John 13-15

Contemporary English Version

Jesus Washes the Feet of His Disciples

13 It was before Passover, and Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and to return to the Father. He had always loved his followers in this world, and he loved them to the very end.

² Even before the evening meal started, the devil had made Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot,^[a] decide to betray Jesus.

³ Jesus knew he had come from God and would go back to God. He also knew that the Father had given him complete power. ⁴ So during the meal Jesus got up, removed his outer garment, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ He put some water into a large bowl. Then he began washing his disciples' feet and drying them with the towel he was wearing.

⁶ But when he came to Simon Peter, this disciple asked, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

⁷ Jesus answered, “You don't really know what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

⁸ “You will never wash my feet!” Peter replied.

“If I don't wash you,” Jesus told him, “you don't really belong to me.”

⁹ Peter said, “Lord, don't wash just my feet. Wash my hands and my head.”

¹⁰ Jesus answered, “People who have bathed and are clean all over need to wash just their feet. And you, my disciples, are clean, except for one of you.” ¹¹ Jesus knew who would betray him. That is why he said, “except for one of you.”

^12 (A) After Jesus had washed his disciples' feet and had put his outer garment back on, he sat down again.^[b] Then he said:

Do you understand what I have done? ¹³ You call me your teacher and Lord, and you should, because that is who I am. ¹⁴ And if your Lord and teacher has washed your feet, you should do the same for each other. ¹⁵ I have set the example, and you should do for each other exactly what I have done for you. ^16 (B) I tell you for certain that servants are not greater than their master, and messengers are not greater than the one who sent them. ¹⁷ You know these things, and God will bless you, if you do them.

^18 (C) I am not talking about all of you. I know the ones I have chosen. But what the Scriptures say must come true. And they say, “The man who ate with me has turned against me!” ¹⁹ I am telling you this before it all happens. Then when it does happen, you will believe who I am.^{[c] 20 (D)} I tell you for certain that anyone who welcomes my messengers also welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.

Jesus Tells What Will Happen to Him

(Matthew 26.20-25; Mark 14.17-21; Luke 22.21-23)

²¹ After Jesus had said these things, he was deeply troubled and told his disciples, “I tell you for certain that one of you will betray me.” ²² They were confused about what he meant. And they just stared at each other.

²³ Jesus' favorite disciple was sitting next to him at the meal, ²⁴ and Simon motioned for this disciple to find out which one Jesus meant. ²⁵ So the disciple leaned toward Jesus and asked, “Lord, which one of us are you talking about?”

²⁶ Jesus answered, “I will dip this piece of bread in the sauce and give it to the one I was talking about.”

Then Jesus dipped the bread and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.^{[d] 27} Right then Satan took control of Judas.

Jesus said, “Judas, go quickly and do what you have to do.” ²⁸ No one at the meal understood what Jesus meant. ²⁹ But because Judas was in charge of the money, some of them thought that Jesus had told him to buy something they needed for the festival. Others thought that Jesus had told him to give some money to the poor. ³⁰ Judas took the piece of bread and went out.

It was already night.

The New Command

³¹ After Judas had gone, Jesus said:

Now the Son of Man will be given glory, and he will bring glory to God. ³² Then, after God is given glory because of him, God will bring glory to him, and God will do it very soon.

^33 (E) My children, I will be with you for only a little while longer. Then you will look for me, but you won't find me. I tell you just as I told the people, “You cannot go where I am going.” ^34 (F) But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. ³⁵ If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples.

Peter's Promise

(Matthew 26.31-35; Mark 14.27-31; Luke 22.31-34)

³⁶ Simon Peter asked, “Lord, where are you going?”

Jesus answered, “You can't go with me now, but later on you will.”

³⁷ Peter asked, “Lord, why can't I go with you now? I would die for you!”

³⁸ “Would you really die for me?” Jesus asked. “I tell you for certain before a rooster crows, you will say three times that you don't even know me.”

Jesus Is the Way to the Father

14 Jesus said to his disciples, “Don't be worried! Have faith in God and have faith in me.^{[e] 2} There are many rooms in my Father's house. I wouldn't tell you this, unless it was true. I am going there to prepare a place for each of you. ³ After I have done this, I will come back and take you with me. Then we will be together. ⁴ You know the way to where I am going.”

⁵ Thomas said, “Lord, we don't even know where you are going! How can we know the way?”

^6 (G) “I am the way, the truth, and the life!” Jesus answered. “Without me, no one can go to the Father. ⁷ If you had really known me, you would have known the Father. But from now on, you do know him, and you have seen him.”

⁸ Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need.”

⁹ Jesus replied:

Philip, I have been with you for a long time. Don't you know who I am? If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. How can you ask me to show you the Father? ¹⁰ Don't you believe that I am one with the Father and that the Father is one with me? What I say isn't said on my own. The Father who lives in me does these things.

¹¹ Have faith in me when I say that the Father is one with me and that I am one with the Father. Or else have faith in me simply because of the things I do. ¹² I tell you for certain that if you have faith in me, you will do the same things I am doing. You will do even greater things, now that I am going back to the Father. ¹³ Ask me, and I will do whatever you ask. This way the Son will bring honor to the Father. ¹⁴ I will do whatever you ask me to do.

The Holy Spirit Is Promised

^15 (H) Jesus said to his disciples:

If you love me, you will do as I command. ¹⁶ Then I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will help^[f] you and always be with you. ¹⁷ The Spirit will show you what is true. The people of this world cannot accept the Spirit, because they don't see or know him. But you know the Spirit, who is with you and will keep on living in you.

¹⁸ I won't leave you like orphans. I will come back to you. ¹⁹ In a little while the people of this world won't be able to see me, but you will see me. And because I live, you will live. ²⁰ Then you will know I am one with the Father. You will know you are one with me, and I am one with you. ^21 (I) If you love me, you will do what I have said, and my Father will love you. I will also love you and show you what I am like.

²² The other Judas, not Judas Iscariot,^[g] then spoke up and asked, “Lord, what do you mean by saying that you will show us what you are like, but you will not show the people of this world?”

²³ Jesus replied:

If anyone loves me, they will obey me. Then my Father will love them, and we will come to them and live in them. ²⁴ But anyone who doesn't love me, won't obey me. What they have heard me say doesn't really come from me, but from the Father who sent me.

²⁵ I have told you these things while I am still with you. ²⁶ But the Holy Spirit will come and help^[h] you, because the Father will send the Spirit to take my place. The Spirit will teach you everything and will remind you of what I said while I was with you.

²⁷ I give you peace, the kind of peace only I can give. It isn't like the peace this world can give. So don't be worried or afraid.

²⁸ You have already heard me say I am going and I will also come back to you. If you really love me, you should be glad I am going back to the Father, because he is greater than I am.

²⁹ I am telling you this before I leave, so when it does happen, you will have faith in me. ³⁰ I cannot speak with you much longer, because the ruler of this world is coming. But he has no power over me. ³¹ I obey my Father, so everyone in the world might know that I love him.

It is time for us to go now.

Jesus Is the True Vine

15 Jesus said to his disciples:

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts away every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit. But he trims clean every branch that does produce fruit, so that it will produce even more fruit. ³ You are already clean because of what I have said to you.

⁴ Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me. ⁵ I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me. ⁶ If you don't stay joined to me, you will be thrown away. You will be like dry branches that are gathered up and burned in a fire.

⁷ Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered. ⁸ When you become fruitful disciples of mine, my Father will be honored. ⁹ I have loved you, just as my Father has loved me. So remain faithful to my love for you. ¹⁰ If you obey me, I will keep loving you, just as my Father keeps loving me, because I have obeyed him.

¹¹ I have told you this to make you as completely happy as I am. ^12 (J) Now I tell you to love each other, as I have loved you. ¹³ The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them. ¹⁴ And you are my friends, if you obey me. ¹⁵ Servants don't know what their master is doing, and so I don't speak to you as my servants. I speak to you as my friends, and I have told you everything my Father has told me.

¹⁶ You did not choose me. I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit, the kind of fruit that will last. Then my Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name.^{[i] 17} So I command you to love each other.

The World's Hatred

¹⁸ If the people of this world^[j] hate you, just remember that they hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, its people would love you. But you don't belong to the world. I have chosen you to leave the world behind, and this is why its people hate you. ^20 (K) Remember how I told you that servants are not greater than their master. So if people mistreat me, they will mistreat you. If they do what I say, they will do what you say.

²¹ People will do to you exactly what they did to me. They will do it because you belong to me, and they don't know the one who sent me. ²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin.

²³ Everyone who hates me also hates my Father. ²⁴ I have done things no one else has ever done. If they had not seen me do these things, they would not be guilty. But they did see me do these things, and they still hate me and my Father too. ^25 (L) This is why the Scriptures are true when they say, “People hated me for no reason.”

²⁶ I will send you the Spirit who comes from the Father and shows what is true. The Spirit will help^[k] you and will tell you about me. ²⁷ Then you will also tell others about me, because you have been with me from the beginning.