John 13:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Jesus said to him, "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you."

NIV: Jesus answered, "Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you."

NASB: Jesus *said to him, 'He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet; otherwise he is completely clean. And you are clean—but not all of you.'

CSB: "One who has bathed," Jesus told him, "doesn’t need to wash anything except his feet, but he is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you."

NLT: Jesus replied, 'A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.'

KJV: Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.

NKJV: Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”

After objecting to the idea of Jesus washing his feet, Peter is told he has no choice. He responds by asking Jesus to cleanse his feet, head, and hands (John 13:6–9). That all but proves Peter understands that Jesus is setting up a spiritual lesson. The broader point Jesus means to teach by this act will be explained later (John 13:12). For now, Jesus explains why full-body cleaning—as part of this spiritual metaphor—is not necessary for these disciples.

As Jesus and Peter discussed washing of feet, they have used the Greek root word niptō. Here, when Jesus refers to "bathing," He uses the word louō. The difference between these two terms is almost exactly the same as between the English words "wash" and "bathe." One implies a spot-cleaning action, the other an all-over deep clean. Also noteworthy is that Jesus uses a form of louō that's past-tense, while niptō is a continuing action. The one who is bathed is "completely clean," despite needing to have their feet routinely washed. Being re-bathed is unnecessary.

The symbolism of that remark crystalizes when Jesus completes the statement: "you [Peter] are [bathed] clean, but not every one of you [who are here are bathed clean]." Verse 11 reiterates how Jesus is fully aware that Judas is a false follower (John 13:11).

Taking verses 8 through 11 together gives a potent explanation of salvation and eternal security. Those who are once-for-all washed don't need to be entirely cleansed again. That is, they have no need to be re-saved. Rather, they need to have the incidental "dirt" of their daily walk washed. Our fellowship with Christ is impacted by unconfessed sin. Those who are "clean" are those who've experienced spiritual cleansing. For such people, only the minor foot-washing is needed. But those who've never been "bathed" entirely are the unsaved—like Judas, who is "unclean."

John 13:1–11 begins the ''private'' phase of John's gospel, as Jesus meets with the disciples for a Passover meal. As usual, John skips details covered in other Gospels in order to add his own memories. Jesus performs the task of a lowly servant: washing others' feet. Jesus reassures everyone that this task will make more sense later. Peter is offended by his master acting like a slave, but Jesus responds that washing is necessary for those who follow Him—and not all of those present are clean. That subtly points to Judas, who has already made plans to betray Jesus. A ''full-body'' washing only needs to happen once, while ''foot washing'' needs to be done more frequently. This helps explain the difference between once-for-all salvation, and routine confession of sin.

Jesus meets with a smaller group, possibly only the twelve disciples, in a private setting. Before eating a meal, Jesus performs the work of a lowly servant, washing the feet of the disciples. He explains that this is an object lesson. Their Lord is willing to serve in humility, so they are obligated to do the same. Jesus also predicts His impending betrayal, subtly telling Judas to leave and complete His conspiracy. The disciples don't realize what's happened, however. Peter foolishly brags about his loyalty. Jesus responds with a cutting prediction: Peter will deny his relationship to Christ three times in the next few hours.

The first twelve chapters of the gospel of John describe the public ministry of Jesus. Starting in chapter 13, most of what John describes are the last private moments Jesus enjoys prior to His crucifixion. This begins with Jesus washing the disciples' feet, establishing both an example and a command for humble service. Jesus also predicts His impending betrayal and Peter's cowardly denials. Following chapters contain Jesus' last instructions to the disciples, including a rich collection of truths which are central to the Christian faith.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.