Commentary on John 13:16-20

Today we begin today the second part of John’s Gospel, sometimes known as the “Book of Glory” (chaps 13-20), covering Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection.  Today’s passage immediately follows on Jesus’ washing of his disciples’ feet.

It is in that context that he says,

Very truly, I tell you, slaves are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them.

With these words Jesus clearly urges his followers to serve each other in the same way that he, their Lord and Master, served them by the symbolic act of washing their feet.  This was an act only done by slaves in a household.

Jesus has given service to others a dignity which is totally independent of the status that society confers on people, dividing them into served and server.  Jesus’ whole raison d’etre for being among us was to serve. He tells his disciples:

If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

It is a truth which many of us—clergy, religious and laity—do not always find it easy to practise consistently.

It would not be quite right to see Jesus washing his disciples’ feet as a humbling of himself.  Service in the Gospel is primarily love in action.  Love (Greek, agape) is the desire for the well-being of the other.  That love is actualised by service, by the doing of acts for the good of the other.  It is the act of brothers and sisters to and for each other. Status or position does not enter into it.

At the same time Jesus gives the first warning that there is one among them to whom these words will not apply.  It is to prepare them for the prediction about his betrayal by one of the group.

The one who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.

To share bread together was a mark of close fellowship and that is a primary meaning of the Eucharist which is a “breaking of bread” among the members of a close community.  To ‘lift up the heel’ may refer a horse kicking, or to the shaking off of dust from one’s feet as sign of rejection.

Far from being shocked and disturbed by what is going to happen, they should be aware that everything that Jesus willingly undergoes in coming days is clear proof of his divine origin.

I tell you this now, before it occurs, so that when it does occur you may believe that I am he.

Here is another ‘I AM’ statement acknowledging that he is one with his Father.

What is going to happen to Jesus is the ultimate act of service to his brothers and sisters.  It is the greatest love that can be shown.  Now his disciples are being asked to hold on to Jesus’ identity as one with the Father even when they see him die in shame and disgrace on the cross. But in fact, their faith will be deeply shaken and will not be confirmed until after Pentecost.

Finally, anyone who accepts a disciple or messenger of Jesus, accepts both Jesus himself and the Father who sent him.  There is a clear line of unity emanating from the Father going through the Son and passing through the disciples to others.  There is just one mission—to bring about the Kingdom, the Reign of God in the world. This acceptance is done by our sharing fully in Jesus’ own attitude of service, even to the giving of his life.