Chapter 13

¹Before the Passover Festival began, Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father, but he had loved those who were his own in the world, and he loved them to the last. ²So at supper—the devil having by this time put the thought of betraying Jesus into the mind of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son— ³Jesus, fully aware that the Father had put everything into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, ⁴rose from the table, took off his outer clothing, and fastened a towel about his waist. ⁵Then he poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, wiping them with the towel that was about his waist. ⁶So he came to Simon Peter. He said to him,

“Master, are you going to wash my feet?”

⁷Jesus answered,

“You cannot understand now what I am doing, but you will learn by and by.”

⁸Peter said to him,

“I will never let you wash my feet!”

Jesus answered,

“You will have no share with me unless I wash you.”

⁹Simon Peter said to him,

“Master, wash not only my feet but my hands and my face too!”

¹⁰Jesus said to him,

“Anyone who has bathed only needs to have his feet washed to be altogether clean. And you are already clean—though not all of you.” ¹¹For he knew who was going to betray him; that was why he said, “You are not all of you clean.”

¹²When he had washed their feet and put on his clothes and taken his place, he said to them again,

“Do you understand what I have been doing to you? ¹³You call me Teacher and Master, and you are right, for that is what I am. ¹⁴If I then, your Master and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet too. ¹⁵For I have set you an example, in order that you may do what I have done to you. ¹⁶I tell you, no slave is superior to his master, and no messenger is greater than the man who sends him. ¹⁷Now that you have this knowledge, you will be blessed if you act upon it. ¹⁸I do not mean all of you; I know whom I have chosen; but let the Scripture be fulfilled:

“ ‘He who is eating my bread

Has raised his heel against me.’

¹⁹From now on I will tell you things before they happen, so that when they do happen you may believe that I am what I say. ²⁰I assure you, whoever welcomes any messenger of mine welcomes me and whoever welcomes me welcomes him who has sent me.”

²¹After Jesus had said this he was greatly moved and said solemnly,

“I tell you, it is one of you that will betray me!”

²²The disciples looked at one another in doubt as to which of them he meant. ²³Next to Jesus, at his right at the table, was one of his disciples whom Jesus especially loved. ²⁴So Simon Peter nodded to him and said to him,

“Tell us whom he means.”

²⁵He leaned back from where he lay, on Jesus’ breast, and said to him,

“Master, who is it?”

²⁶Jesus answered,

“It is the one to whom I am going to give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” So he dipped the piece of bread and took it and gave it to Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son. ²⁷After he took the bread, Satan took possession of him. Then Jesus said to him,

“Be quick about your business.”

²⁸But no one else at the table knew what he meant by telling him this, ²⁹for some of them thought that as Judas had the purse Jesus meant to say to him, “Buy what we need for the festival,” or to have him give something to the poor. ³⁰So immediately after taking the piece of bread he went out. It was then night.

³¹When he was gone, Jesus said,

“Now the Son of Man has been honored, and God has been honored through him, ³²and God will through himself honor him; he will honor him immediately. ³³My children, I am to be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, but, as I said to the Jews, where I am going you cannot follow, ³⁴I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must love one another. ³⁵By this they will all know that you are my disciples—by your love for one another.”

³⁶Simon Peter said to him,

“Master, where are you going?”

Jesus answered,

“I am going where you cannot follow me now, but you will follow me later.”

³⁷Peter said to him,

“Master, why cannot I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

³⁸Jesus answered,

“You will lay down your life for me? I tell you, before a cock crows, you will disown me thrice over!