John 13:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

NIV: Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

NASB: Truly, truly I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.

CSB: "Truly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him.

NLT: I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message.

KJV: Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.

NKJV: Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.

Peter's initial reaction to Jesus washing the disciples' feet shows how radical the act was (John 13:6–8). In the context of that culture, Peter assumed Jesus was denying His own role as Lord. Jesus has already clarified that this is not the case. In fact, He's strongly embracing His authority over these men (John 13:13). Jesus is not lowering His own authority, He is eliminating any excuse to shirk humility and service (John 13:14–15).

Here, Jesus continues to repeat this theme: servants are not "greater than" their masters. A person cannot point to something their Lord does and say, "I'm too important, too valuable, or too good for that." Washing of someone's feet, in that era, was among the clearest expressions of humility one could expect. Jesus leaves no room for doubt in interpreting His own actions: you are not above Me, so if I act humbly and in support of others, you have no right to refuse to do the same.

This incident overturns the natural human sense of leadership and community. Believers mutually submit, support, and care for one another. Godly leaders are servants, not snobs.

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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.