Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A song of David for going up to the Temple.

The Sign of the Loincloth

13 This is what the Lord said to me: “Jeremiah, go and buy a linen loincloth.^[a] Then put it around your waist. Don’t let it get wet.”

² So I bought a linen loincloth, just as the Lord told me to do, and I put it around my waist. ³ Then the message from the Lord came to me a second time. ⁴ This was the message: “Jeremiah, take the loincloth you bought and are wearing, and go to Perath.^[b] Hide the loincloth there in a crack in the rocks.”

⁵ So I went to Perath and hid the loincloth there, just as the Lord told me to do. ⁶ Many days later the Lord said to me, “Now, Jeremiah, go to Perath. Get the loincloth that I told you to hide there.”

⁷ So I went to Perath and dug the loincloth out of the crack in the rocks where I had hidden it. But now I could not wear the loincloth, because it was ruined. It was not good for anything.

⁸ Then the message from the Lord came to me. ⁹ This is what the Lord said: “The loincloth is ruined and not good for anything. In the same way, I will ruin the proud people of Judah and Jerusalem. ¹⁰ I will ruin them because they refuse to listen to my messages. They are stubborn and do only what they want to do. They follow and worship other gods. They will be like this linen loincloth. They will be ruined and not good for anything. ¹¹ A loincloth is wrapped tightly around a man’s waist. In the same way, I wrapped the family of Israel and the family of Judah around me.” This message is from the Lord. “I did that so that they would be my people and bring me fame, praise, and honor. But my people did not listen to me.”

Jesus Washes His Followers’ Feet

13 It was almost time for the Jewish Passover festival. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go back to the Father. Jesus had always loved the people in the world who were his. Now was the time he showed them his love the most.

² Jesus and his followers were at the evening meal. The devil had already persuaded Judas Iscariot to hand Jesus over to his enemies. (Judas was the son of Simon.) ³ The Father had given Jesus power over everything. Jesus knew this. He also knew that he had come from God. And he knew that he was going back to God. ⁴ So while they were eating, Jesus stood up and took off his robe. He got a towel and wrapped it around his waist. ⁵ Then he poured water into a bowl and began to wash the followers’ feet.^[a] He dried their feet with the towel that was wrapped around his waist.

⁶ He came to Simon Peter. But Peter said to him, “Lord, you should not wash my feet.”

⁷ Jesus answered, “You don’t know what I am doing now. But later you will understand.”

⁸ Peter said, “No! You will never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “If I don’t wash your feet, you are not one of my people.”

⁹ Simon Peter said, “Lord, after you wash my feet, wash my hands and my head too!”

¹⁰ Jesus said, “After a person has a bath, his whole body is clean. He needs only to wash his feet. And you are clean, but not all of you.” ¹¹ Jesus knew who would hand him over to his enemies. That is why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

¹² When Jesus finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and went back to the table. He asked, “Do you understand what I did for you? ¹³ You call me ‘Teacher.’ And you call me ‘Lord.’ And this is right, because that is what I am. ¹⁴ I am your Lord and Teacher. But I washed your feet. So you also should wash each other’s feet. ¹⁵ I did this as an example for you. So you should serve each other just as I served you. ¹⁶ Believe me, servants are not greater than their master. Those who are sent to do something are not greater than the one who sent them. ¹⁷ If you know these things, great blessings will be yours if you do them.