Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet
Loved to the end
This story talks about betrayal and about Jesus's coming death.
Two things you can tap
- A verse number shows the Bible’s exact words.
- An underlined word shows what it means.
Story
What happened?
Tap a verse number, like , to read the Bible’s exact words.
The whole story, in shortWhat happens, start to finish. Open it if you want the ending first.
On the night before he died, Jesus got up from supper, wrapped a towel around his waist, and washed his disciples' feet. Peter said, "Never!" but Jesus said, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me," and told them to serve one another the same way. After Judas went out into the night to betray him, Jesus gave them a new commandment: "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another."
Where it is in the Bible: John 13:1-35
Who’s who and what came beforePeople, places, and the story so far. Open it anytime.
Scene Card
Cast
- Jesus: The one the Gospels present as the promised Messiah and the Son of God. It is the night before he dies.
- Simon Peter: One of Jesus's closest followers. He often speaks first.
- Judas Iscariot: One of the twelve disciples. He is about to betray Jesus.
- The disciple whom Jesus loved: A disciple who sits next to Jesus at the meal. John's Gospel does not give his name.
- The other disciples: Jesus's closest followers, at supper with him.
Setting
- A room in Jerusalem where Jesus and his disciples share a meal.
When
- Thursday evening, just before the Passover feast, about 2,000 years ago. The next day, Jesus will be crucified.
Before the Story
Jesus had come to Jerusalem for the last time. Crowds waved palm branches and shouted, "Hosanna!" (12:13).
Jesus knew his hour had come. He had said, "Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed" (12:24). He was talking about his death.
Washing feet was a servant's job. People walked dusty roads in sandals. When guests arrived, a servant usually washed their feet.
Here's what you know that the disciples don't: Jesus knows that Judas will betray him tonight (13:11).
Map of the Story
| Scene | Verses | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Loved to the end | 13:1-3 | Jesus knows his hour has come |
| 2. A towel and a basin | 13:4-5 | Jesus washes his disciples' feet |
| 3. "Never!" | 13:6-11 | Peter refuses at first |
| 4. An example | 13:12-17 | Jesus explains what he has done |
| 5. Into the night | 13:18-30 | Jesus says one of them will betray him |
| 6. A new commandment | 13:31-35 | Jesus tells them to love one another |
Plain Retelling
Scene 1 of 6Loved to the End
It was just before the Passover feast. Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and go back to the Father.
"Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the very end" (13:1).
They were eating supper. The devil had already put the idea into Judas's heart to betray Jesus. To betray means to turn against someone who trusts you.
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things in his hands. He knew he had come from God and was going back to God.
Scene 2 of 6A Towel and a Basin
So Jesus got up from the meal. He took off his outer clothes and wrapped a towel around his waist.
He poured water into a basin, a large bowl. Then he began to wash his disciples' feet and dry them with the towel.
The Lord was doing a servant's job.
Scene 3 of 6"Never!"
Jesus came to Simon Peter. "Lord, are You going to wash my feet?" Peter asked (13:6).
Jesus said, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand" (13:7).
"Never shall You wash my feet!" Peter said.
Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me" (13:8).
Peter changed his mind fast. "Then, Lord," he said, "not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!" (13:9).
Jesus said that someone who has already bathed only needs his feet washed. "And you are clean, though not all of you" (13:10). He knew who would betray him.
Scene 4 of 6An Example
When Jesus had finished, he put his clothes back on and sat down with them again.
"Do you know what I have done for you?" he asked (13:12).
He said, "You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, because I am."
"So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet" (13:14).
"I have set you an example so that you should do as I have done for you" (13:15).
A servant is not greater than his master. If they know these things, Jesus said, they will be blessed if they do them.
Scene 5 of 6Into the Night
Then Jesus was troubled. "Truly, truly, I tell you, one of you will betray Me" (13:21).
The disciples looked at one another. They had no idea who he meant.
The disciple whom Jesus loved was sitting right next to him. Peter signaled to him to ask who it was.
"Lord, who is it?" he asked (13:25).
Jesus said it was the one he would give a piece of bread to, after dipping it in the dish. Then he dipped the bread and gave it to Judas.
Jesus said to Judas, "What you are about to do, do quickly" (13:27).
No one else understood. Judas kept the money bag, so some thought Jesus was sending him to buy something or give to the poor.
Judas took the bread. Then "Judas went out into the night" (13:30).
Scene 6 of 6A New Commandment
When Judas had gone, Jesus spoke to the others.
He said the time had come for God to be glorified. Glorified means shown in all his greatness.
"Little children, I am with you only a little while longer" (13:33).
Then he gave them a new commandment. "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another" (13:34).
"By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another" (13:35).
Later that night, Peter said he would die for Jesus. Jesus told him that before the rooster crowed, Peter would deny him three times (13:37-38).
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "He loved them to the very end" (13:1) | Jesus loved his disciples all the way, to the cross. |
| "Wrapped a towel around His waist" (13:4) | The Lord took the place of a servant. |
| "Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me" (13:8) | We need Jesus to make us clean. We can't do it ourselves. |
| "You are clean, though not all of you" (13:10) | Jesus knew Judas would betray him. He washed Judas's feet too. |
| "You also should wash one another's feet" (13:14) | Jesus's followers serve each other, even in humble ways. |
| "A new commandment I give you: Love one another" (13:34) | What is new is the measure: love one another as Jesus loved us. |
| "By this everyone will know" (13:35) | Love among Christians shows the world who Jesus is. |
Back Then
People ate lying on low couches. They reclined on their side around a low table, with their feet stretched out behind them. That's how the disciple whom Jesus loved could lean back against Jesus (13:25).
Feet got very dirty. Roads were dusty, and people wore sandals or went barefoot. Foot washing was usually done by the lowest servant in the house.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell about the bread and the cup at this meal. John tells about the foot washing instead. Together they show what Jesus did that night.
Literal Reader Alert
Do Christians have to wash each other's feet? Some churches wash feet on Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter, to remember this night. Jesus's main point was to serve each other humbly, in many ways.
Why was Peter so upset? It felt wrong to Peter for his Lord to do a servant's job. He wanted to protect Jesus's honor. Jesus wanted Peter to receive what he was giving.
Did Jesus wash Judas's feet? John says Jesus washed the disciples' feet, and Judas was there (13:2, 13:5). John doesn't say Judas was skipped. Many readers believe Jesus washed his feet too.
"Satan entered into him." Did Judas have no choice? John says the devil put the idea in Judas's heart (13:2). Judas still chose. The Bible holds both truths together.
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Peter | Shocked | His Lord was washing his feet (13:6, 13:8) |
| Peter | Eager | He wanted to be washed all over (13:9) |
| Jesus | Troubled | He knew one of them would betray him (13:21) |
| The disciples | Confused | They didn't know who Jesus meant (13:22) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
Which is harder for you? Tap one.
Serving others
Jesus knelt and washed feet, even Judas's. He gives the love we need to serve.
Letting others help me
That was Peter's problem. Jesus said, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me." It's okay to receive.
Loving someone who hurt me
Jesus washed the feet of the man who betrayed him. You can ask him for help, one step at a time. You don't have to stay near someone who is hurting you.
I don't know yet
Peter didn't understand right away either. Jesus said, "Later you will understand."
You Might Have Heard
"Being a Christian mostly means being nice to people."
What's true: Jesus told his followers to love one another and serve each other.
What the story is mainly about: First, Jesus serves us. He washed his disciples, then went to the cross to wash away sin. Our love for each other comes from his love for us: "As I have loved you" (13:34).
Where Jesus is: On his knees with a towel. The Lord of everything, serving his friends, on the night before he died for them.
Good News
Peter said, "Never!" But Jesus said, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me."
"Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the very end" (13:1).
The next day, Jesus gave his life on the cross. He washes us clean from every sin. That is the love he gives us to share.
Jesus served his friends and loved them to the end. He washes us clean, and his love flows through us to others.
Big Idea
Jesus washed his disciples' feet and loved them to the end. Loved by him, we love and serve one another.
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
In "The Freedom of a Christian" (1520), Luther wrote that a Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none, and a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all. We are free because Christ has saved us. And because we are free, we serve our neighbor, as Christ served us.
In Church
Many churches read John 13:1-17, 31b-35 every year on Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter. The Revised Common Lectionary also reads John 13:31-35 on the Fifth Sunday of Easter in Year C.
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
A new commandment I give you: Love one another.
How did that feel?
You finished Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet.
Using this at church
Read in church on
- Fifth Sunday of Easter Year CGospel, John 13:31–35
For a newsletter or sermon notes
Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet, explained in plain words. The night before he dies, Jesus kneels with a towel and a basin. About 12 minutes. https://freescripture.org/stories/jesus-washes-the-disciples-feet/
Lines for the next eight Sundays, on Digital Lutheran Church