Humility: Christ and the Father (13:1–5)

[1] Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end.
[2] And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him;
[3] Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He was come from God, and went to God;
[4] He riseth from supper, and laid aside His garments; and took a towel, and girded Himself.
[5] After that He poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded.

Humility: Christ and the Father (13:1–5)

Jesus had entered Jerusalem on Sunday and had cleansed the temple on Monday. Tuesday was a day of conflict as the religious leaders attempted to trip Him up and obtain evidence to arrest Him. We read of these events in Matthew 21–25. Wednesday was probably a day of rest, but on Thursday He met in the Upper Room with His disciples to observe Passover.

In John 13:1-3 the emphasis is on what our Lord knew; in John 13:4-5 it is on what our Lord did.

The hour of Jesus had come. Of all the gospel writers, John most emphasized the fact that Jesus lived on a “heavenly timetable” as He did the Father’s will. A development of this theme:
 - 2:4 "My hour is not yet come." 
 - 7:30 “His hour was not yet come.” 
 - 8:20 “His hour had not yet come.” 
 - 12:23 “The hour is come that the Son of man shall be glorified.” 
 - 13:1 “Jesus knew that His hour was come.”
 - 17:1 "The hour is come, Father." 

What was this “hour” that was divinely appointed? It was the time that He must be glorified by His death, resurrection, and ascension. Jesus had finished the work He came to do on earth (John 17:4) and would soon leave this world and return to the Father who sent Him. When the servant of God is in the will of God, he is immortal until his work is done. They could not even arrest Jesus, much less kill Him, until the right hour had come.

Jesus also knew that Judas was going to betray Him. There are eight references to Judas in John’s gospel, more than in any of the other gospels. Satan had entered into Judas (Luke 22:3), and now he would provide him the thought needed to bring about the arrest and crucifixion of the Son of God. The word translated “put” in John 13:2 means literally “to throw.” It calls to mind the fiery darts of the wicked one (Eph. 6:16). Judas was a disbeliever (John 6:64-71), so he had no “shield of faith” to protect him from Satan’s assaults.

Finally, Jesus knew that the Father had given all things into His hands (John 13:3). This statement echoes John 3:35 and also brings to mind Matthew 11:27. Even in His humiliation, our Lord had all things through His Father. He was poor, and yet He was rich. Jesus was the complete master of the situation because He knew who He was, where He came from, what He had, and where He was going. You and I as believers know that we are born of God, that we are going to God one day, and that in Christ we have all things. So we ought to be able to follow our Lord’s example and serve others.

What Jesus knew determined what Jesus did (John 13:4–5). The disciples must have been shocked when they saw their Master rise from supper, lay aside His outer garments, wrap a towel around His waist, take a basin of water, and wash their feet. Jewish servants did not wash their employers' feet; Gentile slaves might. It was a menial task, and yet Jesus did it! A host or hostess might wash a guest’s feet as a special mark of affection, but it was not standard operating procedure in most homes.

Jesus knew there was a spirit of competition in the hearts of His disciples. Within minutes the men were arguing about who of them was the greatest (Luke 22:24-30). By His example He reproved their selfishness and pride and gave them a lesson in humility that they would never forget. The more you think of this scene, the deeper it becomes. This event is certainly illustrative of what Paul wrote years later in Philippians 2:1-16. Peter must have had this event in mind when he wrote his first epistle and exhorted his readers to “be clothed with humility” (1 Peter 5:5).

It is wonderful how the gospel of John shows the humility of our Lord, even while it magnifies His deity: “The Son can do nothing of Himself” (John 5:19, 30). "Not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38). "My doctrine is not mine" (John 7:16). "And I seek not My own glory” (John 8:50). "The word which you hear is not mine." (John 14:24). His death upon the cross was the highest act of humility.

Jesus was the Sovereign, but He made Himself the servant. He had all things in His hands, but He took a towel. He was Lord and Master, yet He served His followers. It has been well said that humility is not thinking meaningfully of oneself but simply not thinking of oneself at all. True humility comes from our rela­tion­ship with the Father. If we want to know and do the Father's will to glorify His name, we will know the joy of following Christ's example and serving others.

Like the disciples that night, we desperately need this lesson on humility today. The church is filled with a worldly spirit of rivalry and faultfinding, as believers compete with one another to see who is the greatest. We are growing in knowledge, but not in grace (cf. 2 Peter 3:18). An absence of humility sufficiently accounts for all defects and failures.

Jesus served His disciples because He was humble and loved them. Compare John 13:1 with 1:11 and 3:16: Jesus came “unto His own [world], and His own [people] received Him not.” “For God so loved the world." In the Upper Room Jesus ministered in love to His own disciples, and they received Him and His words. “He loved them to the uttermost.