m doing WHAT HE actually did.” And, I went to that church every Sunday for the rest of the summer.

So, they took this very literally, let’s read this passage of Scripture together John 13:1-20 and really listen for what the Holy Spirit wants to show us… really apply it to our lives. To do this, we’ll read it all the way through once, then we’ll really take it apart bit by bit. I think that you can LITERALLY wash each other’s feet, but I think there’s more.

John 13:1-20

1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

18 “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned[a] against me.’[b]

19 “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. 20 Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”

Back to verse 1:

1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

This is like a banner flying over the rest of our series. HE KNEW it was time. HE LOVED HIS OWN AND HE WOULD LOVE THEM TO THE END NO MATTER WHAT!

Know this, When you are HIS OWN, He loves you TO THE END! And, everything that Jesus does comes from that place of love.

I think alot about the concept lately of how what really matters is the heart behind what we do, not what we do.

Imagine with me that I had a twin brother, exactly like me in every way, except, he had a rotten heart, selfish, manipulative, conniving, ruthless, evil man that he is. And, imagine that I was perfectly Christ-centered, not because of anything in me, but because Christ has changed me and guides me to be like Him.

Now imagine, that the two of us come up here and say the same things, we help the same people, we have the same job, the same family, we treat people with kindness and fairness and respect. We go out of our way to help… we even both preach the Gospel. IF the twin does these things out of selfish motives, grumbling to himself about the burden of it, complaining in his head about how he’s the only one that understands, has rotten motives, a rotten attitude, etc…

Obviously that’s not the way we should be… our good works are worthless if they come from a rotten selfish heart.

So, when we look at Jesus and emulate Jesus, we start with having loved his own in the world, He loved them to the end so WE NEED TO HAVE THE RADICAL LOVE FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD THAT JESUS HAD AND LOVE EACH OTHER TO THE END.

Verse 2:

Jesus KNEW JUDAS was going to betray him!
HE KNEW He would be dying soon.
HE KNEW His ministry was over. His time on Earth was over.

HE KNEW it would be painful.
HE KNEW it would be the most embarrassing thing in all of history.

But, HE KNEW that the Father had put all things under His power.

And, HE KNEW that He had come from God

And, HE KNEW that He was returning to God.

And, that is where His heart was when He picked up that towel and grabbed that water basin and began to serve His disciples like a slave… washing their dirty sandaled feet, that were probably tired and sore from the long walk. Serving them, not being served by them because HE KNEW.

Do you KNOW who you are? Do you KNOW the promises of God for your life… that He will never forsake you or leave you. That you are a child of God. Redeemed by Jesus Himself and that He has prepared a place for you?

You can serve others, give money, give time, give advice out of selfishness, out of your SELF or out of a heart of KNOWING WHO YOU ARE, because that is all wrapped up with WHO HE IS.

Simon Peter who many of us strong-willed ones can relate to objects to Jesus.

Verse 6:

6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

Oh Peter, but isn’t that us? We don’t get it. I love verse 7: Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” He could reply that to just about everything that ever happens in our lives. We could have t-shirts made. And, to be honest, at first reading, we might not get what Jesus is doing here either. That’s pretty powerful to say if you literally don’t let me wash your feet right now then you have no part with me? What? What about salvation by grace through faith? So I think that I found what Jesus meant here because He said that peter would understand later, I read 1st and 2nd Peter, written by Peter much later. In 1st Peter 4 I think it was later enough for Peter to understand.

We can call it homework to read 1st Peter and look at all that Peter understood later. There are themes throughout 1st Peter of obedience, holiness, being washed clean, and servanthood out of a heart of thankfulness, emulating Christ to those around you.

That is what the washing of the feet was about, it was two things actually, an example of sacrifice and serving others and also a picture to show us that although you’ve been saved and redeemed, your feet still get dirty, you still sin and need Jesus every day. If you don’t come to him and allow Him to cleanse those new sins because you are too headstrong and think you have it all on your own, then you have no part in Him, you NEED Him daily.

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray and most of it is about needing forgiveness daily, a daily washing, not complete head to toe washing, but our feet that have gotten dirty from what we’ve gotten into just in the last day “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”

Verse 12:

You can always count on Jesus to hit you in the heart with a challenge. BE LIKE ME!

If He really is our Teacher and Our Lord then we need to Learn from His example and SERVE!!! And, SERVE out of a HEART OF LOVE out of KNOWING we belong to HIM. We don’t serve because we want a reward or because we want to look like good Christians in front of others, or be good productive members of society. Those ambitions make what we’ve done worthless. Be like Jesus and have your service to others come from loving them UNTIL THE END.

Now think about this one. Judas was there. He washed Judas’ feet… But, he said

Verse 18:

18 “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’

This was spoken at the last meal that Jesus would share with his disciples.

He has just given them a living example of servanthood by washing their feet.

Then, in order to really drive the point home, he had just told them that the servant is not greater than his Lord (see John 13:16).

And yet, there sat Judas. He was already planning to betray his Lord.

Jesus said that the scripture must be fulfilled and then he quoted from Psalm 41: 9 here.

Psalm 41:9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.

The words “hath lifted up his heel,” in the Greek language, “…is a picture of a violent kick. It signifies disrespect, hatred, and utter contempt.

And Judas’ disrespect, hatred, and utter contempt was not just a single event. It was a pattern set early in his life!

Jesus pointed out earlier in His earthly ministry that Judas was not even saved:

The last time I preached we were in John 6 and I said, I wasn’t going to get into Judas right then so we could focus on the DEEP TRUTH OF JESUS BEING THE BREAD OF LIFE

John 6:64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.

And not only did Jesus say Judas was an unbeliever, he went even further and described him as “a devil”.

John 6:70-71 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? 71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.

Judas was evil. But more than that, he was under the influence, even controlled, by the devil himself!

Matthew records an interesting part of the story. Jesus revealed that He was going to be betrayed by one of His apostles.

Matthew 26:21-22 And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. 22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?

According to this passage, every one of the disciples were concerned about the possibility that they would betray the Lord.

It was a shocking thought. They knew that if Jesus said it would happen, then it would happen.

But how could it happen?

If we allow things such as materialism, lust, or religious pride to take the throne of our hearts, then we will also betray Christ.

Judas Iscariot had the lifestyle of a saint but the heart of a “devil” - a defiled heart that led him to betrayal.

And to make things even worse, Jesus had often spoke of that night when he would be betrayed.

How many times had Jesus appealed to Judas’ conscience? How many times did Judas have to ignore or silence the voice of conviction in order to commit such a brazen act?

On that very night, as they were gathered together to observe the passover meal, Jesus appealed repeatedly to Judas’ conscience.

Jesus, in humility, washed Judas’ dusty feet. And I sometimes wonder if Jesus and Judas ever made eye contact as the Lord humbly washed his feet.

But, Judas was selfish. He thought he knew what should be done. He betrayed Jesus, whom He saw do all these miracles for 3 years, for a pouch of silver. Did you know that at the end of his life he repented. He came back to those he betrayed Jesus to and tried to give back the silver but they wouldn’t take it. The Bible says that he threw it at their feet.

Verse 19:

Later in this chapter it says that Satan entered Judas and the crucifixion of Jesus was set into motion. Jesus predicts that Peter will deny that He even knows Him three times before the rooster crows in the morning.

He KNEW these betrayals would happen. Yet, He LOVED THEM TO THE END. That is what we are to do.

Worship Team can come up!

Don’t get caught up in the news and the goings-on around the world. Even if you absolutely KNEW what was going to happen, you still shouldn’t grumble and complain. You should LOVE THEM TO THE END.

And KNOW that you will fail and need your feet washed again, every day. Ask God for forgiveness, confess your sins and He is faithful and just and will cleanse you from all unrighteousness. We are not meant to look like the world, sitting around complaining and being anxious, we are meant to love to the end, serving others, and daily seeking fresh forgiveness.

Come up for Prayer:

Hey, after this song, if you need prayer, the front is available. We would love to pray with you, to serve you in that way. If you’ve been struck by anything in your spirit, don’t wait. We LOVE YOU TO THE END.

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