Read John 13: 1-14

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

¹ It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

² The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. ³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

⁷ Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

⁸ “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

   Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

⁹ “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

¹⁰ 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.” ¹¹ For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

¹² When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ¹³ “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴ Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.

 BLESSED ARE THE HUMBLE FOR THEY SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH (Matt.5:5)

Questions
1. As we look at John 13 we see the Son demonstrating humility. Are there other instances where we can see humility in the Godhead?

2. If the enemy fell through pride, then his first weapon against us is self- centredness & pride. Consider this sentence: “Humility is not the belittling of self, it is the forgetting of the self”. How can service help us in achieving this goal?

3. How can we genuinely count others better than ourselves?

4. How free are we to change? How free are we to take correction?

5. Consider making a private “altar” and laying on it all our achievements, character traits, and things we hold dear (ie the things we would defend if anyone attacked them!!)

6. Look through the Litany below together and discuss its challenge.

Listen to the accompanying talk