Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

13 Before the Passover Festival, Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart from this world to the Father.^(A) Having loved His own who were in the world,^(B) He loved them to the end.^[a]

² Now by the time of supper, the Devil^(C) had already put it into the heart of Judas,^(D) Simon Iscariot’s son, to betray^(E) Him. ³ Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into His hands,^(F) that He had come from God,^(G) and that He was going back to God.^{(H) 4} So He got up from supper, laid aside His robe,^(I) took a towel, and tied it around Himself.^{(J) 5} Next, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel tied around Him.

⁶ He came to Simon Peter,^(K) who asked Him, “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?”

⁷ Jesus answered him, “What I’m doing you don’t understand now, but afterward you will know.”^(L)

⁸ “You will never wash my feet—ever!” Peter said.

Jesus replied, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with Me.”

⁹ Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.”

¹⁰ “One who has bathed,” Jesus told him, “doesn’t need to wash anything except his feet, but he is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you.” ¹¹ For He knew who would betray Him. This is why He said, “You are not all clean.”

The Meaning of Footwashing

¹² When Jesus had washed their feet and put on His robe, He reclined^[b] again and said to them, “Do you know what I have done for you? ¹³ You call Me Teacher and Lord. This is well said, for I am. ¹⁴ So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.^{(M) 15} For I have given you an example^(N) that you also should do just as I have done for you.

¹⁶ “I assure you: A slave is not greater than his master,^[c](O) and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.^(P)