Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
John
Book: John
Chapter: 13
Overview:
Christ washes the disciples' feet.
(1-17) The treachery of
Judas foretold.
(18-30) Christ commands the disciples to
Love
one another.
(31-38)
1-17 Our
Lord Jesus has a people in the world that are his own;
he has purchased them, and paid dear for them, and he has set
them apart for himself; they devote themselves to him as a
Peculiar people. Those whom
Christ loves, he loves to the
End.
Nothing can separate a true believer from the
Love of
Christ. We
know not when our
Hour will come, therefore what we have to do
in constant preparation for it, ought never to be undone. What
way of access the
Devil has to men's hearts we cannot tell. But
some sins are
So exceedingly sinful, and there is
So little
Temptation to them from the world and the
Flesh, that it is
Plain they are directly from
Satan.
Jesus washed his disciples'
feet, that he might teach us to think nothing below us, wherein
we may promote
God's
Glory, and the good of our brethren. We
must address ourselves to duty, and must lay aside every thing
that would hinder us in what we have to do.
Christ washed his
disciples' feet, that he might signify to them the value of
spiritual
Washing, and the cleansing of the soul from the
pollutions of
Sin. Our
Lord Jesus does many things of which even
his own disciples do not for the present know the meaning, but
they shall know afterward. We see in the
End what was the
kindness from events which seemed most
Cross. And it is not
Humility, but unbelief, to
Put away the offers of the
Gospel, as
if too rich to be made to us, or too good news to be true. All
those, and those only, who are spiritually washed
By Christ,
have a part in
Christ. All whom
Christ owns and saves, he
justifies and sanctifies.
Peter more than submits; he begs to be
washed
By Christ. How
Earnest he is for the purifying
Grace of
the
Lord Jesus, and the full effect of it, even upon his hands
and head! Those who truly desire to be sanctified, desire to be
sanctified throughout, to have the whole
Man, with all its parts
and powers, made pure. The true believer is thus washed when he
receives
Christ for his
Salvation. See then what ought to be the
daily care of those who through
Grace are in a justified state,
and that is, to wash their feet; to cleanse themselves from
daily guilt, and to watch against everything defiling. This
should make us the more cautious. From yesterday's
Pardon, we
should be strengthened against this
Day's
Temptation. And when
hypocrites are discovered, it should be
No surprise or cause of
stumbling to us. Observe the lesson
Christ here taught. Duties
are mutual; we must both accept help from our brethren, and
afford help to our brethren. When we see our Master serving, we
cannot but see how ill it becomes us to domineer. And the same
Love which led
Christ to
Ransom and reconcile his disciples when
enemies, still influences him.
18-30 Our
Lord had often spoken of his own sufferings and
Death, without such trouble of
Spirit as he now discovered when
he spake of
Judas. The sins of Christians are the grief of
Christ. We are not to confine our attention to
Judas. The
Prophecy of his treachery may apply to all who partake of
God's
mercies, and meet them with ingratitude. See the infidel, who
only looks at the Scriptures with a desire to do away their
authority and destroy their influence; the
Hypocrite, who
professes to believe the Scriptures, but will not govern himself
By them; and the apostate, who turns aside from
Christ for a
thing of naught. Thus mankind, supported
By God's
Providence,
after
Eating Bread with Him, lift up the heel against Him!
Judas
went out as one weary of
Jesus and his apostles. Those whose
deeds are evil,
Love Darkness rather than
Light.
31-35 Christ had been glorified in many miracles he wrought,
yet he speaks of his being glorified now in his sufferings, as
if that were more than all his other glories in his humbled
state. Satisfaction was thereby made for the wrong done to
God
By the
Sin of
Man. We cannot now follow our
Lord to his heavenly
happiness, but if we truly believe in him, we shall follow him
hereafter; meanwhile we must wait his time, and do his work.
Before
Christ left the disciples, he would give them a new
commandment. They were to
Love each other for
Christ's sake, and
according to his
Example, seeking what might benefit others, and
promoting the cause of the
Gospel, as one body, animated
By one
soul. But this commandment still appears new to many professors.
Men in general notice any of
Christ's words rather than these.
By this it appears, that if the followers of
Christ do not show
Love one to another, they give cause to suspect their sincerity.
36-38 What
Christ had said concerning brotherly
Love,
Peter
overlooked, but spoke of that about which
Christ kept them
ignorant. It is common to be more eager to know about secret
things, which belong to
God only, than about things revealed,
which belong to us and our children; to be more desirous to have
our curiosity gratified, than our consciences directed; to know
what is done in
Heaven, than what we may do to get thither. How
soon discourse as to what is
Plain and edifying is dropped,
while a doubtful dispute runs
On into endless strife of words!
We are apt to take it amiss to be told we cannot do this and the
other, whereas, without
Christ we can do nothing.
Christ knows
us better than we know ourselves, and has many ways of
discovering those to themselves, whom he loves, and he will hide
pride from them. May we endeavour to keep the unity of the
Spirit in the
Bond of peace, to
Love one another with a pure
Heart fervently, and to walk humbly with our
God.