Jesus Washes Disciples Feet--Betrayal and Denial

John 13:1-20

 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself.  After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.  Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”

 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”

 Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!”

Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”

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

 Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”  For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”

 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?  You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.  If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.  Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.  If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

 “I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.’ Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”

Betrayal and Denial

  Matthew 26:20-35; Mark 14:17-31; Luke 22:21-23, 31-38; John 13:21-38

In the evening He came with the twelve. Now as they sat and ate, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me! But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table!”

Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke. And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing. Each of them began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?”

Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke.

Then, leaning back on Jesus’ breast, he said to Him, “Lord, who is it?”

He answered and said to them, “It is one of the twelve, he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it—he who dips with Me in the dish. The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had never been born.”

And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”

But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him. For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, “Buy those things we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor.

Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, “Rabbi, is it I?”

He said to him, “You have said it.”

Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.

Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:

​‘​I will strike the Shepherd, ​​And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

​But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”

And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”

Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.”

Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.”

Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake?”

Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.”

Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.”

But he spoke more vehemently, “If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”

And they all said likewise.

And He said to them, “When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?”

So they said, “Nothing.”

Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For the things concerning Me have an end.”

So they said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.”

And He said to them, “It is enough.”

Judas and Preparations for Passover

Matthew 26:14-19; Mark 14:10-16; Luke 22:3-13

Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them, and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And when they heard it, they were glad, and they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him in the absence of the multitude.

Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed, the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”

And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters. Then you shall say to the master of the house, “My time is at hand Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”  Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.”

So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.

Mary Anoints Jesus

(As we approach the Resurrection season, we are following Jesus during His last two days. No commentary.)

Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:2-8

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

But there were some who were indignant among themselves. Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. And they criticized her sharply.

But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

The Road to Jerusalem

(At this point in our Harmony of the Gospels reading, we came to the resurrection season of 2014. The following 18 passages follow Jesus' final days and hours before His crucifixion. There will be no commentary, just the passages. If you would like to skip this portion and continue in the Harmony reading, you may click here.)

When I read through the gospels chronologically (in harmony) for the first time, it affected me in unexpected ways. I had read each of the gospels through individually, and of course, various passages separately numerous times. But putting them together in one continuous narrative was profoundly impacting.  So when I came to the heading, “Jesus final week”, I was surprised at my response. My heart pounded, and I froze. I literally could not read. It was silly, I know, but nonetheless real. In my heart, I found myself saying, “No, stop! Don’t go there, Jesus!” It was the first time I had been drawn into the events of Jesus’ life in such an intense way.

After a few days, I did indeed return to my reading with a renewed love and devotion to my Lord. The timing of my reading had nothing to do with the Resurrection season, but since we are now here, just a few weeks away (April 20), I thought that it would be appropriate to stop where we are currently and jump ahead to the events immediately before Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.

I will not be writing any commentary; that will come when we continue in the normal course of the harmony reading.  Instead, I will post just the Scriptures in chronological order of the events of Jesus’ last days here on earth from the time that the Sanhedrin conspired to kill Him through to Resurrection Sunday. Since I am not commenting, I will be posting daily; read as you can. I hope that my readers will not mind this short departure from our course of reading, but that it will enrich your love for the Lord Jesus as it has done mine.

The Sanhedrin

Previously, just a few weeks before:

John 11:45-55

Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.”

And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.

Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death. Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death. Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.

(...Between John 11:45-55, Jesus spent some amount of time[1] with His disciples in Ephraim. Then He went to Bethany[2] five days before Passover. During that time Jesus had His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. He took daily trips into the city and then returned to Bethany in the evening. Also during that time He taught the disciples to watch regarding signs of the last days’ through parables. Just before the Passover, Mary anointed Jesus’ feet.)

Matthew 26:1-5; Mark 14:1, 2; Luke 22:1, 2

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover. Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

And the chief priests and the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

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[1]The exact amount of time is not clear, but it is clearly within just a few weeks before the Passover.

[2] Bethany is about 2 miles from Jerusalem. (John 11:18)