John 13 Round Two: Jesus and Clean Feet

A quiet room after dinner. A teacher rises, lays aside his outer robe, and ties on a towel. What happens next upends every assumption about power, dignity, and what love looks like when it gets its hands wet. We journey through John 13 with Pastor Brandon, tracing how Jesus transforms a lowly task into a living picture of the kingdom—and how that picture still confronts our habits, our hierarchies, and our hearts.

We start with the shock of foot washing in its cultural setting, where dusty roads made clean feet a courtesy reserved for the lowest servant. Peter objects, and Jesus responds with a lesson that reaches beyond ritual: those who are washed still need their feet cleaned. That’s a map for daily discipleship, where grace gives you a new identity and regular confession keeps the grit from hardening your soul. Then the camera turns to Judas. Jesus washes the feet of the one who will betray him and shares bread with the one already choosing the night. It’s love offered with open eyes, not sentimentality—an unwavering posture that refuses to let another’s sin dictate our character.

When Judas departs, Jesus speaks of glory—not as applause, but as self-giving. From that place he gives a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you. That standard becomes the badge of a disciple and the church’s most persuasive witness. We talk about what that love looks like in ordinary life, far beyond a single ceremony: noticing the unseen, yielding status, and meeting real needs without keeping score. Finally, we sit with Peter’s bold promise and Jesus’ sober prediction of denial—held together by a basin already used in love. Failure will come, but grace arrives first. That sequence is the hope that keeps us moving.

If you’re ready to rethink greatness, trade titles for towels, and find practical ways to serve where the grime gathers in your world, this conversation will give you handles and heart. Listen, share with a friend who needs courage to love again, and if it helps you, subscribe and leave a quick review so more people can find the show. What’s one place you can pick up the towel this week?

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The More We Dig. The More We Find.

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT).
Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Welcome to the Bible Breakdown Podcast.
Every day, we take one chapterof the Bible, dig deeper, and
discover that the more we dig,the more we find it.
You can find out more at theBiblebreakdown.com.
Now let's grow in God's wordtogether.
Well, hello, everybody.
Welcome back to the BibleBreakdown Podcast with your
host, Pastor Brandon.
Today, John chapter 13.

(00:22):
This is one that is, I think, isgreat.
There's also some controversywe're going to talk about a
little bit.
And if I were to give today atitle, it would be Jesus and
Clean Feet.
Jesus and Clean Feet.
We're going to jump into that injust a second.
But before we do that, asalways, if you like what we're
doing here, make sure you likethis video, you share this
video, if you're listening to uson the podcast, you are my
friends.
I love you.

(00:42):
Make sure you're leaving us afive-star review.
Also make sure you're going tothe Facebook group at Bible
Breakdown Discussion.
And I want to know have you everbeen part of a church service
that was a foot washing service?
A foot washing service, washingthem hooves.
If you have been, I want to knowabout it.
And we're going to jump intothat today.
So I want to tell you a storyreal quick.

(01:03):
The church background I camefrom, we would have occasionally
a foot washing service.
And it comes from the chapterwe're going to read today.
And I'm from Alabama, if thatlets you know what area of the
world used to do such things.
I have been told it happens allover the world.
So especially if you live inanother country and you are
listening or watching this, makesure you let me know on that

(01:23):
Bible breakdown discussion ifyou've ever had one.
But here's the thing the goal ofwhat Jesus is teaching today is
he's teaching about servanthood.
So it's nice if you want to dothis, but it is not a
requirement that you have to dothis.
But the churches I grew up in,it was a requirement you would
do this.
And I would go to church and itwould be, it would be so funny
because everything's going fine.

(01:45):
And then the pastor wouldannounce, hey, we're going to
have us a foot washing service,and people would panic.
Um, which way is the door?
I don't want you washing myfeet.
I don't want people, yo, I don'twant washing other people's
feet.
Can we just agree to not dothis, right?
And so it's just one of thosethings that people are trying to
emulate Jesus.
And it's it's just really funnyhow people react to such things.

(02:08):
But what he is teaching is he'steaching the idea of
servanthood.
So we're gonna jump into thisand we're gonna talk about maybe
a couple things to bring somesome fresh life to God's amazing
word as we remember the context.
John, who wrote this, was there.
He's inspired by the Holy Spiritto make sure and bring this
account, and he is the only onewho brings this account into the

(02:29):
four gospels.
Because remember, John is notinterested with giving us a
blow-by-blow historicalbiographical account of Jesus'
life.
There's other gospel writers whohave done that.
He wants to make sure weunderstand the message of Jesus,
and that is he is God.
And so it is an extra specialthing that the king of the
universe, the one who createdall these Tootsies that he's

(02:51):
about to wash, is gonna get downon a lowly place and wash these
jokers' feet, these nasty feet.
Okay, so it's pretty special ifyou ask me.
So we're gonna jump into this.
You have your NLT Bibles open atchapter 13.
We're gonna read this and trynot to get sick as we do,
because here we go.
Verse 1 says, Before thePassover celebration, Jesus knew

(03:11):
that his hour had come to leavethis world and to return to his
father.
He had loved his disciplesduring his ministry on earth,
and now he loved them to thevery end.
It was the time for supper, andthe devil had already prompted
Judas, the son of SimonIscariot, to betray him.
Jesus knew that the Father hadgiven him authority over
everything, and that he had comefrom God and would return to

(03:33):
God.
So he got up from the table.
This is after dinner wasfinished, he got up from the
table, took off his outer robe,and wouldn't have been like a
like today, it would be like ajacket, took off his outer robe,
and he wrapped a towel aroundhis waist and poured water into
a basin, and then he began towash the disciples' feet, drying

(03:54):
them with a towel that he hadaround him.
Now pause.
Now, there's a couple of thingsyou need to know about this to
create some um just a little bitof extra idea about what's going
on.
First of all, many people duringthis time were not wealthy.
Most of the disciples wereprobably not wealthy at all, and
because of that, they would nothave had bathhouses in their
home.
Instead, in local villages, theywould have a bathhouse, kind of

(04:17):
a community bathhouse, where youwould go and you would just
bathe communally because that'swhere all the water was.
And so you would do that.
But then after you would leavethat house and you would go to
wherever you were going to be,you had to walk through town.
And so as you would walk throughtown, you would get dust on you,
you'd probably get manure fromanimals on you and all this kind
of stuff.

(04:38):
And so from the kneecap down,you were clean.
But by the time you would getfrom the bathhouse to wherever
it is you were going to be, fromthe kneecap down, you'd be dirty
again, right?
And so what would happen forhouses that could afford it,
they would have the lowliestservant, whoever was lowest on
that totem pole, they would bethe one who was in charge of as
a customary offering to peoplewhen you would come in, as you

(05:01):
would stand there and greeteveryone, the lowliest person in
the house would come around andwould get a wash basin and a
towel and would quickly wash offfrom the kneecap down so that
you could be clean everywhere.
And so this was not an enviablejob.
As a matter of fact, most peoplewouldn't even like, like this
was the person like you don'teven want to notice is there,
right?
So the lowliest job ever, Jesushas just taken.

(05:24):
That is why verse six says, WhenJesus came to Simon Peter, Peter
said to him, Lord, are you gonnawash my feet?
Jesus replied, You don'tunderstand now what I am doing,
but someday you will.
No, Peter protested, you willnever wash my feet.
Unless I wash you, you will notbelong to me.
And then Simon Peter exclaimed,Then wash my hands and my head

(05:48):
as well, Lord, not just my feet.
And then that's why youunderstand what Jesus is saying.
A person who has bathed all overdoes not need to wash except his
feet.
He is clean.
In other words, he's saying,You've already washed yourself,
Peter.
You're already clean.
I am washing the part that getsdirty along the way.
You and your disciples areclean, but not all of you, for
he knew who would betray him.

(06:09):
That is what is meant when hesaid, Not all of you are clean,
which means he also washedJudas' feet.
Can you imagine washing theguy's feet who's about to turn
you in?
Man, you gotta love Jesus.
Verse 12.
After washing his feet, he puton his robe again and sat down
and asked, Do you understandwhat I was doing?
You call me teacher and lord,and you are right, because that

(06:32):
is what I am.
And since I, your Lord andteacher, have washed your feet,
you ought to wash each other'sfeet.
I have given you an example tofollow.
Do as I have done to you.
I tell you the truth, slaves arenot greater than their master,
nor the messenger more importantthan the one who sends the
message.

(06:52):
Now that you know these things,God will bless you for doing
them.
So now you also understand why alot of people do this foot
washing thing.
As Jesus says, as I have done,you would do.
I would argue he is saying, as Ihave served you, so you should
serve each other.
But you know, you do your youknow, that that that can be
debated, right?
But here's the thing.
You may have 99 problems, butJesus ain't one of them.

(07:14):
He is awesome.
Here we go, verse 18.
I am not saying these things toall of you.
I know the ones I have chosen,but this fulfills the scripture
that says, the one who eats myfood has turned against me.
I tell you this beforehand, sothat when this happens, you will
believe that I am, remember thatI am phrase, I am the Messiah.
I tell you the truth.

(07:34):
Anyone who welcomes my messengeris welcoming me, and anyone who
welcomes me is welcoming theFather who sent me.
Now, Jesus was deeply troubled,and he exclaimed, I tell you the
truth, one of you will betrayme.
The disciples looked at eachother, wondering who he could
mean.
The disciple Jesus loved, that'sJohn, the one writing this, was

(07:55):
sitting next to Jesus at thetable.
Simon and Peter motioned to him.
Who is he talking about?
You know, to ask, Who's hetalking about?
So the disciple leaned over toJesus and asked, Lord, who is
it?
Jesus responded, It is the onewhom I give the bread, I dip in
the bowl.
And when he had dipped it, hegave it to Judas, the son of
Simon Iscariot.

(08:16):
But when Jesus had eaten thebread, when Judas had eaten the
bread, Simon uh Satan enteredinto him.
And Jesus told him, Hurry and dowhat you're going to do.
None of the others at the tableknew what Jesus meant.
Since Judas was the treasurer,some thought Jesus was telling
him to go and pay for the foodor give it money to the poor.
So Judas left at once, going outinto the night.

(08:38):
And as soon as Judas left theroom, Jesus said, The time has
come for the Son of Man to enterinto his glory.
And God will be glorifiedbecause of him.
And since God receives glorybecause of the Son, he will give
his own glory to the Son, and Hewill do so at once.
Dear children, I will be withyou only a little while longer.

(08:59):
And as I told you, the Jewishleaders, um, wait, as I told as
I told the Jewish leaders, youwill search for me, you cannot
come where I am going.
So now I give you a newcommandment.
Love each other.
Just as I have loved you, youshould love each other.
And your love for one anotherwill prove to the world that you
are my disciples.

(09:19):
Simon Peter asked, Lord, whereare you going?
And Jesus replied, You can't gowith me now, but you will follow
me later.
Why can't I come, Lord?
Jesus he asked, I am ready todie for you.
And Jesus answered, Die for me?
I tell you the truth, Peter,before the rooster crows
tomorrow morning, you will denythree times that you even know

(09:41):
me.
So man, there's a lot going onin this chapter.
Jesus cleans their feet,including John the Baptist, John
the Baptist, Judas Iscariot.
Judas leaves, and they didn'teven realize they're just so I
mean, you imagine Jesus has fed5,000, he's healed people, he's
done all this kind of stuff.
Jesus appears to be invincible.
Surely he can't die, but Jesuskeeps saying, I'm laying my life

(10:05):
down.
Truly, no one can take it fromme, but I'm laying it down
because he loves us so verymuch.
But here's the thing he stillknows us.
You know what's amazing?
Jesus washed the feet of Judas,knowing Judas was about to
betray him.
Jesus washed the feet of Peter,knowing Peter would betray him.
You know what I love about Jesusis that no matter how many times

(10:27):
we fall, he never gives up onus.
And I'm telling you the truth,you may have 99 problems, but
Jesus ain't one of them.
He is the King, and He is theone who never gives up on us.
Let's pray together.
Father, thank you so much foryour goodness, your kindness,
your mercy.
Jesus, thank you for coming intothis earth, living a sinless
life, dying on the cross for us,rising again, and you never give

(10:50):
up on us.
I pray today we'll experienceyour life, experience your
goodness.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Don't forget, God's word says inJohn chapter 30, these things
are written that you maycontinue to believe that Jesus
is God, and that by believing inhim, you may have a life by the
power of his name.
I hope you experience that lifetoday.

(11:12):
I love you.
I'll see you tomorrow for Johnchapter 14.