John 13:2-5 2And as the supper was happening, after the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, in order that he might betray him, 3knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4he rose from the supper and laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around himself. 5Then he poured water into a wash basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe with the towel that was wrapped around.
John gets further into what happened at the supper beginning in verse 2. Verses 2-3 have several significant introductory dependent clauses that conclude with the main clause at the beginning of verse 4. These clauses set the historical and theological context for the main event of this chapter. The first clause simply gives the setting as during the supper. A supper (deipnou) was typically the evening meal, marking the following situation of the gathered group. The present tense of the participle indicates that the following events took place while Jesus gathered with his disciples for a time of remembrance of God’s past grace and preparation for what would come next.
Second, John notes the presence of Judas and the mention again of his betrayal of Jesus. The devil had been working on Judas’ heart already before the actual betrayal. Judas was not innocent and simply a passive instrument of Satan. Satan entered Judas’ heart because something was lacking in Judas. John already gave evidence of that in 12:4-6, with his disgust at what Mary did by anointing Jesus’ feet and with his earlier pilfering of the money bag. Judas represents someone who lacks faith and does not repent when the light of Jesus shines into it. At some point, Judas began to compromise, and this led to listening to the devil. The ultimate sign of rebellion would be betraying Jesus, the Son of God. Judas had heard all the same teachings as the other disciples but lacked transforming faith.
The third clause, which comes in verse 3, repeats the idea of verse 1 and reiterates one of the key ideas of John’s Gospel. The Father, the almighty God of the universe, gave everything to Jesus. This verse summarizes the opening in 1:1-4. The verb had given summarizes how God, through the Word, spoke all things into existence. Jesus’ stewardship began before coming in the flesh but was exemplified and proven in the flesh by his power to heal and do miracles. Only someone given authority from God could do this. John stresses this authority in the next phrase about how Jesus came from God. This coming was one of the essential elements for believing in Jesus. People needed to recognize God working through Jesus. The comment about Jesus returning to God is a foreshadowing of Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. Just as Jesus came from the Father, so he would return to the Father. In this verse, Jesus’ incarnation is merged with his resurrection and exaltation.
All these clauses lead up to and provide background for what Jesus did at the supper. The contrast is significant and intentional by John. The one who is fully divine and yet fully human took the lowly position of a servant. The disciples may have had all kinds of ideas of glory and honor. They had experienced Jesus’ miracles and heard what he said about himself. Although they did not understand it all, they still had great hopes and dreams of what would come next. The divine-human Jesus stripped down to his underclothes and took the position of a typical servant. This humble look was looked down on in a culture where servants and slaves were often illtreated and not given many rights. In many ways, the position Jesus took at the supper is a prelude to what he would do on the cross as he humbled himself to death (Philippians 2:6-7).
The thinking of the disciples would be challenged that evening and in the days to follow. Jesus set the pattern for his followers in what took place next. One can only imagine the disciples’ thoughts as they watched Jesus stoop down and wash away the dirt on their calloused feet. The one who came from God and was God’s very presence among them took the lowest position of cleaning dirty feet. Jesus showed great humility, but the disciples must have been greatly humbled and possibly embarrassed by what he was doing to them. Feet are one of the vulnerable areas of a person’s body that is neglected and ignored and can be very personal when someone else touches them. Feet are highly sensitive with many nerve endings, so when someone else touches them, it can tickle or create either nice feelings or pain. The disciples walked everywhere. Their feet were likely dirty, smelly, and had thick callouses. All these ideas came to focus as Jesus kneeled down and washed away the dirt from the disciples.
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