Why was washing feet such a humble task?
In that era people walked dusty roads in sandals, and washing guests' feet was a job for the lowest servants. For the Teacher to do it was astonishing. That is why Peter protests.
John · chapter 13 of 21
John 13: Summary, Key Verses and Study Questions
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What happens in John 13?
John 13 takes place at the last supper, before Passover. Jesus rises, takes a towel and washes his disciples' feet as an example of service. He announces that one of them will betray him, Judas goes out into the night, and Jesus gives a new commandment: to love one another as he loved them. He also predicts that Peter will deny him three times.
With chapter 13 the second part of John's Gospel begins, sometimes called the book of glory or the farewell discourse. Jesus stops speaking to the crowds and devotes himself to his disciples, whom he loves to the end. In the room where they share the meal, he teaches through an act of humility what his love means and what he expects of those who follow him.
John 13 summary
Before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knows that his hour has come to pass from this world to the Father, and having loved his own, he loved them to the end. During supper, the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot to betray him. Jesus rises from the table, takes off his outer garment, ties a towel around himself, pours water into a basin and begins to wash the disciples' feet.
When he comes to Simon Peter, Peter protests and says Jesus will never wash his feet. Jesus answers that if he does not wash him, Peter has no share with him. Peter then asks to be washed on the hands and head too. Jesus says they are clean, though not all of them. After washing their feet he returns to the table and asks whether they understand what he has done. Being Teacher and Lord, he washed their feet; they too should wash one another's feet.
Jesus says he is not speaking of all of them, and that Scripture is fulfilled: the one who eats his bread has lifted his heel against him. He is troubled in spirit and declares that one of them will betray him. The disciple whom Jesus loved, reclining next to him, asks who it is, and Jesus answers that it is the one to whom he gives a dipped morsel. He gives it to Judas, and Satan enters him. Judas goes out at once, and it was night.
When Judas has gone, Jesus says the Son of Man is now glorified and God is glorified in him. He gives his disciples a new commandment: to love one another as he has loved them, so that the world will know they are his disciples. Peter asks where he is going, and Jesus tells him he cannot follow now but will follow later. Peter says he will lay down his life for him, and Jesus warns him that before the rooster crows he will have denied him three times.
Chapter outline
- vv. 1-11: Jesus washes his disciples' feet; Peter protests and then accepts.
- vv. 12-20: The servant's example: the disciples must wash one another's feet.
- vv. 21-30: Jesus announces that one will betray him; Judas goes out into the night.
- vv. 31-35: The new commandment: love one another as Jesus loved them.
- vv. 36-38: Peter promises to follow him, and Jesus predicts he will deny him three times.
Key verses in John 13
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
John 13:1
Jesus knows his hour has come to leave this world and, having loved his own, he loved them to the end. Everything that follows, the foot washing and the cross, is understood as an expression of that love.
John 13:14-15
Though Lord and Teacher, Jesus washed their feet, and asks them to do the same for one another. He gives them an example of humble service to imitate in daily life.
John 13:34-35
Jesus gives a new commandment: to love one another as he loved them. That mutual love will be the visible sign by which the world will know they are his disciples.
John 13:38
Peter says he will lay down his life for Jesus, but Jesus warns that before the rooster crows he will deny him three times. It shows that Jesus knows our weakness and loves us all the same.
Main themes
- Humble service
- Christ's love to the end
- The betrayal of Judas
- The new commandment
- Peter's weakness
People and places
- Jesus
- Simon Peter
- Judas Iscariot
- The disciple whom Jesus loved
- The disciples
- The upper room
John 13 study questions and answers
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
1. What did Jesus do during supper that surprised the disciples?
Answer: He tied a towel around himself and washed the disciples' feet. — John 13:4-5
2. What did Peter say when Jesus wanted to wash his feet?
Answer: That Jesus would never wash his feet; Jesus answered that if he did not wash him, Peter would have no share with him. — John 13:6-8
3. What example did Jesus ask the disciples to follow?
Answer: That they wash one another's feet, as he did. — John 13:14-15
4. How did Jesus identify the one who would betray him?
Answer: He said it would be the one to whom he gave a dipped morsel, and he gave it to Judas. — John 13:26
5. What is the new commandment Jesus gave?
Answer: That they love one another as he loved them. — John 13:34
6. What did Jesus predict about Peter?
Answer: That before the rooster crowed he would deny him three times. — John 13:38
Application for today
Jesus, the Lord, took the servant's place. In a church or group this invites an honest review of which tasks we consider too small for us, and a willingness to serve without expecting recognition. Christian service does not depend on position but on the attitude of the one who serves.
The new commandment makes love the sign of the disciples. It is not a feeling but a concrete decision to care for others as Christ cared for us, even when it is costly. And Peter's story reminds us that we can promise more than we manage to deliver; Jesus knows us and keeps loving us.
John 13 leaves Judas outside, in the night, and the eleven with a commandment of love. In John 14, Jesus will comfort his troubled disciples with the promise to prepare a place for them and to send the Spirit.
Frequently asked questions about John 13
What does it mean that Satan entered Judas?
John indicates that Judas' betrayal was not only a human decision but part of a spiritual struggle. At the same time, Judas was responsible for his choice. The text shows that Jesus knew what would happen and accepted it willingly.
Who is the disciple whom Jesus loved?
The Gospel does not give his name. Christian tradition identifies him with the apostle John, and the book itself says it was written by a disciple who was present at these events. Some scholars propose other identifications, but the oldest and most common remains John.