EASTER BONUS 1/3: Did Jesus really wash his disciples feet?

Did Jesus really wash his disciples feet?Christian apologists like to make a point of the gospels being written by eye witnesses and that being written close to the original events makes then less likely to be polluted by the passage of time. The issue with this is that we don't know who wrote any of the gospels. That aside, using the logic that earlier is better, we should expect to see progression of the story, we should expect to see addition of details in the later accounts.Mark's account of the last supper is in chapter 14.A couple of things stand out in this passage, firstly, there is mention of the Festival of unleavened bread, it starts on the 15th day of Nissan, the day after Passover. How come they haven't had Passover yet? Why are they only now preparing for it? This seems odd.It has the very familiar account of Jesus predicting his betrayal, and the breaking of bread. Judas is not identified, even though the preceding passage is about judas agreeing the betrayal.Matthews's account of the last supper is in chapter 26.Matthew is almost identical to Mark. The same details, the same phrases and the same order. Some scholars do say that Matthew copied from Mark, and reading this I can see why. Notice too the extra detail. Verse 15 has the extra detail of Judas asking and Jesus responding. Reading this, and knowing that Matthew was written after Mark, and probably copied from Mark, this verse does indeed feel like a later addition, a piece of conversation that never happened but was inserted for the benefit of readers with a short memory.Luke's account of the last supper is in chapter 22.A new fact, but it's wrong. The festival of Unleavened bread is not the same as the Passover. It's almost as if this was written by someone who was not a practising jew, or who didn't pay attention to detail.This time, instead of just instructing his disciples, Jesus now instructs a specific pair. The story is evolving.Notice how this account has the bread and wine being shared out twice, and the part about betrayal isn't there.Even as an English translation, this version is more awkward to read, it doesn't flow and feels like it's had cuts and edits. Weird.The bit about swords, is plain odd. As if the next bit of the chapter requires a sword, and the editor realised that no one had one so they had to explain the presence of a sword so that the incident on the mount of Olives made sense.We also lost the singing of hymns.Then finally we get to John's account of the last supper, which is in chapter 13.This version feels a whole lot darker than the previous three. It's very different. As though it has had a longer period of time to evolve before getting written down.Little details like sending the disciples to find the room are lost, along with bigger details like the breaking of bread and sharing of wine. Instead there is a version of the judas scene, with judas now leaving the meal.What's odd for me is the rest of the chapter is Jesus preaching and interacting with the disciples, this goes on for so long that it extends into the next chapter, don't worry, I won't be reading it all, but there is a bit I want to draw attention to. Chapter 14, verse 22, Judas asks a question. But Judas has already left. Ah, this bit in parenthesis saying not Judas Iscariot. Did a later editor have an oh shit moment and hurriedly cover up the mistake. This is exactly what I'd expect from narratives that evolve over time, been subject to multiple embellishments from multiple contributors. I know that apologists have an explanation for this, and they have to explain it because on face value it is a problem, there is no other disciple called Judas. Invent an explanation they must. Any explanation is better than admitting it is fiction.The four versions evolve, progress, get darker and show clear signs of editing and embellishment. This is why I can't believe the bible is true and why I can't take Christianity seriously.

Episode Transcript

(00:08):
This is Matthew and this specialEaster 2025 episode is the first
of three that compares how the four gospels tell the same
story. This episode focuses on the Last
Supper, the second on the crucifixion of Jesus, and the
third on the resurrection. This podcast version is the

(00:28):
audio from the YouTube video I have created.
The link to that is in the show notes.
Did Jesus really wash his disciples feet?
The count of Jesus washing his disciples feet is found in the

(00:49):
Gospel of John and forms part ofthe event known as the Last
Supper. In this video, I'll read each of
the Gospel accounts of the Last Supper and highlight the
differences as I go along. I'll be doing this in the order
that they were written, which isaccepted as Mark, Matthew, Luke,
and then John. The dates assigned to each

(01:12):
varies. Some say that Mark, Matthew, and
Luke were all written before AD 70, while others have AD 70 as
the point to which Mark was written, with all the others
following later. This video will not be about
when they were written. It is showing progression in the
text as each new account is written.
Because yes, stories do change over time and the gospels are

(01:37):
evidence of that. One thing I will point out
before I read the first one is that question is that question
apologists like to make the point of the Gospels being
written by eyewitnesses and thatbeing written close to the
original events makes them less likely to be polluted by the

(01:57):
passage of time. The major issue with this sign
of argument is that we don't actually know who wrote any of
the gospels, and we also don't know what they originally said
because the oldest complete copies are more than 100 years
later. Before that, all we have is tiny
fragments. But that aside, using the logic

(02:20):
that earlier is better, we should expect to see progression
of the story. We should expect to see addition
of details in the later accounts.
Mark's account of the Last Supper is in chapter 14.
On the last day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread when it was

(02:42):
customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus disciples
asked him, Where do you want us to go and make preparations for
you to eat the Passover? Now straight away here verse one
and this is repeated in some of the others.
We have an issue because Passover is generally accepted
as to be a meal held on the 14thday of Nissan where whereas the

(03:08):
festival of Unleavened bread starts the following day, the
15th day of Nissan. So by the time the day, the
rather, by the time the first day of the Festival of
Unleavened Bread starts, Passover has already happened.
So he sent two of his disciples,telling them, go into the city

(03:29):
and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you.
Follow him, say to the owner of the house.
He enters. The teacher asks, where is my
guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?
He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready.
Make preparations for us there convenient.

(03:51):
The disciples left, went into the city and found things just
as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.
When evening came, Jesus arrivedwith the 12.
While they were reclining at thetable eating, he said, Truly, I
tell you, one of you will betrayme, one who is eating with me.

(04:11):
They were saddened and one by one they said to him, Surely you
don't mean me? It is one of the 12, he replied,
One who dips bread into the bowlwith me.
The Son of Man will go, just as it is written about him.
But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man.
It will be better for him if he had not been born while they're

(04:35):
eating. Jesus took bread and when he had
given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples,
saying, Take it, this is my body.
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to
them and they all drank from it.This is my blood of the covenant
which is poured out for many. He said to them, Truly, I tell

(04:55):
you, I will not drink again fromthe fruit of the vine until that
day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.
When they had sung A hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
A couple of things stand out in this passage for me.
Firstly, there is that mention of the Festival of Unleavened
Bread which starts on the 15th of Nissan, the day after

(05:18):
Passover, which is the 14th. How come they haven't had their
Passover meal yet? Why are they only now preparing
for it? This seems odd.
It does so have the very familiar account of Jesus
predicting his betrayal and the breaking of bread.
Notice also how Judas is not identified, even though the

(05:40):
preceding passage is about Judasagreeing the betrayal.
The bit that stood out for me most is a bit at the end where
they sang a hymn before going tothe Mount of Olives.
No particular reason, the verse just stood out for me.

(06:00):
Matthew's account is in chapter 26.
On the first day of the Festivalof Unleavened Bread, the
disciples came to Jesus and asked, Where do you want us to
make preparations for you to eatthe Passover?
He replied, Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, The

(06:21):
teacher says, My appointed time is near.
I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at
your house. Assumptuous.
So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared
the Passover. When evening came, Jesus was
reclining at the table with the 12 and while they were eating he
said, Truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.

(06:45):
They were very sad and began to tell him one after the other.
Surely you don't mean me, Lord? Quick aside.
Notice it specifically says the 12.
It means 12 disciples. We'll come to that in another
passage. Jesus replied, The one who has
dipped his hand in the bowl withme will betray me.
The Son of Man will go, just as it is written about him.

(07:08):
But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man.
It would be better for him if hehad not been born.
Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, Sure, you
don't mean me, Rabbi? Jesus answered, You have said.
So while they were eating, Jesustook bread, and when he had

(07:30):
given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples,
saying, Take and eat, this is mybody.
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave to
them, saying, Drink from it all of you.
This is my blood of the covenant, which has poured out
for many for the forgiveness of sins.
I tell you I will not drink fromthis fruit of the vine, and from

(07:51):
now until that day when I drink it new with you.
In my Father's Kingdom, when they had sung A hymn, they went
out to the Mount of Olives. When reading like this, the
thing that stands out that Matthew is almost identical to
Mark. The same details, the same
phrases and the same order. Some scholars do say that

(08:14):
Matthew copied from Mark and reading this I can see why, but
notice too the extra detail. Verse 15 has the extra detail of
Judas asking specifically in Jesus responding.
Reading this and knowing that Matthew was written after Mark
and probably copied from Mark, this verse does indeed feel like

(08:34):
a later edition, a piece of conversation that never happened
but was inserted for the benefitof readers with a short memory.
Luke's account of the Last Supper is in chapter 22.
Then the Day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover

(08:56):
lamb had to be sacrifices, Jesussent Peter and John saying, Go
and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.
Where do you want us to prepare it?
They asked. He replied, As you enter the
city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you.
Follow him to the house that he enters and say to the owner of
the house. The teacher asks, where is the

(09:18):
guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?
He will show you a large room upstairs or furnished.
Make preparations there. They left and found things just
as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.
When the hour came, Jesus and the apostles reclined at the
table, and he said to them, I have eagerly desired to eat this

(09:41):
Passover with you before I suffer.
For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds
fulfilment in the Kingdom of God.
After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, Take this and
divide it among you. For I tell you, I will not drink
again from the fruit of the vineuntil the Kingdom of God comes.
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to

(10:03):
them, saying, This is My body for you.
Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after the
supper he took the cup, saying, This cup is new covenant of My
blood, which is poured out for you.
But the hand of him who is goingto betray me is with mine on the
table. The Son of Man will go, as it
has been decreed, but woe to that man who betrays him.

(10:27):
They began to question among themselves which of them it
might be who would do this. A dispute rose among them as to
which of them was considered thegreatest.
Jesus said to them, The kings ofthe Gentiles, Lord it over them.
Those who exercise authority over them call themselves
benefactors. But you are not to be like that.

(10:49):
Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest and
the one who rules, like the one who serves.
For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who
serves? Is it not the one who is at the
table? But I'm among you as one who
serves? You are those who have stood by
me in my trials, and I confer onyou a Kingdom, just as my Father

(11:12):
conferred on me, so that you mayeat and drink at my table and my
Kingdom and sit on Thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel.
Simon, Simon, Satan has asked tosift you as of wheat.
But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not
fail, and when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.

(11:35):
But he replied, Lord, I am readyto go with you to prison and to
death. Jesus answered, I tell you,
Peter, before the rooster crows today you will deny me three
times that you know me. Then Jesus asked them, when I
sent you without a purse, bag orsandals, did you lack anything?
Nothing. They answered.

(11:57):
He said to them, Now if you havea purse, take it and also a bag,
and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.
It is written and he has numbered with the transgressors.
And I tell you that this must befulfilled in me.
Yes, what is written about me isreaching its fulfilment, the
disciple said. See, Lord, here are two swords.

(12:21):
That's enough, he replied. Oh, a new fact.
It's wrong, but it's new. The Festival of Unleavened Bread
is not the same as Passover. It's almost as if it was written
by someone who was not a practising Jew or who didn't pay

(12:41):
attention to detail. This time, instead of
instructing his disciples, Jesusnow instructs a specific pair.
The story is evolving. Notice how this account has the
bread and the wine being shared out twice and the part about
betrayal isn't there. Even as an English translation,

(13:02):
this version is more awkward to read.
It doesn't flow and feels like it's had cuts and edits.
Weird. That And that bit about swords,
well, that's plain odd. It's almost as if the next bit
of the chapter requires a sword and the editor realised that no
one had one, so they had to explain the presence of a sword.

(13:24):
So the instant of the Mount of Olives made sense.
We also lost the singing of the hymn.
And finally, we get to John. This version feels a whole lot

(13:46):
darker than the previous three, which was just before the passed
over festival. Jesus knew that the hour had
come for him to leave this worldand go to the Father.
Having loved his own who were inthe world, He loved them to the
end. The evening meal was in progress
and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon

(14:07):
Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had
put all things under his power and yet 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

(14:28):
the towel that was wrapped around him.
He came in to Simon Peter who said to him, Lord are you going
to wash my feet? Jesus replied, You do not
realise now what I'm doing, but later you will understand.
No, said Peter, you will never wash my feet, Jesus answered,
unless I wash you, you have no part with me.

(14:52):
Then Jesus, then Lord Simon Peter replied, Not just my feet,
but my hands and my head as well.
Jesus answered. Those who've had a bath need
only to wash their feet. Their whole body is clean and
you are clean, though not everyone of you, For he knew who
was going to betray him, and that was why he said not

(15:12):
everyone 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.
You 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

(15:33):
another's feet. I have set you an example that
you should do as I have done foryou.
Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his
master, nor is the messenger greater than one who sent him.
Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do
them. I am not referring to all of

(15:53):
you, I know those I have chosen,but this is to fulfil this
passage of scripture. He who shared my bread has
turned against me. I am telling you now before it
happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe that I
am who I am. Very truly, I tell you, whoever
accepts anyone I send accepts me, and whoever accepts me

(16:14):
accepts the one who has sent me.After he had said this, Jesus
was troubled in spirit and testified.
Very truly, I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.
The disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which
one of them he meant. One of them, the disciple whom
Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.

(16:36):
Simon Peter motioned to his disciple and said, Ask him which
one he means. Leaning back against Jesus, he
asked him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, It is the one
whom I'll give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in
the dish. Then dipping the piece of bread,
he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.

(16:59):
As soon as Jesus took the bread,Simon entered into him.
Sorry, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him what you're
about to do, do quickly. But no one at the meal
understood why Jesus said this to him.
Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was
telling him to buy what was needed for the festival or to

(17:22):
give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the
bread, he went out, and it was night.
This feel as I've said, this version feels so much darker
than the others. It's very different, almost as
though it has had a longer period of time to evolve before

(17:44):
getting written down. Little details like sending the
disciples to find a room are lost, along with bigger details
like the breaking of bread and the sharing of wine.
Instead, there is a version of the Judas scene with Judas now
leaving the meal. What's odd for me is that the
rest of the chapter is Jesus preaching and interacting with

(18:06):
the disciples. This goes on for so long that it
extends into the next chapter. Don't worry, I won't be reading
it all. But there is a bit I want to
draw attention to here. In chapter 14 verse 22, then
Judas, not Judas, Iscariot said.But Lord, why do you intend to

(18:29):
show yourself to us and not to the world?
But Judas has already left, remember?
Ah, but there is that bit in parentheses saying not Judas
Iscariot. Did the later editor have a no
shit moment and hurriedly shove it in to cover up the mistake?
This is exactly the sort of thing I'd expect from narratives

(18:51):
that have evolved over time and been subject to multiple
embellishments from multiple contributors.
Now, I know that apologists havean explanation for this, and
they have to explain it because on face value, it is a problem.
There is no other disciple called Jesus.
Remember from the previous version it was just Jesus and

(19:12):
the disciples at this meal. So it can't be anybody else.
Unless you want to change the story even more so invent an
explanation They must. Any explanation is better than
admitting that the passage is fiction.
So there we have it. 4 versions of the Last Supper evolve

(19:32):
progress, get darker, and show clear signs of editing and
embellishment. This is why I can't believe the
Bible is true, and This is why Ican't take Christianity
seriously. Until next time, be reasonable.

(19:54):
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