John 13

13 ¹Now, before the Passover festival, Jesus knew his hour had come to leave this world to his Father. Having loved his own in the world, he loved them to the end. ²During supper, the devil had already put into Judas son of Simon Iscariot's heart the plan to betray Jesus. ³Jesus, knowing that the Father had given everything into his hands, and that he had come from him and was returning to him, ⁴rose from supper, took off his outer clothes, picked up a towel, and tied it around his waist. ⁵Then he poured water into a basin and began washing the disciples' feet, drying them with the towel tied around him. ⁶He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"

⁷Jesus answered him, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

⁸"You will never wash my feet," Peter said. Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you share nothing with me."

⁹Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and head!"

¹⁰Jesus told him, "One who has bathed needs only to wash his feet—he is fully clean. You are clean, but not all of you."

¹¹He knew who would betray him; that's why he said, "Not all of you are clean."

¹²After washing their feet and dressing, he reclined again and said to them, "Do you understand what I have done for you? ¹³You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴So if I, your Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, you too must wash each other's feet. ¹⁵For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant isn't greater than his master, nor a messenger greater than his sender. ¹⁷If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

He Who Shared My Bread

¹⁸"I don't mean all of you—I know those I've chosen. But Scripture must be fulfilled: 'The one eating my bread has raised his heel against me.' ¹⁹I tell you now, before it happens, so you'll believe, once it happens, that I AM. ^a a v19 "I AM" is how our Father identified himself to Moses at the burning bush. Jesus's claim is the same divine self-naming — speaking it now to disciples as a gift of trust, before the betrayal unfolds. ²⁰Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever welcomes someone I send welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me."

²¹After saying this, Jesus, troubled in spirit, testified, "Truly, truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me."

²²The disciples looked at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. ²³One of his disciples, the one Jesus loved, was reclining at his side. ²⁴So Simon Peter motioned to him to ask which one Jesus meant. ²⁵Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?"

²⁶Jesus answered, "It's the one I'll give this bread to, once I've dipped it." Then he dipped the bread and gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. ²⁷After Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, "Do quickly what you're doing."

²⁸But no one reclining at the table understood why he said this to him. ²⁹Since Judas held the money bag, some thought Jesus meant, 'Buy what we need for the feast,' or, 'Give something to the poor.' ³⁰As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

Love One Another

³¹After Judas left, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified, and my Father is glorified in him. ³²If my Father is glorified in him, my Father will also glorify the Son in himself and glorify him immediately. ³³Dear children, I'm with you a little longer. You'll look for me, and as I told the Jewish leaders, so I tell you now: where I'm going, you can't come. ³⁴I give you a new command: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

³⁶Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus answered, "Where I'm going you can't follow me now, but you'll follow later."

³⁷Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I'll lay down my life for you."

³⁸Jesus replied, "You will lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I tell you: the rooster won't crow until you have denied me three times."