LESSON III.—SUNDAY, APRIL 16, 1899.
1 "Now BEFORE the feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in 2 the world, He loved them unto the end. And during supper, 3 the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father 4 had given all things into His hands, and that He came forth from God, and goeth unto God, riseth from supper, and layeth 5 aside His garments; and He took a towel, and girded Himself. Then He poureth water into the basin, and began to 6 wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel 7 wherewith He was girded. So He cometh to Simon Peter. 8 He saith unto Him, Lord, dost Thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not 9 now; but thou shalt understand hereafter. Peter saith unto 10 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 11 hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is bathed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit; and ye are 12 clean, but not all. For He knew him that should betray Him; 13 therefore said He, Ye are not all clean. "So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments, and sat down again, 14 He said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call Me, Master, and, Lord; and ye say 15 well; for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Master, have 16 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 17 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." Golden Text: "I have given you an example." Verse 15. (1) To what time of the earthly ministry of Christ does this lesson refer? (2) What did Jesus know at this time? What was His regard for His disciples? V. 1. Note 1. (3) What is said of Judas Iscariot at this time? What supper is here referred to? V. 2. Note 2. (4) What else did Jesus know? V. 3. (5) After He had sat down to supper, what did He do? Vs. 4, 5. Note 3. (6) When He came to Simon Peter, what did that disciple say? V. 6. (7) What did Jesus answer? V. 7. Note 4. (8) What then did Peter say? What was Jesus' reply to this? V. 8. Note 5. (9) Then how did Peter show a change of mind? V. 9. (10) What explanation did Jesus make? V. 10. Note 6. (11) Why did Jesus say, 'Ye are not all clean'? V. 11. (12) After this what did Jesus do? Then what question did He ask the disciples? V. 12. (13) In what did they 'say well'? Why? V. 13. (14) What obligation was laid upon them by His washing their feet? V. 14. Note 7. (15) How was this obligation emphasized? V. 15. Note 8. (16) How did Jesus show that this was a reasonable service? V. 16. Note 9. (17) Wherein lies the blessing of knowing these things? V. 17. Note 10. 1. "He loved them unto the end."—Nothing could quench the love of Jesus. He had "come forth from God," and "God is love." It was love that had actuated His mission to the earth, knowing all the consequences; hence a failure of His love would have meant a failure of His mission. Even at this critical moment, when He knew that before morning one disciple would betray Him, another would deny Him, and all would forsake Him, "He loved them unto the end." 2. "And during supper."—That is, the Passover supper having been begun, or having been prepared. 3. "He riseth from supper."—This action indicates some unusual occurrence not mentioned here, but Luke supplies the cause. He says, "There arose also a contention among them, which of them is accounted to be greatest." Luke 22:24, R.V. This was an old contention, and the time was deemed opportune to settle the question by securing the place of honor at table, that is, the place next to the Master, or Host. The Lord, knowing that the ambition to be considered great was innate in the human heart, saw fit to establish by example a permanent lesson on the subject for the church: "Whosoever would be first among you shall be your servant." Matt. 20:27, R.V. 4. "Shall understand hereafter."—If this service had been simply that of a common custom, as some contend, Peter would have known then what it meant; but he did not. There was no such custom as the host washing the feet of servants or of guests. It was a custom to give strangers water to wash their own feet. See Gen. 18:1-4; Luke 7:44. 5. "Thou shalt never wash my feet."—Peter's idea was that one in an exalted position should not stoop to serve inferiors. Peter was not yet converted (Luke 22:31-34), and had not yet learned that "he that humbleth himself shall be exalted" (chap. 18:14; Phil. 2:5-9). Without such a lesson Peter might have made a pope; but after the experience of that night such an assumption would have been impossible to him. 6. "He that is bathed."—"Bathed all over. A different word from 'to wash,' that follows, which means to wash a part, as the hands or feet. A man who has bathed does not need to bathe again when he reaches home, but only to wash the dust off his feet; then he is wholly clean. So also in the spiritual life, a man whose moral nature has once been thoroughly purified need not think that this has been all undone if in the walk through life he contracts some stains; these must be washed away, and then he is once more wholly clean."—Cambridge Bible. We might illustrate in this way: The bathing illustrates the new birth; the washing of the feet, the cleansing from daily imperfections. 7. The obligation to continue this ordinance is established in that they (the church) ought (owe it) to wash one another's feet. The Lord emphatically laid this debt upon all, both by precept and example. 8. The example.—By the example the obligation is emphasized. "Ye should do as I have done;" in other words, "Follow Me." An example is always something to be imitated. An outward action is not imitated by a mere mental or verbal assent to its propriety. 9. A reasonable service.—Reasonable because the servant can not consistently be too proud to do anything that his master has done. On the contrary, the privilege of doing as his master has done should be esteemed a great honor. The final honor attached to Christian service will come of being like Christ (1 John 3:1, 2), and we can not be like Him unless we follow His example. 10. "If ye do them."—The blessing comes not of knowing this ordinance, nor of professing to believe that it is all right,—it comes of the doing, of doing it by faith in the Word of the Lord. Failure to do is failure to believe, for the act is the only proof of the faith. So also of the knowledge; the man who knows God, will do whatever is commanded in His Word. If the Word says, "Ye ought to do this," he will do it. If the Lord says, "I have given you an example, that ye should do," he will do it without hesitation.