Commentary on John 13:1-17, 31b-35

The farewell discourse in John’s Gospel begins in John 14 and ends in John 17. John 13 serves as a precursor to the farewell discourse. Jesus performs the highly symbolic action of washing his disciples’ feet to prepare them for his farewell and departure, ensuring they understand the significance of his mission of love and can practice it in his absence.

The washing service takes place during the supper, before the Passover festival. Jesus sets an example of service, teaching his disciples not only through words but through his actions. At this moment, his act speaks louder than words, radically challenging social norms. Traditionally, servants washed the guests’ feet, or guests washed their own feet—never did the host perform this task. Yet, Jesus willingly performs this service during the supper, upending social hierarchies and expectations. Though he is the host, he acts like a servant, embodying the role of a true servant of God.

Jesus lowers himself to wash the feet of the disciples individually, one by one. While community and collective actions are important, at this moment, washing feet is a deeply personal and intimate act. Each disciple requires care, and Jesus tenderly attends to each individually, emphasizing that each person is precious before God. He touches and washes them, creating a physical connection through water and hands. As dirt falls away, Jesus wipes the feet clean with a towel.

This act of washing and being washed binds them with love—Jesus to each disciple, and all disciples to one another—except for Judas. 

Judas’s presence during the foot-washing is uncertain because there is an issue with the translation of the Greek phrase δείπνου γενομένου (deipnou genomenou). This phrase can be interpreted either as “during the supper” (the prevailing view in most modern translations) or “the supper being ended” (as in the King James Version). If Judas left immediately after eating the bread, and the washing occurred only after the meal was fully concluded, then he would have already been gone. This minority view suggests that Jesus’s comment about “not all being clean” was a retrospective reference to the man who had just departed, thereby preserving the foot-washing as a rite exclusively for the true believers.

Peter does not understand Jesus’s service of washing feet and initially refuses it. Jesus replies, “You do not know what I am doing, but later you will understand” (13:7). This response indicates that the act is not merely a ritual or a one-time event but a symbolic gesture connected to loving the world, even to the point of risking one’s life. Peter will only fully grasp the meaning of this love and service after Jesus departs.

Peter subsequently requests that Jesus wash his hands and head in addition to his feet, symbolizing the entire person. But that is his misunderstanding since foot-washing is a metaphor for service, love, and relational care. Feet, often perceived as dirty, weary, and vulnerable, necessitate compassionate care to foster a sense of being valued and loved.  

In this sense, love is neither naïve nor romantic; it is not a one-time feeling or act of charity. Instead, it requires unselfish commitment and a willingness to pay a price. This understanding of love aligns with Jesus’s broader teachings on discipleship and sacrifice throughout the Gospels. Jesus willingly embarks on this path, doing so gladly. He explains the reason for washing the disciples’ feet in 13:13–15. It is because he expects them to follow his example.

Washing one another’s feet requires humility and deep care for one another. It may put one’s life at risk because the world hates the children of light. Jesus knows this, as he warns: “And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed” (3:19–20).

In Johannine theology, Jesus’s life is seen as an act of service, exemplified by the foot-washing and metaphors like “I am the bread of life.” Unlike some interpretations that focus only on his death, Johannine theology presents his life as a holistic series of interconnected acts of service. This differs from the Synoptic Gospels, which emphasize service but lack the foot-washing narrative.

After washing the disciples’ feet, Jesus announces his imminent departure, saying: “Where I am going, you cannot come” (13:33). In light of his absence, the disciples must continue his work. This is where Jesus gives a new commandment: to love one another. This point is significant. He does not say here to love others in general, but specifically to love one another within the community of disciples. If they do not do so, they are not his disciples (13:35; see also 8:31–32).  

This new commandment does not replace the Torah or the Old Testament. Instead, the Johannine Jesus emphasizes the importance of love within the community, seeing it as the foundation for their mission to others. Mutual love characterizes the identity of the Johannine community.

The implication is clear: The good news of God and Jesus will only be spread through love in action. People are not naïve and will not be attracted to the community through words alone. New life begins with love, which is demonstrated through God’s people and observed by others. The true measure of Jesus’s disciples is their love within the community and the willingness to extend it to others. As Jesus exemplifies this love throughout his life, his disciples are called to do the same.

This passage invites modern readers to reflect on how we embody the commandment of love in our own lives and communities. In a world often divided by self-interest, Jesus’s radical act of service and his command to love one another serve as a powerful countercultural message. They challenge us to consider how we treat others within our faith communities and how we extend that love to the broader world.

In conclusion, the foot-washing narrative in John 13 offers a profound lesson in humility, service, and love. It sets the stage for Jesus’s farewell discourse and exemplifies the kind of love and service that should define his followers. This act—symbolic, yet deeply personal—encapsulates Jesus’s mission and provides a model of discipleship that continues to challenge and inspire believers today.