The Gospel of John

John 13:31–38

A New Commandment & Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture. From memory, determine the central points.

1.         Already the Jews had Moses’ commandments that stated they were to love God with all their being and their neighbor as themselves. (see Deuteronomy 6:4–5 and Leviticus 19:17–18)

2.         Loving the neighbor however, applied only to Jewish neighbors, not Gentiles.

3.         In the “Parable of the Good Samaritan”, is the story of a Gentile, a despised Samaritan taking care of a person in need. (see Luke 10:25–37) It is the Samaritan who proves to be a neighbor. This is an absolutely revolutionary concept for Jesus’ hearers.

4.         Now Jesus’ disciples are to love, and the Greek word transliterated into English letters, is agape. Jesus’ followers  are to agape one another. (Would this include Judas?) Agape love means, in addition to much more, the seeking of the well-being of another person no matter what the cost.

5.         This, from the mouth of a Jewish person is nothing short of extraordinary! They are to love each other as Jesus loves them. And Jesus is about to give up His life for them, and us, by the way.

6.         We will ask ourselves: Are we capable of this? Circumstances may never arise that would call for such love, but then again…

7.         In the next paragraph, or pericope , John goes on to detail Peter’s denial of Jesus, which would occur the very next day. (see John 18:15–18 and 25–27)

8.         Now, Jesus said He was going to a place His disciples could not come, at least as we know from the rest of the Gospel, not now.

9.         Peter wants to now where Jesus is going. Jesus responds that Peter could not follow Him then, but he would later. (Is Jesus referring to Peter’s own crucifixion?)

10.       Peter boasts he will lay down his life for his Lord. Jesus asks, “Will you.” Then closes the conversation by telling Peter that before the rooster crows (between 2 and 4am) Peter will deny Him.

The Gospel of John

John 13:21–35

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture. From memory, determine the central points.

1. The event is a dinner, likely on a Thursday evening, one day prior to the Last Supper/Passover Meal. The place is somewhere in Jerusalem. The 12 disciples are with Jesus and He has competed His washing of their feet.
2. Jesus announces that one at the table will betray Him. It so happened that John is next to Jesus at the table. Peter gestures to John to find out from Jesus who the betrayer is. And John does and Jesus replies it is the one He will give a morsel of food to.
3. Judas must have been close to Jesus, so He only has to extend the morsel to him. John sees it, but dose anyone else, including Peter? Probably not. Did Jesus conceal His move?
4. At the very moment Judas receives the morsel, Satan enters into him. Earlier, verse 2 of chapter 13, we find that the devil had already compromised Judas, and in a way we know not. It is obvious the demonic moves in mysterious ways.
5. Jesus tells Judas to go do what he will do. The identity of the traitor remains a mystery, of necessity since head strong Peter might have reacted violently if he had known.
6. Judas left the dinner, and John tells us it “was night.” Some see it as describing the darkness that was soon to descend.
7. With Judas absent Jesus announces that the Son of Man is to be glorified, a statement that is beyond, at this point, our full comprehension. Glory has to do with the presence of God.
8. Jesus goes on to say that He will be gone; He offers comforting words regarding their coming loss, then launches into a new commandment: they are to love each other as He has loved them. We struggle with obeying this high command.

The Gospel of John

John 13:1–20

Jesus Washes the Disciples Feet

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture. From memory, determine the central points.

1. Perhaps this meal takes place the day prior to the “Last Supper” or, according to some, on that very day.         
2. At that time and place, it was customary for either a servant or the youngest physically present, to wash the dirty feet of those gathered.
3. Jesus is preparing His disciples for His departure; there are yet things He wants them to clearly understand before that event.
4. John notes the presence of Judas, and also points out that the devil had already planted the betrayal into Judas’ heart and mind.
5. Jesus rose up, took off His outer garments, put on the traditional linen garment meant for foot washing, and began to wash the disciples’ feet. Their feet would have been outward with the head around a central table.
6. Peter does not want Jesus to wash his feet. Jesus, not rebuking Peter, but stating Peter would understand later, makes it clear to Peter it must be so. Peter quickly recants and Jesus washes his feet.
7. Again John mentions Judas, who did not protest the foot washing, but despite the washing, would be a traitor.
8. After the “ordinance” Jesus asks if what He did was understood. He then says that they are to wash each others’ feet.
9. The Christian Church has generally understood this to mean that we are to humble ourselves and seek to meet each other’s needs. This is a healthy concept for us today who live in a world that emphasizes self fulfillment.
10. Jesus points out that what He did they should do as well–acts of simple kindness. He pronounces blessing on those who so do.
11. There is one present who will not be so blessed, and He references Psalm 41:9 which speaks of an intimate betrayal.
12. John concludes with the promise that the one who receives Jesus sends, receives Jesus, and that one therefore receives the One who sent Jesus.

The Gospel of John

John 12:44–50

Jesus Came to Save the World

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture. From memory, determine the central points.

1. Some commentators think this passage should have come after verse 36a. I have no opinion, but it is highly possible. In that period when John wrote there existed pages, even of paper, and one could have been shuffled. One way or another, it is of no significance. The content is thoroughly Jesus.
2. Jesus “cried out” and the word means “loudly.” These are now the last words that Jesus preached to the crowds and He goes right to the core of everything and anything that matters.
3. Believing in Jesus the Son is tantamount to believing in the Father. The only reason Jesus is even there is because the Father sent Him.
4. Indeed, to see the Son is to see Him who sent Him, meaning the Father. This demonstrates the oneness and the mystery of the nature of the Trinity. No Christian ever completely understands.
5. The theme of “light” appears again. Believing in Jesus brings one out from the darkness and into the light. Those who reject His words Jesus does not judge for He came to save the world. And by “world” Jesus means He came to save the Greeks, the heathen, as well as the Jews.
6. Jesus does not judge at this point; judgment comes from the Father upon those who reject the words of Jesus. But at the last day, the Day of Judgment, Jesus as well as the Father, does judge.
7. Jesus is careful to point out that His messages, His words, have been given to Him by the Father.
8. Jesus uses the word “commandment” in regard to His words that He has been preaching to the people. And these words, the content, have all together to do with eternal life.
9. To reject Jesus and His words is to reject the saving message, indeed the commandment, of the Creator God.