John 13:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.

NIV: "I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am.

NASB: From now on I am telling you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you may believe that I am He.

CSB: I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am he.

NLT: I tell you this beforehand, so that when it happens you will believe that I AM the Messiah.

KJV: Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.

NKJV: Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He.

Fear of the unknown is a powerful force in human life. When things seem to go wrong, a large measure of our emotion comes from uncertainty (Matthew 6:31–34). When "today" is different from what we expect, we lose confidence in what we assume about "tomorrow." To counter this, Jesus makes several statements specifically meant to strengthen His followers in times of hardship.

In this case, Jesus knows that Judas' impending betrayal will catch the other disciples totally off-guard (Matthew 26:14–16). Within the next few hours, they will see Judas lead a squad of soldiers and politicians directly to Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. While the disciples will scatter in fear (Matthew 26:56), Jesus' words here are meant to ease their panic. It's exactly what He said was going to happen.

Similarly, Jesus will go on in this passage to warn Christians about persecution from the non-believing world (John 15:18—16:4). The point of that warning is meant to strengthen our faith. Troubles and setbacks are scary, but they are much less frightening when we realize they're happening just as predicted, and that prediction includes a good ending.

John 13:12–20 is Jesus' explanation of His humble act: washing the feet of the disciples. Christ freely accepts His role as Lord and master, using those concepts to drive home His main point. Those who claim the name of Jesus ought to follow His example. That means humility and service for others—if the Lord serves others, so too should those who follow Him. Jesus also points out that not everyone at this event truly follows Him. This prediction is given to strengthen the faith of true believers once everything has been revealed. The following passage expands on the impending betrayal.

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.