Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the Gospel of John, although they are a bit better formatted than former efforts. I felt a great sense of urgency to publish them rather than waiting until I had the time to pretty them up. Thank you and I pray that God blesses and encourages you through this material. I’m not sure of the condition of the world at the time of this publication. But at the time of its writing, fall 2009 through late spring 2010, things are looking increasingly bleak with the economy, health care and unemployment, there is a renewal and increase of racism, and godly principles of living being disregarded, there are floods in India, earthquake and tsunami in Samoa. Are these the first stages of birth pains? The last? God only knows. And He is very busy these days. Seek His wisdom. Encourage each other. Pray. Jesus is coming to deliver His people and judge the wicked…Stacey
Take a few minutes to pray and savor chapter 13 of the book of John. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the questions, and be sure to leave comments about your own revelations…
13:1-17 – Jesus is the laver of the tabernacle. (A Woman’s Heart – Moore)
13:1 – NIV says Jesus “now showed them the full extent of his love.” How does foot washing show the full extent of Jesus’ love? That’s what He did in this moment – wash their feet. His love was shown in His service to them. How do you show your love?
13:2 – They ate together. Eating is an intimate experience. What are your thoughts about sharing a meal with others?
13:3-5 – Jesus was secure in His identity, so He was able to give Himself fully to service. What is your identity with regard to God? Are you so secure in your relationship to Him that you can give yourself fully to serving the Lord and others?
13:5-6 – Whose feet did Jesus wash before getting to Peter? Did Peter’s refusal to be washed make the disciples who didn’t refuse feel as though they’d done something wrong? Or were they so humbled by the experience that Peter’s refusal made him look arrogant and prideful? Explain your thoughts.
13:7 – Jesus told Peter that he would understand what Jesus was doing later on. What was Jesus doing? When did Peter come to understand this?
13:8 – Unless Jesus washes us, we have no part of Him. How does Jesus wash us today? Can you give Biblical support for your answer?
Judas was still present at this point in the evening’s events. Jesus washed his feet along with the others. What are your thoughts about the Lord cleaning Judas’ feet? Was He anointing the feet of His betrayer to go to the Sanhedrin for the purpose of betraying Him?
13:10-11 – Judas was unclean because he was entertaining the thoughts of betraying Jesus. See 13:2.
13:13-17 – Jesus tells the disciples that humility and service is a blessing. See Philippians 2:1-18. Describe your experience in this area.
13:18 – prophesied in Psalm 41:9.
Didn’t Jesus choose all of the disciples? Explain your thoughts.
13:20 – Why would Jesus inject this phrase about accepting those He sent leading to acceptance of Him and the Father at this point?
13:21-25 – Jesus drops a bombshell that prompts the disciples to inquire which of them would betray Him. Why do you think they wanted to know who it was? Do you think that each needed the reassurance that it wasn’t him? Do you sometimes need that assurance?
13:24-25 – Did John have “special influence” with Jesus? Or was he the one Peter encouraged to question Jesus simply because he was sitting closest to the Lord?
13:27 – This is like the anti-Christian communion. In light of this, do you think that you should make a concerted effort to do an act of service for Him after observing the Lord’s Supper with your church family?
Why do you think Jesus told Judas to act quickly? To be within God’s perfect timing? To set things irreversibly into motion so Jesus would not have the option to change His mind about enduring what He knew was coming?
13:28-29 – How could the disciples not understand what Judas was going to do? Had sufficient time and conversation taken place to take their minds off of Christ’s prediction of betrayal?
13:31 – Jesus waited until Judas left to continue His teaching. He says that now the Son is glorified. The plan is in motion for Jesus to die.
13:33 – What does Jesus mean when He says, “Where I am going, you cannot come”? See v. 36.
13:34-35 – What is new about Jesus’ command to love each other?
13:36 – Jesus tells Peter that he will follow Him later. What does He mean? See John 21:18-19.
13:37-38 – See Matthew 26:33-35; Mark 14:29-31; Luke 22:33-34. What similarities exist in these parallel accounts? What additional information do you glean from these passages? What does this tell you about the perspective of the writer, John? How does this knowledge enhance your understanding of the event?
13:37 – Was Peter an impulsive blowhard? Or did he really mean it when he said he would die for Jesus? What Biblical support can you offer for your answer?
13:38 – If you were Peter, how would you feel about Christ saying that you were going to disown Him in the next few hours? Would you be relieved that He didn’t say you were His betrayer?
• The book of John is called the “Love Gospel”. How have you seen God’s love at work in this chapter of scripture and how will you apply it to your life this week?
• What attributes of God do you see in this book?
• What verse of scripture seemed to be God speaking directly to you? What is He teaching you in these verses? How does He want you to respond?
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