John 13: In the Upper Room

 

Introduction

 

For those of us who have grown up in church, we are probably very familiar with our true story from God’s Word today. But no matter how familiar we are with the story of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet, we shouldn’t lose the shock of seeing the Lord of the universe stoop to the role of a servant. In John 13 we see the essential example of humility that, ultimately, points us forward to the greatest act of love.

This poignant scene is intended to teach us powerful lessons. As we watch Jesus serve, we learn that we are meant to be serving people too. And in this display of loving, humble service- washing dirty feet- we are pointed to the Cross as the ultimate display of love and the place of true cleansing.

And so, in our passage we witness:

The Love of the Saviour

The Service of the Master

The Lessons of the Teacher

In the Upper Room we witness a loving Saviour and a sovereign Lord prepare His People for a life of service and sacrifice. He does this by setting them an example in His humble service, and by teaching them about His loving sacrifice.

 

With this in mind let us see, firstly… The Love of the Saviour

 

In Chapter 13 we come to what is known as the ‘Upper Room Discourse’. In Chapters 13 to 17 Jesus, with His death in sight, Jesus speaks with His Disciples alone. These chapters are filled with profound teaching from The Teacher and powerful commands from The Master. But what is most striking is the tender lover that pours forth from the heart of The Saviour.

John’s introduction to this upper room scene is masterful; in verse 1 we read:

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 now showed them the full extent of His love.

By mentioning the Passover John reminds us that we are now in those final hours of Jesus’ earthly ministry before He goes to the Cross. From the start we are to keep our focus on Jesus as the One who would serve His People ultimately by His loving sacrifice.

 

John then gives us his commentary on what is about to happen: Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of His love. As John continues, we will learn that Jesus displays the full extent of His love for His People in the Cross, and in the humble act, the foot-washing, that anticipates the Cross.

So, the primary purpose of this foot-washing is to point us to the ultimate place where Jesus’ love is shown: the Cross. Jesus takes off his outer clothing and picks up a basin and a towel, and teaches His Followers the nature of salvation, of love, of sacrifice, and of service. This is both an exemplary act of loving service and a sign pointing to the cleansing love of the Saviour at the Cross.

Before we go any further it is also worth noting that John says: Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. In other words, all that is about to take place is under Jesus’ sovereign control. And then in verse 3 we read:

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God…

Being fully conscious of His supremacy, Jesus chose service and sacrifice.

We must never imagine that at the Cross Jesus is the victim of cruel fate. And we cannot believe that His death is not outside the sovereign purposes of the God-head. No, Jesus goes to the Cross willingly, of His own accord, to fulfil God’s eternal plan and to demonstrate the full extent of His love.

And so, we must meditate upon the love of The Saviour. This is, firstly, a wonderfully humble love. Jesus, the Eternal Son, the One who shaped the bones and nerves and tendons of these feet was now the One who washed these feet. Here we the extent of the Saviour’s love: the strong One takes the place of service.

So, we see the humility of The Saviour in His love. We see, also, the incredibly patient love of The Saviour. Jesus knew that these men whose feet He was washing with loving care would shortly abandon Him- and, in Judas’ case, betray Him. Knowing their weakness and sin, Jesus did not stop having loving thoughts of His disciples. He was not weary of them: He loved them to the last.

J.C. Ryle captures the wonderful comfort there is for us here when he says:

The love of Christ to sinners is the very essence and marrow of the Gospel. That He should love us at all and care for our souls- that He should love us before we love Him, or even know anything about Him- that He should love us so much as to come into the world to save us, take our nature on Him, bear our sins, and die for us on the Cross- all this is wonderful indeed!

Surely, we would do well to ponder the great love of our Saviour and the numerous and glorious ways in which He displays that love.

Let us consider the wonderous love He has in His bearing with our constant failings, our petty jealousies, our lacklustre passion for His glory. Let us consider the love of our Saviour in His forgiving our sins, His compassion for us in our struggles, and His dealing with us more kindly than we deserve.

And surely a pondering of His great love for His People should provoke us to a greater love for Him- greater obedience to His commands and a greater desire to be like Him in every possible way. We will only grow in faith as we see the love of our Saviour and ponder the totality of what it means for Jesus to love us fully and perfectly and sacrificially.

 

So, we see the love of the Saviour, and then… The Service of the Master

 

As we come to verses 4 to 10, we need to use our sanctified imaginations to really appreciate the scene described for us. What Jesus does in these moments before His death is stunning, shocking, and symbolic. Here, in the service of the Master, witness an act of humble service that points us to a saving cleansing and a model of Christian conduct we are called to imitate.

In verses 4 and 5 we read of the remarkable service of the Master. He adopts the dress of a menial servant. He does the dirty work of the lowliest slave.

The disciples are surely perplexed by what they see. And they are probably embarrassed- after all, none of them had thought to do this task (or perhaps they had thought about it and decided it was beneath them!). We may wonder, also, if they ever considered the fact that those hands that were cleaning their feet- wiping off the droppings of some goat, scrubbing off the dirt and dust- were also the hands that had put the stars in their place at the very beginning of creation.

In the Master’s service we see a wonderfully humble and loving act. In the master’s service we see service that is full of symbolism.

Just, we see Him set aside His glory in the incarnation. As He takes a towel, we see He take upon Himself the form of a servant- a Servant-King come to love His People to the uttermost. As He washes His disciples’ feet, we see Him cleanse His Elect People at the Cross.

Here, as Jesus wears the servant’s clothes and does the servant’s job, we have a lived-out illustration of Jesus’ whole life from birth to death to resurrection as recorded in Philippians 2 verses 5 to 9:

…Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross…

Jesus’ whole life was dominated by humble service and sacrificial love. As Christ said of Himself: The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

With the uncomfortable quiet in the room, everyone could easily hear the gentle pouring of the water and the Master’s breathing as He moved from disciple to disciple. Then Jesus came to Peter.

Peter, never backwards about being forward, asks Jesus a question when it comes to his turn to have his feet washed. In verse 6 we hear genuine astonishment. Peter sees, but he does not understand. It is as if he says: Are you really going to wash my feet? Are YOU going to wash MY feet?

Foot washing was a servant’s task and not something to be done by the Master- Peter thought this was absurd! Peter wants Jesus to be lifted up, not brought down to washing people’s feet. Peter is yet to understand the humble service and sacrificial love required of the Master and His Followers.

In verse 7 we hear Jesus’ reply:

“You do not realise now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

At that moment, they could not understand why Jesus washed their feet. But after Jesus’ resurrection, the Spirit would reveal to the disciples the meaning of the Cross- they follow a Servant-King.

The conversation continues in verse 8:

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

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

Peter must understand, as we all must do, that we cannot belong to the Master until we accept His cleansing. Indeed, we can only belong to Jesus when we receive His cleaning, through the Cross, with faith and repentance.

In Peter’s reply in verse 9 we see someone who, although not fully understanding, wants to be linked with Jesus. Peter has a simple, pure desire to please Jesus, whatever happens. Let us have that desire.

Then we read in verse 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.” 

On first read this is a little complicated. However, what Jesus says here can be understood like this: Believers, those who come to Jesus in faith and repentance, are now clean through the cleansing of the Cross. They have had a bath and only need to wash their feet- they need a daily cleansing from sin (through confession and repentance) to maintain fellowship with Christ.

The ‘bath’ represents initial salvation, while the foot-washing symbolises ongoing repentance and confession. Here Believers are reminded of the necessity of both receiving salvation and humble, daily, renewal through repentance. If we are to walk in close fellowship with our Lord, we need to daily confess our sin and receive a daily cleansing

As Believers we need to confess our sins to God as soon as we are aware that we have sinned to maintain close fellowship with God. Have you sinned today? Then humbly confess your sins and joyfully receive Jesus’ forgiveness!

Of course, Jesus also knew that among the disciples was Judas- so he adds in verse 11:

For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

The presence of Judas here should be a warning to us: simply being at church is not enough to guarantee our salvation. We must come to Jesus in repentance and faith personally.

But the presence of Judas is also an encouragement: even the presence of the betrayer could not derail God’s plan. In fact, so completely sovereign is Jesus that Judas’ betrayal is still woven into God’s salvation plan. God is always in control of all things.

 

So, we have a loving Saviour, a serving Master, and, finally, we hear… The Lessons of the Teacher

 

Like any good teacher, Jesus wants to make sure the disciples have understood their lesson. In verse 12 He asks the disciples whether they grasp the significance of what He has done.

Evidently, they do not, for Jesus goes on to explain. In verses 13 to 16 Jesus draws out the lessons from the episode and issues a potent challenge.

Firstly, by washing their feet, Jesus is not abandoning His authority. The disciples call Him ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’, and that is right because that is who Jesus is to all who would follow Him. Jesus explains that He did this act of foot washing to set His followers an example to follow. He is showing them how God’s authority and power is revealed in loving, humbling service.

 

 

 

So, Jesus is showing them that authority and power should not be used to our own advantage, but laid down in loving, humbling service of others. In Jesus’ words, in His actions, and at the Cross, Jesus teaches His Followers that loving, humble service is the hallmark of true Christianity. The Kingdom of God is very different from the kingdoms of this world.

If we are to count ourselves as followers of Christ, there must be humble service in our lives. We must be people who lovingly serve those around us with a humble, servant hearted attitude that seeks the best for others- even when it may come at cost to ourselves.

Notice, more specifically, we are to wash one another’s feet. While Christ does not exclude loving and serving those outside the Church, the focus here is primarily on loving service of our Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

That is, in some respects, more difficult. It is easier sometimes to humble ourselves and wash the feet of those we do not know. But Jesus’ command was clear: ‘If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.’.

Loving, humble service will be genuinely concerned for the spiritual good of fellow Believers. It will not be a superficial concern- we will do whatever is required for the Gospel to impact their lives. So, we must ask for God’s grace to care more about the spiritual wellbeing of others than our comfort or reputation or our ambitions, or our agendas.

When we do this, it will have a cleansing effect upon other Believers. Jesus is saying that the Church has received the essential cleansing by Him in the forgiveness of sins, but we can help take away the day-by-day dirt of the world by humbly serving one another. We will thus encourage one another to godliness.

As husband and fathers, wives and mothers, elders and those in leadership, we have a calling to loving, humble service. It is a high calling. It is a hard calling. So, let us listen to what Jesus says in verse 17:

Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

There is blessing- true joy and happiness- when we do these things. We do not simply talk about, or think about, or learn about service- we must do it.

And when we do it we will be blessed- truly contented and joyful- and so will those around us. Now, like its physical counterpart, spiritual foot washing is dirty work. We must get our hands dirty if we are going to be involved in a ministry of cleansing, but it will be worth it- for the good of others and the glory of God.

 

Conclusion

In the Upper Room we witness a loving Saviour and a sovereign Lord prepare His People for a life of service and sacrifice. He does this by setting them an example in His humble service, and by teaching them about His loving sacrifice.

As we witness Jesus wash His disciples’ feet we, like them, are being taught by our Teacher- we can only be made clean through Jesus’ finished work at the Cross, and this calls us to faith and repentance. As the Master served, we see Him demonstrate a loving humility we too are meant to imitate- we must serve like our Servant-King. As the Saviour showed us the full extent of His love, we are called to humble ourselves- we receive the blessings of His sacrifice and then live a life of loving humble service for our Loving Saviour and Sovereign Lord.