Church Fathers Commentary John 13:1-5

"Now before the feast of the passover, Jesus knowing that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto his Father, having loved his own that were in the world, he loved them unto the end. And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon`s [son], to betray him, [Jesus], knowing that the Father had given all the things into his hands, and that he came forth from God, and goeth unto God, riseth from supper, and layeth aside his garments; and he took a towel, and girded himself. Then he poureth water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples` feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded." — John 13:1-5 (ASV)

Theophylact of Ohrid: Our Lord, about to depart from this life, shows His great care for His disciples: Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

The Venerable Bede: The Jews had many feasts, but the principal one was the Passover, and therefore it is particularly said, Before the feast of the Passover.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Pascha is not a Greek word, as some think, but Hebrew, though there is a remarkable agreement between the two languages on this point. Because the Greek word for "to suffer" is paschein, "Pascha" has been thought to mean "passion," as if the name were derived from that word. But in Hebrew, Pascha means a passing over, with the feast deriving its name from the passing of God's people over the Red Sea out of Egypt. Everything of which that Passover was a type was now about to take place in reality. Christ was led as a lamb to the slaughter. His blood sprinkled on our doorposts—that is, the sign of the cross marked on our foreheads—delivers us from the dominion of this world, as from Egyptian bondage. And we perform a most beneficial journey or passover when we pass over from the devil to Christ, from this unstable world to His secure kingdom. In this way, the Evangelist seems to interpret the word: When Jesus knew that His hour was come when He should pass over out of this world to the Father. This is the Pascha, this is the passing over.

St. John Chrysostom: He did not know this for the first time then; He had known it long before. By His departure, He means His death. Being so near to leaving His disciples, He shows the more love for them: Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. This means He left nothing undone that one who loves greatly should do. He reserved this for the last, so that their love might be increased by it and to prepare them with such consolation for the trials that were coming. He calls them "His own" in the sense of intimacy. The word was used in another sense at the beginning of the Gospel: His own received Him not. It follows, who were in the world, for those who were His own, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were dead and not in the world. These, then, His own who were in the world, He loved all along, and at the end, He manifested His love completely: He loved them to the end.

St. Augustine of Hippo: He loved them "to the end," that is, so that they themselves might also pass out of this world, by love, to Him their head. For what is "to the end" but to Christ? For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes (Romans 10:4). But these words may be understood in a human sense, to mean that Christ loved His own up to His death. God forbid that He, who is not ended by death, should end His love by death. Unless, indeed, we understand it this way: He loved His own to the point of death, that is, His love for them led Him to death.

The phrase "and supper having been made" means it was prepared and set on the table before them, not that it was consumed and finished. For it was during supper that He rose and washed His disciples’ feet, and after this, He sat at the table again and gave the piece of bread to the traitor.

The following phrase, The devil having now put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, refers to a secret suggestion, made not to the ear but to the mind, as the devil's suggestions become part of our own thoughts. Judas, then, had already conceived the intention of betraying his Master through the devil's instigation.

St. John Chrysostom: The Evangelist inserts this as if in astonishment, for our Lord was about to wash the feet of the very person who had resolved to betray Him. It also shows the great wickedness of the traitor, that even sharing the same table, which restrains even the worst of men, did not stop him.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The Evangelist, about to relate such a great example of our Lord’s humility, first reminds us of His lofty nature: knowing that the Father had given all things into His hand, not excluding the traitor.

St. Gregory the Great: He knew that He had even His persecutors in His hand, so that He might convert them from malice to love for Him.

Origen of Alexandria: The Father has given all things into His hands—that is, into His power, for His hands hold all things; or to Him, for His work, as in, My Father works until now, and I work (John 5:17).

St. John Chrysostom: Had given all things into His hand. What is given to Him is the salvation of believers. Do not think of this "giving" in a human way. It signifies His honor and agreement with the Father. For just as the Father has given all things to Him, so has He given all things to the Father, as in, When He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24).

St. Augustine of Hippo: Knowing too, that He was come from God, and went to God—not that He left God when He came from Him, or that He will leave us when He returns to Him.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The Father having given all things into His hands—that is, having given to Him the salvation of the faithful—He deemed it right to show them all things that pertained to their salvation. He gave them a lesson of humility by washing His disciples’ feet. Though knowing that He was from God and went to God, He thought it in no way diminished His glory to wash His disciples’ feet, thus proving that He did not usurp His greatness. For usurpers do not condescend, for fear of losing what they have obtained illegitimately.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Since the Father had given all things into His hands, He washed not His disciples’ hands, but their feet. And since He knew that He came from God and went to God, He performed the work not of God and Lord, but of a man and a servant.

St. John Chrysostom: It was an act worthy of Him Who came from God and went to God to trample on all pride. He rises from supper, and laid aside His garments, and took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He pours water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. See what humility He shows, not only in washing their feet but in other things. For it was not before, but after they had sat down, that He rose. He not only washed them, but laid aside His garments, girded Himself with a towel, and filled a basin. He did not order others to do all this but did it Himself, teaching us that we should be willing and ready to do such things ourselves.

Origen of Alexandria: Mystically, dinner is the first meal, taken early in the spiritual day and suited for those who have just entered it. Supper is the last meal and is set before those who are more advanced. In another sense, dinner is the understanding of the Old Testament; supper is the understanding of the mysteries hidden in the New. Yet even those who sup with Jesus, who partake of the final meal, need a certain washing—not of the upper parts of their body, that is, the soul, but of its lower parts and extremities, which necessarily cling to the earth. The text says, And began to wash, for He did not finish His washing until later. The feet of the Apostles were defiled at that moment: All of you shall be offended because of Me this night (Matthew 26:31). But afterward, He cleansed them, so that they needed no more cleansing.

St. Augustine of Hippo: He laid aside His garments when, being in the form of God, He emptied Himself. He girded Himself with a towel; He took upon Him the form of a servant. He poured water into a basin, out of which He washed His disciples’ feet. He shed His blood on the earth, with which He washed away the filth of their sins. He wiped them with the towel with which He was girded; with the flesh with which He was clothed, He established the steps of the evangelists. He laid aside His garments to gird Himself with the towel; so that He might take upon Him the form of a servant, He emptied Himself—not by laying aside what He had, but by assuming what He did not have. Before He was crucified, He was stripped of His garments, and when dead, He was wrapped in linen cloths. The whole of His passion is our cleansing.