I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.

John 13:1-30 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible (link on links page)

The Lord’s Supper

13 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. ² During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, ³ Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, ⁴ *got up from supper, and *laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself.

Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet

⁵ Then He *poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. ⁶ So He *came to Simon Peter. He *said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” ⁷ Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” ⁸ Peter *said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” ⁹ Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” ¹⁰ Jesus *said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” ¹¹ For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”

¹² So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? ¹³ You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. ¹⁴ If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. ¹⁶ Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. ¹⁸ I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’ ¹⁹ From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He. ²⁰ Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

²¹ When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” ²² The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. ²³ There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. ²⁴ So Simon Peter *gestured to him, and *said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.” ²⁵ He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ bosom, *said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” ²⁶ Jesus then *answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He *took and *gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. ²⁷ After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus *said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” ²⁸ Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him. ²⁹ For some were supposing, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, “Buy the things we have need of for the feast”; or else, that he should give something to the poor. ³⁰ So after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night.

We need to remember that what Jesus did and shared that night was a true act of humble service, an act of love and forgiveness. Jesus did not institute a religious ritual in the Lord's supper or the washing of feet. In Lukes account of the meal it says:       When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. 15And He said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; (Luke 22:14-15)       What Jesus did, what Jesus shared with His disciples He did out of earnest desire, not a sense of obligation or religious ritual. Today's text says:    Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.    Jesus love extended even to Judas, the one who would betray Him. 

There is so much involved in Jesus act of washing the disciples feet. First and foremeost is the idea that He as Lord and Master did the work of servant. He humbled Himself, becoming as the least of them. Jesus had previously taught this same concept. In Mark 10:42-45  we read:

 “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. ⁴³ But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; ⁴⁴ and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” 

Jesus never asks or requires that we do something He would not or has not done for us. His words and His actions were in unison. Remember that what Jesus did that night He did out of an earnest desire. When we participate in times of remembering these actions of Jesus, through foot washing or communion we need to prepare our hearts. If we bow to serve our brother or sister, but hold contempt in our heart, we are not showing our willingness to humbly serve, we are really showing contempt for the love and forgiveness Christ has given us. Remember, Jesus washed the feet of Judas. What has anyone done to us that we can't forgive?

The act of washing the feet also depicts that what Jesus came to do, as a humble servant, was to cleanse us of all the filth of the world. Jesus said: " I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32)    Jesus was often criticized for His interaction with sinners, for fellowshipping with and sharing meals with sinners and outcasts. Jesus act of washing the feet of the disciples is an illustration that He came not only to serve, but to cleanse us of our sin, to wash away all of the filth of this world. He came to redeem and forgive the sins of man.

Jesus ends this time saying: “Do you know what I have done to you? ¹³ You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. ¹⁴ If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. ¹⁶ Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.      The blessing is not merely in doing the actions that Jesus did. The blessing comes when we know all that it means, when we have a heart of true love, humble service and complete forgiveness, and do them.

The text continues:   When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.”  Judas had already made the deal with the religious leaders to betray Jesus. The text says:  the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him,  Surely Jesus, knowing that Judas was about to betray Him, could have found a way to stop him. Jesus knew though, that His hour had come. It was time for Him to carry out the task that He came to accomplish. Judas was not the critical character in the story. Jesus completion of the mission was not dependant on the betrayal of Judas.  Jesus says: No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”(John 10:10) 

What the betrayal of Judas does show us is that Jesus understands the pain and the hurt that is caused when we are betrayed by those who are close to us. Remember Jesus had been doubted and rejected by even His own family.     When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.”(Mark 3:21)   Now the final act of betrayal is done by one of the people who Jesus had spent the most time with and invested the focus of His teaching and training throughout His ministry. Jesus knows the hurt of rejection and betrayal. At the passover meal and through the washing of feet Jesus demonstrates His unconditional love and foregiveness toward His betrayer. Yet Jesus knows the hurt and the betrayal will come, it is inevitable. In John 16:33 Jesus says:     These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”    Jesus doesn't try to stop Judas. Jesus has already accepted what he is about to do. He has already forgiven Judas, that's what Jesus came to do.  Rather than try to stop Judas, Jesus simply releases Him. He has  already shown His love for Him. He has displayed His willingness to serve and forgive, now Jesus releases Judas to follow the path he has chosen.

We too, need to learn from Jesus that we may face the rejection and betrayal of those who are closest to us. Our love for them and our forgiveness toward them can never stop. Jesus came to redeem all sin. We don't stop loving or forgiving, yet we may have to release those we have loved and those who have rejected and betrayed us, to follow the path they have chosen.  

Jesus took no time to feel sorry for Himself or to wallow in self-pity. He turned His attention and His focus back to His mission. As we continue in the next chapters of John's gospel account we will see and hear Jesus continue to pour His heart into His disciples. We too should focus not on those who have rejected or betrayed us, but rather on the mission and the call God has for us. When Jesus was rejected by His family we see His response in Matthew 12:46-50,

⁴⁶ While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. ⁴⁷ Someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.” ⁴⁸ But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” ⁴⁹ And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.” 

Jesus has also made a promise to us concerning what we have lost and gained. "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name's sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.(Matthew 19:20)

Thank You Lord Jesus for Your words and Your actions that speak to me and teach me to follow You.  Thank You for Your promises to me of bountiful return and restoration of all that has been lost. Strengthen and enable me, by Your Holy Spirit, to focus on those who You have called me too.     Amen