John 13:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God,

NIV: Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;

NASB: Jesus, knowing that the Father had handed all things over to Him, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God,

CSB: Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into his hands, that he had come from God, and that he was going back to God.

NLT: Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.

KJV: Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;

NKJV: Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God,

A running theme in the gospel of John is Jesus' trust in God's will and God's schedule (John 7:6; 12:27). The first verse of this chapter put a context of love over Jesus' upcoming words and actions (John 13:1). This verse also provides a theme, but frames Jesus' actions as proof of His faith and obedience.

In private, Jesus demonstrates love and patience with the disciples, as He gives the last of His lessons prior to being arrested. In the garden, He will express faith in God, despite knowing how terrible His experience will be (Matthew 26:39). Even on the cross, Christ will prove He knows exactly what His suffering will bring (Luke 23:43). This echoes the general theme of the first three verses of this chapter, which remind us that nothing catches Jesus by surprise.

One reason Jesus can persevere under pressure is His faith in God's ultimate control. This parallels the description found in Hebrews chapter 11. There, a litany of believers is given as examples of endurance despite persecution. All of them were willing and able to hold fast in those trials because they had a heavenly perspective (Hebrews 11:13–16).

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.