Love Each Other

The Basin and the Betrayer
A towel, a basin, and a room full of men who still don't get it. John 13 gives us one of the most confronting pictures of Jesus in all of Scripture, as the King of heaven intentionally chooses the lowest role in the house. In this episode, we read through John 13:1–15 and 34–35 (KJV and NIV) and slow down long enough to feel the weight of this moment: Jesus knows the cross is imminent, he knows Judas is about to betray him, and he still kneels to serve.

Inside the episode, we unpack:
The Gritty Reality of Foot Washing: Why this wasn't a sweet, symbolic ritual in the first century, but a filthy, demeaning job reserved for the lowest-ranking servants.

The Death of Status: How this cultural context shatters our modern focus on pride, image, and status. If the Lord and Teacher stoops this low, where does that leave our excuses?

Peter’s Mistake & Daily Cleansing: What Peter’s dramatic reaction teaches us about salvation versus ongoing spiritual cleansing. We talk honestly about bringing our "dirty feet" to God in daily confession rather than hiding behind a religious mask.

If you are looking for a short, Scripture-rich Christian podcast episode on servant leadership, true biblical humility, and what "loving one another" actually looks like, press play.

Hit Subscribe so you never miss an episode, share this with a friend who needs encouragement in their faith journey, and leave a review telling us one practical way you plan to love in action this week!

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John 13:1-15, 34 & 35  -  King James Version
13 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;

3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;

4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.

5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?

7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.

8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.

9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.

11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.

12 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?

13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.

14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.

15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

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Matthew 26:39  -  King James Version
39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

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Transcript

Welcome And Where To Listen

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Welcome to the Christ Gordon Podcast. Thank you for taking a quarter of an hour out of this day to enjoy the presence of Christ and the words of Christ. Today let's read a section of Scripture, discuss what it means, and also how it applies to our lives. I hope that God will speak to you through my words and more importantly through his scriptures, and we'll bring you closer to Him. I am blessed and thankful to have this time to speak with you, and I thank you so much for being with me here today. The Christ Quarter is available on Amazon Music. Just ask your smart speaker or app to play the Christ Quarter Podcast. I'm also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.

Scripture Reading John 13

SPEAKER_00 0:51

Today's scripture selection is John chapter 13, verses 1 through 15, and verses 34 and 35. The King James Version goes as follows Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come, that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them until the end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put 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 was come from God and went to God, he riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments, and took a towel and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to summon Peter, and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit, and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him. Therefore said he, ye are not all clean. So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you. Ye call me master and lord, and ye say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done to you. A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. The NIV says it this way. It was just before the Passover festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God. So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, Lord, are you going to wash my feet? Jesus replied, You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand. No, said Peter, you shall never wash my feet. Jesus answered, Unless I wash you, you have no part with me. Then, Lord, Simon Peter replied, Not just my feet, but my hands and my head as well. Jesus answered, Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet, their whole body is clean, and you are clean, though not every one of you. For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. Do you understand what I have done for you? he asked them. Ye call me teacher and lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. A new command I give you love one another as I have loved you. So you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.

Prayer For Understanding And Action

SPEAKER_00 5:31

Let us pray. Lord, we thank you for this day. We thank you for the freedom and the ability to discuss your word and enjoy your presence. Help us to understand your word and your will for our daily lives more fully. We ask that you bless this discussion of your word, that it will speak to someone who needs to hear from you. We ask that you use these words to bring someone closer to you, and that you will touch their hearts to love others through action in your name. That each of us will do something to show love to their neighbor in action as well as in word. That each of us will do our best to represent you to the world. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Why Jesus Washes Judas Too

SPEAKER_00 6:11

Most of us are familiar with the story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. This was an example of service and love that Jesus wanted to make perfectly clear to his disciples and to us. The act of washing the disciples' feet was made even more powerful by the fact that Jesus would soon begin the final stage of his mission by willingly going to the cross as a sacrifice for us, covering our sins with his own blood. We can all understand that the act of washing other people's feet is an act of service and humility, but over the many years since Jesus washed the disciples' feet, we have lost some of the context of this event and the way in which it affected Jesus, the disciples, and other people of that time. Let's take a few minutes today to emphasize what Jesus wants us to learn from his actions and to understand how foot washing was viewed by the people of that day. Let's get right to it. The first thing we should notice here is that Jesus not only washed the feet of his friends and of those who had his best interests at heart, but he also washed the feet of Judas. Verse ten of our scriptures today, Jesus refers to Judas by saying that not all the disciples are clean. Jesus knew full well that Judas was about to betray him, yet he still washed his feet and served him, showing through his own example that we are to love even our enemies, and not just to say, I'll pray for you or God bless you as we hurry on our way, but to actually stop and do something for them. Remember also that Jesus did not want to go to the cross. Jesus was fully God, but he was also fully human, and of course did not want to be publicly humiliated, tortured, and executed. In Matthew chapter 26, verse 39, Jesus prayed, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. Jesus knew what was about to happen to him. I imagine that he had thought about it and prayed about it many times in the past. This must have been a huge burden on Jesus during his life, knowing what he would have to go through, and yet he still loved Judas through action and

Foot Washing Was The Lowest Job

SPEAKER_00 8:26

service. In the service that Jesus chose, washing the disciples' feet, it was much more of an act of service than we realize today. Today when we think of washing someone's feet, it's not physically that bad at all. Most of us wear shoes when we are out and about, and we mainly do that for comfort. Most of us regularly wash our feet, trim our toenails, etc. Today, washing someone's feet is mainly symbolic of service, but in Jesus' day, it was an actual position. Consider that in Jesus' day, people did not walk from their front door into their car and from their car to their destination. During that time, most people walked everywhere. Also considered that there were no sidewalks, no covered roads as we know them today, and no sewage systems as we know them today. People did not have fitted leather boots or socks. They generally wore sandals or went barefoot. Their feet were at best dusty and dirty, but at the end of the day, they are likely much worse than that due to having been walking over dusty, dirty roads with who knows what along their path. Today many people have mud rooms where guests can remove their shoes so that they do not track dirt, grime, and filth into the home. Even then many people will keep their socks on. In Jesus' day, some hosts provided a footwasher. Similar to the position of shepherd, which was considered to be the lowest job and was always given to the youngest, foot washing was a demeaning, lowly, undesirable job and was the lowest position among household servants. With this in mind, look beyond the actual physical actions of Jesus and consider the social context of this dirty, lowly, demeaning job that Jesus was performing. This also helps us to better understand the disciples' embarrassment and discomfort in having Jesus wash their dirty feet.

Clean In Christ Then Keep Repenting

SPEAKER_00 10:18

In verse 10, Jesus told Peter that once his feet had been washed, he did not need to then wash his head and hands. Scholars believe that Jesus was saying to Peter and to us that once we have been cleaned by Jesus by the blood, we have been covered, we are saved, and we are spiritually spotless. But as soon as we begin to walk in this world, we immediately encounter dirt and filth, not only from the world, but from our own thoughts, emotions, and bodies. We must regularly go to God for cleansing, to repent and to grow in our faith and in our understanding. As Christians, we all go to God through Christ and ask for forgiveness. We take our dirty, nasty, embarrassing sins to God and ask for them to be washed away. Are we embarrassed though? The disciples were embarrassed when Jesus washed their feet, and their feet were very clean compared to the sins that we take to God for cleaning. Let's try to sin less and bring cleaner, less dirty feet to God for cleaning. In verse 13, 14, and 15, Jesus points out to the disciples and to us that he is our master and lord, and has literally stooped down low to wash the feet of his friends and enemies alike. Jesus then tells us that he has given us this example so that we should do likewise to one another. In the last two verses of our scripture today, Jesus commands us to love one another as he loves us, and that the world will know us by this. Jesus will say to us that the outward proof of our following him would be that we follow this example and love one another as he loves us in action.

Love Proves Discipleship Closing Prayer

SPEAKER_00 11:59

That concludes our scripture discussion for today. Thank you for spending this time with me talking about, learning about, and enjoying Christ. It is my hope that God has used my words to touch you today and has brought you closer to Him. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.