Question 1

What does it mean that Jesus loved his own and loved them unto the end?

Accepted Answer

When it says Jesus loved “his own” and loved them “unto the end,” it shows a steady, committed love. His “own” are those the Father gave Him, pictured here by the disciples around the table. Jesus knows He is about to suffer and die, yet His love does not fade or pull back. He loves them through their weakness, their fear, Judas’s betrayal, and Peter’s coming denial. “Unto the end” points both to His death on the cross and to a love that does not stop or fail, even when He leaves this world.

Question 2

Why did Jesus wash the disciples’ feet like a servant?

Accepted Answer

Jesus washing the disciples’ feet was shocking because that job was normally for the lowest servant. He did it to show what His love is like and to give a living picture of humble service. At the same time, He hinted at something deeper: we need Him to cleanse us. When Peter refused, Jesus said that without His washing Peter would have no part with Him. So the act teaches two things together: believers must be cleansed by Jesus, and then they should gladly serve others in lowly, practical ways.

Question 3

What does Jesus mean by If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me?

Accepted Answer

When Jesus says, “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me,” He is moving from the water in the basin to the deeper truth of spiritual washing. Peter did not want his Lord to stoop so low, but Jesus teaches that no one can share in Him or His kingdom without being cleansed by Him. First there is a once-for-all cleansing that makes a person “clean every whit.” After that, like dusty feet, there is daily need for forgiveness and renewal. Refusing His cleansing is the same as refusing fellowship with Him.

Question 4

Why does Jesus say the disciples are clean, but not all?

Accepted Answer

Jesus tells them, “Ye are clean, but not all,” because most of the disciples had been cleansed in heart by trusting Him, but Judas had not. The foot washing showed outward cleaning, but Jesus was speaking about an inner washing only He can give. He knew who would betray Him, so He makes clear that being near Him and sharing bread with Him is not the same as truly belonging to Him. This warns us that a person can look close to Jesus on the outside and still not be cleansed within.

Question 5

What is the lesson when Jesus says you ought to wash one another’s feet?

Accepted Answer

When Jesus says they ought to wash one another’s feet, He is pressing the example into their daily lives. He, their Lord and Master, took the lowest place. If He serves like that, His followers have no excuse for pride. The main lesson is not just about a ceremony, but about a way of life: taking the servant’s role, meeting others’ needs, not thinking we are above any task. He adds that knowing these things is not enough. The blessing comes when we actually do them in love.

Question 6

Why did Jesus allow Judas to stay and then send him out quickly?

Accepted Answer

Jesus knew from the start that Judas would betray Him, yet He still washed Judas’s feet and let him share the meal. This shows how patient and kind Jesus is, even toward the one who will turn against Him. When He gives Judas the piece of bread and tells him, “That thou doest, do quickly,” He is not helpless. He is in control, letting the plan of God move forward toward the cross. The others do not understand, but Jesus knows exactly what is happening and uses even this dark act to fulfill Scripture.

Question 7

What does it mean that after the sop Satan entered into Judas?

Accepted Answer

The phrase “after the sop Satan entered into him” shows a deeper, darker step in Judas’s choice to betray Jesus. The devil had already put the idea into his heart, and now Judas gives himself over to it. This does not excuse Judas, but reveals that turning from Jesus opens a person up to evil’s power. Jesus still speaks calmly and directs him to act. The scene warns how serious it is to harden the heart against Christ, and at the same time shows that evil cannot move outside what God allows.

Question 8

Why does Jesus call loving one another a new commandment?

Accepted Answer

The command to love was known before, but Jesus calls it “new” because of the pattern He gives: “as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” He has just taken the servant’s place and will soon lay down His life. That kind of patient, self-giving love is to shape how His followers treat each other. This love becomes the clear mark of being His disciples. People should be able to see, in how believers care for and forgive each other, something of the way Jesus has loved them.

Question 9

What does Jesus mean when He says the Son of man is glorified now?

Accepted Answer

When Judas leaves and Jesus says, “Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him,” He is talking about His coming suffering and death. What looks like shame in human eyes will actually show His true glory. By obeying the Father and giving His life, He reveals God’s holiness, justice, and love. God is glorified in Him, and He will be glorified in God. The cross, the resurrection, and His return to the Father all belong together as the way He is lifted up and honored.

Question 10

Why does Jesus tell Peter he will deny Him three times?

Accepted Answer

Peter boldly says he will lay down his life for Jesus, but Jesus knows Peter will soon deny Him three times before the rooster crows. This is not to crush Peter, but to show him his own weakness and to prove that Jesus knows the future. Peter’s failure contrasts with Jesus’ steady faithfulness. It warns us not to trust our own strength or big promises. At the same time, Jesus also says Peter will follow Him afterward, pointing to later restoration and showing that His love is stronger than His disciple’s failure.

John 13:1

Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

The Lord’s Supper

Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

Love One Another

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

The Lord’s Supper

Cross References

John 13:1

Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

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Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

The Lord’s Supper

Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

Love One Another

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

The Lord’s Supper

Cross References