John 13 Devotional

The Master with a Towel

“A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another.”John 13:34 (BSB)

Jesus knows his hour has come, knows that all authority is his, and that he came from God and is returning to him (13:1-3). With all that in view, he gets up from the meal, ties a towel at his waist, and washes his disciples' feet (13:4-5). Among them is Judas, whom he knows will betray him (13:11). Peter objects, but Jesus tells him that unless he is washed, he cannot belong to him (13:8).

Before Jesus asks anything of them, he serves them. Only then does he tell them to wash one another's feet (13:14) and give them a new command, to love each other in the same way he has loved them (13:34). The order of the chapter is the order of the gospel. We are first washed by a Lord who takes the servant's place, and then sent to love as we have been loved. The love you show today starts with the love you have received.

To think about: Who is one person you could serve in a humble, practical way today because Jesus first served you?