Thomas Aquinas Commentary John 13:12-20

"So when he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, and sat down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me, Teacher, and, Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another`s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye also should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, a servant is not greater than his lord; neither one that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, blessed are ye if ye do them. I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled: He that eateth my bread lifted up his heel against me. From henceforth I tell you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am [he]. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me." — John 13:12-20 (ASV)

1. After our Lord showed that His humble service was necessary, He then urged that it be imitated.

The Evangelist first describes the circumstances of this exhortation, and second, he mentions the exhortation itself: Do you know what I have done to you?

Concerning the circumstances, he does two things:

1. He mentions the sequence of this exhortation.
2. He describes the one giving the exhortation: then after he had washed their feet, and taken his garments.

2. The sequence in this exhortation is that Christ later taught in words what He had first done by His actions. In regard to this, the Evangelist says, then after he had washed their feet and taken his garments, being set down again. As Scripture says, Jesus began to do and teach (Acts 1:1), and he who does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:19).

3. He describes the one giving the exhortation by his clothing and posture. Regarding his clothing, different attire is suitable for different people depending on their activities: a man’s attire... shows what he is . One sort of clothing is suitable for a servant, and another for a teacher. Because a servant must be ready to serve, he does not have any superfluous clothing; and so Christ, when He wished to serve, rose from supper, laid aside his garments (John 13:4). A teacher, who should be serious and carry great authority, ought also to be suitably dressed. Thus our Lord, when beginning to teach, had taken his garments.

Regarding his posture, when Christ began to serve, He rose; the text says that Christ rose from supper. But now, about to teach, He reclines; it says, being set down again, he said to them. The reason for this is that teaching should be done in an atmosphere of serenity, and it is by sitting and being quiet that the soul becomes wise and discerning.

4. Three events here can indicate mysteries. When Christ sends the Holy Spirit to His disciples, He will be giving them complete teaching: but the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you (John 14:26).

But three things are to take place before the Spirit is sent. First, their sins are to be washed away by His passion: he washed us from our sins in his own blood (Revelation 1:5). In reference to this, the text says, when he had washed their feet, that is, completely cleansed them by His blood. Second, there is the resurrection of Christ. Christ had a mortal body before His passion, but He was not mortal as a person, for He was the Son of God; His mortality was due to the human nature He assumed. But after He rose from the dead by the power of His divinity, He took on bodily immortality. In reference to this, the text says He had taken his garments, that is, He arose immortal. It says his garments because He did this by His own power: the life he lives he lives to God, that is, by the power of God (Romans 6:10). We read of these garments: he who conquers will be clad thus in white garments, and I will not blot his name out of the book of life (Revelation 3:5).

Also, before the Spirit is sent, Christ is to be seated after His ascension: if I do not go away, the Paraclete will not come to you (John 16:7). Referring to this, the text says, and being set down again, that is, remaining and sitting at the right hand of the Father: the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into the heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19). The text says again, not because as the Son of God He had ever ceased to sit with the Father—for He is in the bosom of the Father from all eternity—but because as man He was raised to the greater goods of the Father: therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name (Philippians 2:9).

And so, before sending the Holy Spirit into them to teach them perfectly, Christ would wash them with the blood He shed, take up His garments by rising, and resume His place by ascending in glory.

5. Next, He gives His exhortation: Know you what I have done to you?

1. He asks a question.
2. He accepts their acknowledgment.
3. He draws a conclusion from this.
4. He confirms this conclusion.

6. Christ questions them when He says, Do you know what I have done to you? This means, “You have seen what I have done, but you do not know why I did it.” He asks them this way to show the greatness of His action and to prompt them to reflect on it. For we should meditate on the works of God because they are profound: How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep (Psalms 92:5). We can barely know the works of God: then I saw all the works of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun (Ecclesiastes 8:17). Yet it is still a delight to think about them: for you O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the work of your hands I sing for joy (Psalms 92:4). Furthermore, these works are helpful because they lead us to a knowledge of their author: for from the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception of their Creator ; the works themselves which I do, give testimony about me, that the Father has sent me (John 5:36).

According to Origen, this statement can be rendered as, Know what I have done to you. In this way, it has an imperative sense, as if Christ were saying, “You ought to understand what I have done to you.” In this interpretation, our Lord said this to rouse their understanding.

7. Our Lord accepts their acknowledgment: You call me Master and Lord.

1. He mentions what they acknowledge.
2. He approves of it: and you say well.

8. As to the first point, we should note that in Corinthians, the Apostle says two things about Christ: He is the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24). As the power of God, He rules all things, for as Ambrose says, “The word ‘Lord’ is a name of power.” As the wisdom of God, He teaches everyone. Thus the disciples called Him, as noted above, Lord, to whom shall we go? (John 6:69), and Rabbi, eat (John 4:31). And with good reason. For He is the Lord, who alone creates and restores: Know that the Lord is God! (Psalms 100:3). And He is the only Teacher who teaches from within: you have one master, the Christ (Matthew 23:10).

9. When He says, and you say well, He approves their acknowledgment. Here we should note that something spoken can be commendable for two reasons. First, because what is said is in harmony with the thing it is about; this happens if what is said is true, for if it is false, it does not harmonize with the thing. So it is well said: therefore, putting away falsehood, let every one speak the truth (Ephesians 4:25). Lies must be avoided to such an extent that even if they seem to lead to the glory of God, they should not be spoken. In reference to this point, He says, and you say well, because what you say is true, for it applies to me: for so I am, Teacher and Lord. I am the Teacher because of the wisdom I teach by my words; I am the Lord because of the power I show in my miracles.

Second, what is spoken can be commendable because it is in harmony with the person speaking. There are some who call Christ Teacher and Lord, but it is not in harmony with themselves, for they do not defer to the teaching and commands of God; such people do not speak rightly. So to those who say, Lord, Lord, open to us, the answer is given, truly, I say to you, I do not know you (Matthew 25:11), because they are not speaking from their hearts, but only with their lips. But the apostles spoke rightly, because it was in agreement with themselves. And so Christ replied, and you say well, that is, you are speaking the truth, for so I am. That is, for you I am the Teacher and the Lord, for you listen to me as Teacher—to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life (John 6:69)—and you follow me as Lord: lo, we have left everything and followed you (Matthew 19:27).

10. This seems to conflict with the statement in Proverbs: Let another praise you, and not your own mouth (Proverbs 27:2). It seems, therefore, that it was not right for our Lord to praise Himself.

Augustine answers this in two ways. First, it is wrong for a person to commend himself because of the danger of becoming proud; if one is inclined to pride, it is dangerous for him to be pleased with himself. When there is no danger of pride, self-praise is not wrong. This danger was not to be feared in Christ, for if one is above everything, then no matter how much He praises Himself, He does not commend Himself too much. In another way, it is praiseworthy for a man to commend himself when it is useful for the faithful, as when the Apostle commends himself (2 Corinthians 11).

For us to know God is very beneficial and necessary in every way, for our entire perfection lies in this. Thus it was a benefit for us that He reveal His greatness to us, for how could we know it if it were not shown to us by the one who knows? It was therefore necessary that Christ commend Himself to us, for as Augustine says, if He did not praise Himself to avoid seeming arrogant, He would be depriving us of wisdom: Wisdom will praise herself .

11. He draws the conclusion when He says, If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. He is arguing here from the lesser to the greater. For it seems a lesser thing that one who is greater should humble himself than one who is not as great. With this in mind, He concludes, if I then, who am greater, because I am your Teacher and Lord, have washed your feet, then you who are not as great, because you are disciples and servants, ought, far more than I, to wash one another’s feet: whoever would be great among you must be your servant... even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve (Matthew 20:26).

12. It seems that the statement, you ought to wash one another’s feet, is a precept. And one who neglects a precept sins in a serious way.

I reply, according to Augustine, that everyone should wash the feet of others, either in a physical or spiritual way. It is much better, and true beyond argument, that one should do this in a physical way, so that a Christian will not consider it beneath him to do what Christ did. For when a person stoops down to the feet of his neighbor, humility is awakened in his heart, or if already there, it is made stronger. If one cannot do this in a physical way, it should at least be done in one’s heart.

When feet are washed, their stains are washed away. So we wash the feet of our neighbors in a spiritual way when, as far as we can, we wash away their moral stains. This is done in three ways:

1. By forgiving their offenses, as in and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive (Colossians 3:13).
2. By praying for their sins, according to pray for one another, that you may be healed (James 5:16). These two kinds of washing can be done by all the faithful.
3. The third way belongs to prelates, who ought to wash by forgiving sins by the power of the keys: Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven (John 20:22).

We can also say that by this action our Lord pointed out all the works of mercy. For one who gives bread to the hungry washes his feet, as does one who practices hospitality, and one who clothes the naked, and so on for the other works. Contribute to the needs of the saints (Romans 12:13).

13. He supports His conclusion in four ways, beginning with for I have given you an example:

1. By His intention.
2. By His authority: amen, amen I say to you.
3. By the reward due this action: if you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
4. By the dignity of those whose feet He washed: amen, amen I say to you, he who receives whomever I send, receives me.

14. He said the reason He did this was to give an example; so you also ought to wash one another’s feet, because that was what He intended by this action. For when we are dealing with people's conduct, example has more influence than words. A person chooses and does what seems good to him, and so what one chooses is a better indication of what is good than what one teaches should be chosen. This is why when someone says one thing and does another, what he does has more influence on others than what he has taught. Thus it is especially necessary to give an example by one’s actions.

The example of a mere human being would not be adequate for the entire human race to imitate, both because human reason cannot take everything into account, and it does err in what it does take into account. And so we were given the example of the Son of God, which cannot be in error and is adequate for all situations. Thus Augustine says, “Pride is not healed if it is not healed by the divine humility,” and the same is true of avarice and the other vices.

Note that the Son of God is a fitting and sufficient example for us. For He is the art of the Father, and just as He was the model or pattern for every created thing, so He was the model for our justification: Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21); my foot has held fast to his steps, I have kept his way and have not turned aside (Job 23:11).

15. Then when He says, amen, amen, I say to you, the servant is not greater than his lord, He strengthens His conclusion by His authority. First, He mentions the status of His disciples; second, the work they do.

The status of the disciples is that they are servants: so you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants’ (Luke 17:10). The work they have to do is to be apostles; an apostle is one who is sent: he... chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles (Luke 6:13). So He says: I say that you also ought to wash one another’s feet as I have washed yours, because a servant is not greater than his lord—and this refers to their status—neither is the apostle greater than he who sent him. Although the Son of God was sent to us (Hebrews 3:1), and He is equal to the one who sent Him, that is, the Father, it is still true of all others that he who is sent is not greater than the one who sent him: neither is the apostle greater than he who sent him.

16. This seems to contradict what our Lord said to His disciples: No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing (John 15:15).

I answer that there are two ways of being a servant. One way is based on reverence and respect, or filial fear, and this produces a good servant: Well done, good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:23). This is the kind of servant our Lord is talking about here (John 13:16). The other way of being a servant is based on the fear of punishment, or servile fear. This kind of servant is mentioned in You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me (Matthew 18:32). This is the kind of servant our Lord refers to when He says, No longer do I call you servants (John 15:15).

17. When He says, If you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them, He strengthens His conclusion with a reward.

1. He mentions the reward.
2. He excludes someone from it: I am not speaking of you all.

18. He says, if you know these things, which is like saying, “You say to us what we do not know. Why do you speak to us?” Therefore, I say that, if you know these things, which many do know, you will be blessed if you do them, which is true of few.

He says know and do because we read: blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it (Luke 11:28); and a good understanding have all those who practice it (Psalms 111:10). On the other hand, whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin (James 4:17).

19. He excludes someone when He says, I am not speaking of you all.

1. He says there is an exception.
2. He gives the reason for the exception: but that the Scripture may be fulfilled.
3. He tells why He said there was an exception: I am telling you now, before it takes place.

Regarding the first point, He does two things:

• He mentions there is an exception.
• He answers an unspoken question.

20. He says there is an exception when He says, I am not speaking of you all. He is saying, in effect: you will be blessed, but not all of you, because I am not speaking of you all when I say you will be blessed. All the runners compete, but only one receives the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24). For there is one of you, that is, Judas, who will not be blessed, and he will not do these things. According to Origen, our Lord did not say you will be blessed without qualification, but added a condition: if you do them. And this is true for all of them, even Judas; for if Judas had done these things, he would have been blessed. So for Origen, Jesus is excluding Judas from His servants, for a servant is not greater than his master. It was like saying: I say you are servants and apostles, but I am not speaking of you all, for Judas, since he was a servant of sin, was not a servant of the divine Word, nor was he an apostle once the devil had entered into his heart.

21. Someone could say: since Christ does not say that all are blessed or His apostles, then some member of His group might perish unexpectedly. Our Lord answers this by saying, I know whom I have chosen. This was like saying: those who have been chosen will not perish, but not all have been chosen. So, the one who will perish will be the one who has not been chosen, that is, Judas: You did not choose me, but I chose you (John 15:16).

22. This seems to conflict with His earlier statement: Did I not choose you, the twelve? (John 6:70). Therefore, since Judas was one of the twelve, it seems that he was chosen.

I answer that one can be chosen in two ways. One is for a present righteousness, and Judas was chosen for this. The other is for final glory, and Judas was not chosen for this.

23. The reason for this exception was so that the Scripture may be fulfilled—not that Scripture forced the event, but that it mentioned an event that would happen: everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled (Luke 24:44); not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished (Matthew 5:18). This Scripture says: He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me. This is another translation of what we have read as: the man of my peace, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has greatly deceived me (Psalms 41:9).

The intimacy Judas had with Christ is shown when we read, he who ate my bread, for Judas, along with the other disciples, ate bread with Christ, even consecrated bread. Furthermore, his malicious efforts against Christ are shown when it says, he has lifted his heel against me; that is, he will try to crush me. We do crush our enemies under our heel: she will crush your head, and you will lie in wait for her heel (Genesis 3:15). And so one is said to raise his heel against another when he tries to crush him. But Judas will not be able to do this, because I will be exalted by the very thing with which he wants to crush me: and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself (John 12:32).

24. We have an example in this for ourselves: let us not be set back if we happen to suffer evil from those close to us or from the malicious, since we can remember the conduct of Judas who, in spite of having received unlimited goods, returned the contrary to his benefactor. Our Lord chose Judas, whom He knew would become an evil person, so that we could realize that there would be no human society which does not have some evil members: As a lily among brambles, so is my love among the young women (Song of Solomon 2:2). And in one of his letters, Augustine says, “I do not care to assume that my household is better than the group of the apostles.”

We can also understand from this that if a prelate receives someone into the Church, and this person becomes bad, the prelate should not be blamed. Look at Judas! Even though he was chosen by Christ, he turned out to be a traitor. The same thing happened to Philip when he received Simon the magician (Acts 8:13): Will they repay good with evil, by making a snare to take my life? (Jeremiah 18:20); a man’s foes will be those of his own household (Matthew 10:36).

25. Then when He says, I am telling you now, He gives the reason why He mentioned there was an exception. It is as if to say, “I have been silent about his malice for a long time, but because the time is near when it will appear publicly,” therefore, I am telling you now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he—who predicts the future and reveals the secrets of the heart, things which are characteristic of God. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it? ‘I the Lord search the mind and try the heart’ (Jeremiah 17:9); tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods (Isaiah 41:23). Or, I am who I am (Exodus 3:14).

26. Next, when He says, amen, amen I say to you, he who receives whomever I send, receives me; and he who receives me, receives him who sent me, He confirms His conclusion from the dignity of those whose feet He washed. For their dignity was so great that services performed for them seemed in a way to rebound to God, although according to a certain progression, because things done for the faithful through Christ rebound to God the Father.

First, He shows how those things done for the disciples of Christ flow back or rebound to Christ. Regarding this He says, amen, amen, I say to you. He is saying in effect, “Truly, you ought to wash their feet,” because he who receives whomever I send receives me; that is, I regard as done to me the service given to those whom I send: he who receives you receives me (Matthew 10:40).

Second, He shows how a service given to Christ rebounds to the Father, saying, and he who receives me receives him who sent me, so that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father (John 5:23).

However, according to Origen, this verse can be understood in two ways. In one way, by compressing the two parts into one, the sense is: “He who receives those sent by me also receives the Father.” The second way keeps the parts distinct, and then the meaning is: “He who receives, in a physical way, those sent by me, receives me; and those who receive me, coming into their souls in a spiritual way, as in that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:17), receive Him who sent me, the Father.” Not only will I dwell in him, but the Father will also: we will come to him and make our home with him (John 14:23).

27. Arius used this text to support his error in the following way: the Lord says that he who receives Him receives the Father; therefore, the relationship between the Father who sends and the Son is the same as that of the Son who sends and the disciples. But Christ who sends is greater than the disciples who are sent; thus, the Father is greater than the Son.

We should answer this, according to Augustine, by saying that there were two natures in Christ: a human and a divine nature. In the first part, He is speaking with reference to His human nature, saying, he who receives whomever I send receives me, as human, for I share one nature with them. In the second part, He speaks in reference to His divinity: and he who receives me, who am God, receives him who sent me, for I have the same nature as Him.

Alternatively, we could understand he who receives whomever I send, receives me to mean that My authority is in him; and he who receives Me receives the Father, whose authority is in Me. In this way, these words show that Christ is the bridge between God and humankind, as in there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).