John 13:7
Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
Sermons
A Clear View of Life's MysteriesJohn 13:1-19
A Great and Solemn HourG. F. Pentecost.John 13:1-19
A Three-Fold MarvelT. Whitelaw, D. D.John 13:1-19
All Light GoodBishop Temple.John 13:1-19
At Best Our Knowledge of God's Designs is FragmentaryT. Adams.John 13:1-19
Christ a MasterW. Anderson, LL. D.John 13:1-19
Christ an All-Round ExampleC. H. Spurgeon.John 13:1-19
Christ Our ExampleC. Hodge, D. D.John 13:1-19
Christ Our ExampleJ. Trapp.John 13:1-19
Christ Our Example not Our ModelF. W. Robertson, M. A.John 13:1-19
Christ Our Master and LordW. Jay.John 13:1-19
Christ the Supreme ExampleW. Baxendale.John 13:1-19
Christ Washing the Feet of His DisciplesD. Thomas, D. D.John 13:1-19
Christian PurityE. L. Hull, B. A.John 13:1-19
Christian Service Should be Rendered ConstantlyH. C. Trumbull, D. D.John 13:1-19
Christian Service Should be Rendered LovinglyJohn 13:1-19
Christ's an Unchanging LoveT. Guthrie, D. D.John 13:1-19
Christ's DeathD. Thomas, D. D.John 13:1-19
Christ's Example Gradually ImitatedW. Baxendale.John 13:1-19
Christ's HourT. Whitelaw, D. D.John 13:1-19
Christ's KnowledgeT. Whitelaw, D. D.John 13:1-19
Christ's Love for His OwnW. Bengo Collyer, D. D.John 13:1-19
Christ's Love of His OwnJ. Jackson Wray.John 13:1-19
Christ's Love to His OwnA. Raleigh, D. D.John 13:1-19
Christ's Love unto the EndW. Braden.John 13:1-19
Christ's MissionJ. W. Burn., Bp. Ryle.John 13:1-19
Christ's Transcendent LoveH. W. Beecher.John 13:1-19
Clean Every WhitJohn Milne.John 13:1-19
Communion with the Saviour Inseparable from HolinessW. Jay., T. Whitelaw, D. D.John 13:1-19
Existing Ignorance and Approaching KnowledgeHomilistJohn 13:1-19
Extremes in Christ's LifeJ. W. Burn.John 13:1-19
God's Work in Our BehalfGeorge Elliot.John 13:1-19
Great Principles and Small DutiesJ. Martineau, LL. D.John 13:1-19
Hereafter, not NowDean Vaughan.John 13:1-19
Humility IllustratedJohn 13:1-19
Ignorance and KnowledgeH. H. Dobney.John 13:1-19
Imitation of Christ in SacrificeH. W. Beecher.John 13:1-19
Influence of ExampleT. De Witt Talmage, D. D.John 13:1-19
Jesus Loving His Own that Were in the WorldC. Ross.John 13:1-19
Jesus Teaching HumilityT. D. Witherspoon, D. D.John 13:1-19
Jesus Teaching HumilityJ. Pulsford.John 13:1-19
Jesus Washing His Disciples' FeetC. H. Spurgeon.John 13:1-19
Knowing and DoingW. M. Punshon, LL. D.John 13:1-19
Knowing and DoingJohn 13:1-19
Knowing and DoingS. S. TimesJohn 13:1-19
Knowledge and ObedienceT. Kidd.John 13:1-19
Knowledge and Practice Necessary in ReligionAbp. Tillotson.John 13:1-19
Love in the Face of DiscouragementD. L. Moody.John 13:1-19
Parody of the Foot WashingC. Stanford, D. D.John 13:1-19
Present Ignorance and Future IlluminationJ. Parsons.John 13:1-19
Present Mysteries, Future SolutionsHomiletic MonthlyJohn 13:1-19
Reasons for SubmissionFamily ChurchmanJohn 13:1-19
Rectified Knowledge in the Future StateH. Melvill, B. D.John 13:1-19
Religion Essentially PracticalMatthew Arnold.John 13:1-19
Reminiscences of the Foot WashingC. Stanford, D. D.John 13:1-19
Sceptical Testimony to Christ's ExampleJ. S. Mill.John 13:1-19
Self-Propagating Power of ExampleH. Melvill.John 13:1-19
Spiritual BathingHomiletic MonthlyJohn 13:1-19
Spiritual WashingS. S. TimesJohn 13:1-19
Spiritual WashingsS. S. TimesJohn 13:1-19
The Blessedness of DutyJ. G. Jones, D. D.John 13:1-19
The Changeless FriendGotthold.John 13:1-19
The Changeless Love of ChristH. W. Beecher.John 13:1-19
The Christian a ServantJohn 13:1-19
The Comfort of DutyD. G. Watt, M. A.John 13:1-19
The Connection Between a Sinner Having a Part with Christ and Being Washed by HimT. Boston, D. D.John 13:1-19
The Constancy of Christ's LovePercy.John 13:1-19
The Divine LoveH. W. Beecher.John 13:1-19
The Divine Love Does not Fail When Man FailsJohn 13:1-19
The Example of ChristH. Kollock, D. D.John 13:1-19
The Faithfulness of JesusC. H. Spurgeon., Archdeacon Watkins.John 13:1-19
The Family LikenessNew Testament AnecdotesJohn 13:1-19
The Good PractitionerJohn 13:1-19
The Great GiftS. S. Times., S. S. TimesJohn 13:1-19
The Great Love of Christ for His OwnJ. A. Seiss, D. D.John 13:1-19
The Helpfulness of Christ as MasterJ. M. Randall.John 13:1-19
The Imitation of ChristJohn 13:1-19
The Importance of HumilityT. D. Witherspoon, D. D.John 13:1-19
The Inscrutable Character of the Divine DispensationsThe EvangelistJohn 13:1-19
The Love of the Departing ChristA. Maclaren, D. D.John 13:1-19
The Method by Which We Become Christ's OwnJ. Culross, D. D.John 13:1-19
The Next Life an Interpreter of ThisH. W. Beecher.John 13:1-19
The Night-Flowering CereusJohn 13:1-19
The Patient Waiting and Obedience of FaithA. Bell, B. A.John 13:1-19
The Perfection of Christ's ExampleA. Maclaren, D. D.John 13:1-19
The Perfection of Christ's LoveW. Baxendale.John 13:1-19
The Present Obscure Because UnfinishedW. Hamma, D. D.John 13:1-19
The Reciprocal Relations and Blessedness of Knowing and DoingJohn Smith, M. A.John 13:1-19
The Secret of a Happy LifeJ. Vaughan, M. A.John 13:1-19
The Sign of the Feet WashingW. B. Pope, D. D.John 13:1-19
The Sine Qua NonC. H. Spurgeon.John 13:1-19
The Strangeness of Our Lord's ProcedureJ. L. Nye.John 13:1-19
The Teaching of the Foot WashingC. H. Spurgeon.John 13:1-19
The Union in Christ of Precept and ExampleG. Chandler, LL. D.John 13:1-19
The Universality of Christ's MastershipJohn Burton.John 13:1-19
The Unknown Ways of LoveC. H. Spurgeon.John 13:1-19
The Washing of Peter's FeetHomilistJohn 13:1-19
Uncertain FriendshipJohn 13:1-19
Washing the Disciples' FeetNehemiah Boynton.John 13:1-19
Washing the Disciples' FeetBoston HomiliesJohn 13:1-19
WhatS. S. TimesJohn 13:1-19
What Christ Requires of His DisciplesD. Thomas, D. D.John 13:1-19
What I DoJ. Jackson Wray.John 13:1-19














The occasion upon which our Savior is said by his friend and apostle John to have had a vivid consciousness of hi§ mission is deserving of attention. It was just before his Passion, in the upper room where he was about, by act and language, to inculcate great lessons upon his disciples, and whence he was to take his way to Gethsemane and Calvary. In such circumstances the confidence of a human leader might well have wavered, and his purposes might well have faltered. But Jesus could look forward to what he was about to endure with a touching equanimity, because he knew whence he had come, whither he was going, what was the nature and authority of his mission.

I. CHRIST'S CONSCIOUSNESS OF HIS ORIGIN. He was aware:

1. Of his Divine nature.

2. Of his Divine mission.

3. Of his Divine qualifications.

II. CHRIST'S CONSCIOUSNESS OF HIS DEPARTURE AND DESTINATION. He knew that he was not going into annihilation, into oblivion; that he was not to fail in his work, though he was to die in its execution.

1. His departure was to secure the accomplishment of God's will.

2. And the achievement of man's redemption, which was the special purpose of the Father.

3. And the manifestation of the Father's acceptance. He went to God to be received as God's beloved Son; and he was raised from the dead, and taken to heaven, that it might be evident to all the world that the Father approved his work.

III. CHRIST'S CONSCIOUSNESS OF HIS UNIVERSAL AUTHORITY.

1. In the hour of his suffering and humiliation he knew full well that his hands were all-comprehending and all-powerful, that all power was given to him in heaven and on earth, that his was a supreme and universal sway.

2. He knew, too, that his power should be exercised for the salvation of his people. They should scatter and flee, but he should rally them. He was to be their High Priest, and at the same time their King.

APPLICATION. Learn:

1. The security of those who trust in One so wise and so mighty.

2. The strength of those who work for such a Master.

3. The hope which is before those who seek and wait for his salvation.

4. The encouragement which all who need his countenance and help are at liberty to take from him. - T.

Lord, whither goest Thou?
It is a common fault among us to be more inquisitive concerning things secret, which belong to God only, than concerning things revealed, which belong to us and to our children — more desirous to have our curiosity gratified, than our conscience directed — to know what is done in heaven, than what we ought to do to get thither. It is easy to observe it in the conversation of Christians, how soon a discourse of what is plain and edifying is dropped, and no more is said of it; the subject is exhausted; while matter of doubtful disputation runs into an endless strife of words.

(M. Henry.)

I. His CURIOSITY. The question was occasioned by ver. 33; and as soon as our Saviour paused, Peter suddenly makes the inquiry.

1. Here is something which we know not how entirely to censure. The imperfections of good men betray their excellences. We see Peter's love to his Lord, and concern for His presence. When Elijah was going to be taken up, Elisha followed him. When Jonathan and David were about to separate, they fell upon each other's neck and wept. When, at Miletus, "Paul kneeled down and prayed with the brethren, they all wept sore." But think of Christ! What a Benefactor, what a Master was He! Could Peter then view His removal with indifference?

2. But if our Saviour blames Peter, Peter was blameworthy. He was a little too curious — a fault by no means uncommon. For how many are more anxious to know secret things than to improve the things revealed. We are all fender of speculation than practice. Whereas, we ought to remember, that, in a state where we have so much to do, and so little time to do it in, we should secure ourselves from all superfluous engagements.

3. Our Saviour, therefore, never encouraged this principle. When a man asked Him, "Lord, are there few that shall be saved?" He did not even notice the trifler: He said unto them, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate." So here He shows His judgment of the inquiry by eluding it. But though He does not gratify, He instructs. In two senses, Peter was to follow Him, in due time —(1) To glory. It was what our Lord prayed for, and what He promised (John 17:24). So we are to be forever with the Lord. He has gone to prepare a place for us. But for every thing there is a season. He could not follow Him now. Though our Saviour's hour was come, Peter's was not; though the Master had finished the work given Him to do, the servant had scarcely begun his — and "we are all immortal till our work is done." Christians are sometimes impatient, but this is wrong. "The best frame we can be in is to be ready to go, and willing to stay." The eagerness is not only wrong, but useless. What would it avail the husbandman to fret? Would this bring harvest the sooner? He cannot reap in May, the order of nature forbids it. There is also an order in grace. Why cannot you follow Him now? You have an aged mother to support, or an infant charge to rear, or an institution of charity to found, or to exemplify religion in your practice, or to recommend it by your sufferings.(2) To the cross. But he could not follow Him now, because he had not sufficient faith and resolution to suffer. This shows us that our Lord's dealings with His people are founded not only in kindness, but in wisdom and prudence. He adapts the burden to the shoulder, or fits the shoulder to the burden. "As thy day, so shall thy strength be." Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof — and what is better, sufficient for it too will be the grace.

II. HIS PRESUMPTION (vers. 37, 38). Ah, Peter, this is sooner said than done. Life is not so easily parted with. You trembled upon the water; be not so confident now. Note —

1. The crime was heinous. To deny his Master was unfaithfulness: his Friend, perfidy: his Benefactor, ingratitude: his Redeemer, impiety. This, too, was the conduct of one who had been called from a low condition in life to the high honour of apostleship — of one who had seen His miracles, etc. Three aggravations are here mentioned.(1) He was warned — he could not plead ignorance.(2) The sin was immediately committed. Things soon wear off from the mind; but here was no time for forgetfulness.(3) It was repeated, "thrice." A man may be surprised and overtaken in a fault; but, the moment after, reflection may return; and he may flee. But Peter, after his first offence, renews it again — and again — and each time waxes worse and worse.

2. The lessons:

1. The foreknowledge of our Saviour.

2. What reason have we to exclaim, with David, "Lord, what is man!" Survey him under the greatest advantages and obligations. There is nothing too vile for us to fall into, if we are left of Him who alone can keep us from failing.

3. How little we are acquainted with ourselves. Peter spoke according to his feelings. But sincerity is not constancy. There is a goodness, compared to the morning cloud and early dew, that soon passeth away. Peter did not consider the difference between an impulse and a principle; between an hour of ease and a moment of trial. Hazael's case is a strong one; but it will apply, in various degrees, to ourselves. God only knows how much of our innocency has been owing to principle, or the absence of temptation; or what we should have been in conditions the reverse of those which have sheltered our weakness.

4. The most confident are the most exposed; and the most humble the most safe. "When I am weak, then I am most strong." "Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe." Conclusion: We do not wonder at this sad revolution in Peter. He is proud and self-sufficient. "Pride goes before destruction," etc. I never saw a professor of religion full of confidence in himself, and speaking censoriously of others, but who fell into some gross crime, or into some great calamity.

(W. Jay.)

1. Children will have everything now: "afterwards" is a word that plagues them. As life advances we become more intimately acquainted with the word, and come to like it. We know that yesterday has gone beyond recall, and that tomorrow is coming and always available.

2. This is the second time the same thing has been said, on this same occasion, to the same man, and both times in a Master's tone, delivered with a brother's heart and voice (ver. 7). So this child-man was constantly put back and told to wait till the clock struck, and the hour had come when he should have the keener vision, the more sensitive heart, the more receptive spirit and understanding mind. This was the training that Peter needed. He was a man who wanted everything done instantaneously. The Lord knowing this said the most vexing words, "Not now." We want it too, and when we are mad with impatience He says it quietly and sovereignly; but adds "afterwards" in the same tone, for Christ lived in tomorrow.

I. LOOK AT THIS IN THE DIRECTION OF —

1. Revelation. We cannot follow any great doctrine in all the range of its thoughts and in all the possibilities of its issues. Who can explain the atonement? We begin in the right spirit when we begin in the spirit of waiting. I need the cross; I accept it, but cannot tell the measure of the oblation or its efficacy. But afterwards there will be a higher school, additional facilities, then I shall know.

2. The mysteries of daily providence. "Thou canst not follow Me" — not from one locality to another, but in thought, purpose, and sovereign decree. Who can keep pace with the Great Walker? I halt, stagger, fall, half rise again, and am down before I can straighten myself I cannot follow except in the dim far distance now, but afterward. Our strange constitution, individuality, sufferings, are heavy burdens. Explanation would help us to bear them. Why should I wear this chain? be encompassed by this cloud? The answer is "not now, but afterward." "No chastening, for the present seemeth joyous," etc.

II. THERE CANNOT BE AN AFTERWARD OF REVELATION UNLESS THERE IS A NOW OF OBEDIENCE.

1. The "now" is not evacuated of all meaning. To obey in the darkness is the great thing. Were I to say, "I will trust God in the seventh trouble because He has delivered me in six," it would be historically true and full of solace, but no indication of growth in grace. But he has grown in grace who says, "Though He slay me yet will I trust in Him."

2. Obedience now is revelation afterward. He that doeth the will shall know of the doctrine. We do not know the joy which is laid up for us in complete obedience to the words, "Stand still and see the salvation of God." The next piece of knowledge comes easily. Were the child to be compelled to overleap seven years of the process of education, he would be overcome. What he has to do is to read the next line, and then to turn over the next page. What we as Christian students have to do is to keep to the present truth, do the next duty, and then the revelation will steal upon us without the violence of haste and the unrest of surprise. We cannot tell how the light grows, so in mental illumination and spiritual culture.

(J. Parker, D. D.)

The first words spoken to Peter were "Follow Me"; almost the last were "Thou canst not follow Me now." After a long attachment to the Saviour it was a hard word. There is, however, always a "staying hand" in life as well as a "beckoning." The pillar of cloud moves and halts.

I. THE NEGATIVE PRESENT. When had it been that Simon could not go with his Master? He had accompanied Him to Bethany when seeking rest after tumult and turmoil; to the Mount of Transfiguration when Jesus was pre-glorified. Now he may not follow Him. Nor was this strange. The high priest only could enter the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, and Peter might not understand, but we do, that the great Day of Atonement had dawned. On to the cross, into the tomb, within the veil, only Jesus must go. Yet by this access to God was given. And now into the crucified life, as dead with Christ to the world; into the risen life, as new creatures in Him, we may follow Jesus; but further than this we may not go now; into the ascension life we are forbidden to enter at present, but we shall be permitted afterwards.

II. THE POSITIVE FUTURE. It was in the human life Jesus commanded Peter to follow Him, saying He would make them "fishers of men." They were to observe His modes of action and drink of His Spirit. And so with us. But is it not rather into the higher risen life that He bids us follow Him — the life of pardon, peace, sanctity, and spiritual power? And to this He is "the Way"; and by following that Way we shall reach the "afterwards" of His presence and glory (1 John 3:2).

(I. Watts.)

Why cannot I follow Thee now?

1. Why, indeed? There could be no doubt of his sincerity and attachment to his Master. I cannot believe that our Lord merely referred to the time for Peter's departure. Further, Peter did follow Christ so far as he could without dying; for there was still a considerable portion of ground to be traversed by those sacred feet. There lay before Him the way of sorrows, crowned with the cross on Calvary. Up to that point Simon Peter might have followed Christ, although he did not. Our Lord was referring to this first, though His words may have reached on to the glory that was at last to be revealed. The time was already come when His disciples were to be scattered and to leave Him alone. And knowing this, He says, "Whither I go," etc. And it is equally true that this same Simon Peter did follow the Lord Jesus Christ afterwards in the same sense in which he was now precluded from following Him.

2. As we ask Peter's question, we are led to consider our own experience. Is it not true that there sometimes seems to rise up in the very path of our inclinations and spiritual aspirations a strange, indescribable barrier — an inexorable "cannot" — that seems to bar the way to further progress? It is wise to ask this question, for if it be honestly put, the Holy Spirit of God will sooner or later show us what gives strength to this cruel and pitiless "cannot." Why could not Simon follow Jesus then? Because —

I. HE THOUGHT HE COULD. "I will lay down my life for Thy sake." There is nothing more common amongst Christians than the admission of our frailty and weakness. But what a great difference there is between making orthodox admissions and having a real consciousness of our own helplessness and dependence on a higher power. Sometimes, feeling ourselves to be a little weaker than we should be, we are ashamed of our infirmity. And sometimes, taught by many disasters, we entertain serious apprehensions about ourselves; but it is wonderful how self-confidence rebounds from the most distressing humiliations. We are quite determined to be more careful in the future. But how slow we are to abandon all confidence in the flesh! And it is not until we have learnt our helpless dependence that we can hope to follow Jesus. For flesh and blood can no more participate in the fellowship of Jesus' sufferings than they can inherit the kingdom of God. But Simon Peter was a man of strong determination; and such characters find it very hard to renounce all confidence in their moral vigour. It seemed incredible that he should turn his back upon his Master, and we can scarcely bring ourselves to believe that we could condescend to the sin, which subsequently we commit; and then by and by we learn our weakness amidst bitter tears, as Simon Peter did.

II. HE WAS AT THIS TIME WALKING BY SIGHT RATHER THAN BY FAITH. We do not reach the life of real faith till we are fully conscious of our own helplessness. How can we really trust Christ unless we have thoroughly learnt to distrust ourselves? Peter, walking by sight, his firmness was greatly dependent upon outward circumstances. As long as he saw Christ performing prodigies, or greeted by hosannas, it appeared easy to follow Him; but when all His glory seemed departed, his courage forsook him. Ah! how many of us are fair-weather sailors 1 and how few in their daily life by faith possess themselves of God.

III. HE WAS WALKING IN THE FLESH RATHER THAN IN THE SPIRIT. This same Peter, only a few weeks afterwards, when baptized with the Holy Ghost, stood before the rulers of his country with unblanched countenance, for that Master whom He denied. And for us also that Spirit is given. This qualification for following Jesus is closely connected with the other. They represent the two sides of a healthy spiritual experience. Faith on our side brings us into contact with the Divine, and puts the soul in the attitude of reception; the gift of the Holy Ghost on God's side brings the Divine into contact with us, and fills us according to our capacity. "Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? But, if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit;" and Paul's charge against the Galatians is that, having begun in the Spirit, they had gone on to be made perfect in the flesh. Is not this where many of us lose our capacity to follow Christ? The energies of the flesh may be never so strong and well-intentioned, but they cannot take the place of the powers of the Holy Ghost; and there is a point beyond which they cannot go in disposing us to follow Christ.

IV. BECAUSE HE WAS OUT OF SYMPATHY WITH CHRIST'S MIND. "Can two walk together except they be agreed? "Christ was meditating on the Father's will, while Simon Peter" savoured of the things that be of men." And if we are to follow Jesus we must rise into the inner circle of His fellowship, and see things from His point of view. It is not by saying, "I will follow Thee" that we succeed in following Him. It is by bringing our hearts into full harmony with His Divine will. And the first step towards accepting the Divine will is taken when we repose our full confidence in it. Jesus Christ was at this moment fulfilling in His own experience the language of the Psalm, "Lo! I come to do Thy will." Peter, on the other hand, preferred to trust to his own will. He had daydreams of material aggrandisement, and political power, so that he had no room for the fellowship of the mind of Jesus Christ. And when Jesus began to open up His own purposes to him, he shrank from them with aversion. Now, here is our lesson. You, who seek after popularity, who are wishing to be on good terms with the world, how can you follow Jesus until you are in sympathy with Him and with His aims? "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me."

V. HE WAS INWARDLY CLINGING ALL THE WHILE TO A BESETTING SIN — self-assertion, or self-confidence, mingled with not a little worldly pride. We see this evil habit of soul exhibiting itself in his attempt to dissuade his Master from facing the Cross; and in his conduct at the supper table. How many of you are kept back from following Jesus now by some cherished sin? Conclusion: Perhaps some of you are asking, "Can we not go to heaven without all this?" We are not discussing the minimum qualification for heaven. What it is God only knows. We are talking of following Jesus, and that is far more to the purpose. I have no desire to solve the problem. Here is a consideration which is very profitable: How much spiritual benefit is it possible for a man to get out of his religion?

(W. Hay Aitken, M. A.)

St. Peter felt dimly that the life of Jesus was opening into something so large that all which had gone before would be seen to have been only the vestibule and preparation for what was yet to come. And just then, when his expectation was keenest, and his love most eager, an iron curtain fell across his view. The completion was withheld. And that is what is always happening. It would be intolerable to us if we could not trace tendencies in our life. If everything stood still, or only moved round in a circle, it would be a dreary and a dreadful thing to live. But we rejoice in life because it seems to be carrying us somewhere. We bear with incompleteness, because of the completion which is prophesied and hoped for. But it is the delay or barrier that distresses us. The tendency that is not allowed to reach the fulfilment, which alone gave it value, seems a mockery. You watch your plant growing, and see its wonderful building of the woody fibre, its twining of the strong roots, its busy life blood hurrying along its veins. Some morning the deep-red flower is blazing full blown on the stem, and all is plain. The completion has justified the process. But suppose the plant to have been all the time conscious of the coming flower, and yet to have felt itself held back from blossoming, would it not be a very puzzled and impatient and unhappy little plant? Now, there are certain conditions which are to all good life just what the flower is to the plant. There are certain fine results of feeling which are the true and recognized results of the best ways of living. But when the life, conscious of the character in itself out of which these conditions ought to come, finds that it pauses on the brink of its completion and cannot blossom, then come impatient questionings and doubts.

I. LET US TAKE SOME INSTANCES DRAWN FROM DAILY LIFE. Suppose we have someone devoted to the good of others. A poor obscure woman in a sick room giving her days and nights, health and strength, to some poor invalid; or a great brilliant man out in the world neglecting his personal interests in the desire that some of the lagging causes of God may be helped forward. Now such a life has its legitimate completion. The natural flower which should crown that life is men's gratitude. Perhaps in ringing cheers, perhaps only in the silent pressure of the hand. The man who does no good expects no thanks. The selfish life feels and shows the unnaturalness if men make a mistake and lavish their gratitude upon it. It is as if men tied the glorious flower on to the top of a wooden post. And now suppose that the gratitude does not come. Is there no disappointment; no sense of a withheld completion? "What does it mean?" you ask with wonder, even with impatience. And in answer to your question there are two things to he said.

1. That such a suspension of the legitimate result, shows a condition of disorder. The natural result of your self-devotion has not come because the state of things in which you live is unnatural. That must he recognized. If you let your surprise appear, men will misunderstand you, and cry, "Oh, after all, then, you were not unselfish." But they are wrong; you did not work for thanks. When the thanks do not come it is not your loss; it is the deranged state of things that troubles you. When Jesus wept over Jerusalem, did He not feel its ingratitude? But was it not the disturbed world, where such ingratitude was possible, which lay at the bottom of His grief? When your child is ungrateful to you, is it the neglect of yourself, or the demoralized home, that saddens you? It is the violation of a deep, true instinct.

2. But because any state of things is unnatural, it does not prove that there can come out of it no blessing. So it is here. The service that a man does to his fellow men does not bring down their gratitude. What then? The withholding of the legitimate completion of his service may throw him back upon the nature of the act itself, and compel him to find his satisfaction there. That has been the support of many a despised reformer and misunderstood friend. The essence of any act is more and finer than its consequences are. Because Christ was "despised and rejected of men," we are able to see more clearly how truly He was His Father's "well-beloved Son."

II. AS WE COME INTO THE REGIONS OF SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE THIS TRUTH BECOMES MORE STRIKING, and often much more puzzling.

1. Look, e.g., at the connection of duty and happiness. Happiness is the natural flower of duty. The good man ought to be a thoroughly bright and joyous man. To disbelieve this would be to bow down at the footstool of a devil or a chance, and which of these would be the most terrible master who can say? With this conviction strong in us we come to some good man's life, and that life is all gloomy. Duty is done day after day, but done in utter dreariness; good without gladness, shocking and perplexing our deep certainty that to be good and to be glad belong together. To such we want to bring the two before-mentioned considerations. To recognize that it is unnatural, and so to struggle against it, and yet, while it must last, to get what blessing we can out of it, by letting it drive us down deeper, for our joy and comfort, into the very act and fact of doing righteousness. The plant ought to come to flower, but if it fails it is still a plant. The duty should open into joy, but it may still be duty; still hold the duty. Do righteousness and forget happiness, and so it is most likely that happiness will come. This will help a man to be hopeful without impatience, and patient without despair.

2. But take another case. There are promises in the Bible which declare that dedication to God shall bring communion with God. "Draw near to Me, and I will draw near to you." And yet sometimes the man does give himself to God, and the promise seems to fail; and the man given to God trembles when he hears other men talk of the joy of Divine communion, because no such ever comes to him. Once more, to such a soul there are the same two messages to bring. Never, no matter how long such exclusion from the presence of God may seem to last, make up your mind to it that it is right; never cease to expect that you will be admitted to all the joy of your Father's felt love. And seek even more deeply the satisfaction which is in your consecration itself; and that you may find it, consecrate yourself more and more completely. There are two great anxieties which I do feel for such souls. One is, lest you should give up expecting that privilege of communion which is certainly yours in possibility, and must certainly be yours some day in possession. The other is, lest, since the consecration has not brought you the communion, you should think that the consecration is unreal, and so lose the power to be blessed by it, and the impulse to increase it. Multitudes of saints would tell you how in their hindered lives God kept them true to such experience as they had attained; and so it was that, by and by, either before or after the great enlightenment of death, the hindrance melted away, and they now "follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth."

3. Among Christ's promises there is none that is dearer to one class of minds than this. "If any man wills to do My will, he shall know of the doctrine," etc. Such souls have not found that the thousand curious questions of theology were answered, and all the mystery rolled away out of the sky of truth. Christ did not promise that. But they have found what He did promise: that, coming near to Him in obedience, they have been made sure of the true divinity that was in Him and in the teachings that He gave. Everywhere the flower of obedience is intelligence. Obey a man with cordial loyalty and you will understand him. And now, are there any of us from whom that completion seems to have been withheld? They must be sure, first, that they are right: that they have not really come to an essential faith that the doctrine of Jesus is divine. They must be sure, again, that their will to serve Christ has been indeed true. And what then? Sure of all this, still the darkness and the doubts remain. Then they must come to the two principles; they must say," This is unnatural. I will not rest until my service of Christ completes itself in the knowledge of Christ; and yet all the time while I am waiting I will find joy in the service of Him, however dimly I may apprehend Him."

(Phillips Brooks, D. D.)

The most natural explanation of Christ's words to one who knew Him as intimately as Peter did was that, while shrinking from no danger Himself, He would not involve His followers in that danger. But Christ's meaning was that the time had not come for Peter to die. Had Peter known this he would still have desired thus to follow Christ: but in reality he was not ready. Desiring to die and readiness for death are two different things.

I. THERE WAS A WORK YET TO BE DONE IN PETER.

1. His knowledge of Christ and of Divine things needed to be increased. He knew a great deal, being Divinely taught, but he had yet to learn that Christ must suffer and enter into His glory. Our Lord had indeed spoken of this, but nothing short of the event itself could teach the full truth. There was the teaching, too, supplied by the Resurrection, Ascension, and Pentecost. Compare what Peter knew in later years with what he knew now, and you see the reason for our Lord's words. Here, then, is one of the reasons why God keeps us here. We are to learn Christ as He can be learnt nowhere else, by experiencing His wonderful love and almighty grace. What will not men endure to become acquainted with man or nature? Shall we complain then because we are called for a season to endure hardships that we may know Christ.

2. His character needed chastening and strengthening. He was weaker morally than he thought himself. "I will lay down," etc. "Wilt thou?" etc. Life was a furnace by means of which the baser parts of his character were re moved, and the truer and nobler made manifest. Peter went to heaven a better man than he would have done had he followed Christ now. There is no explanation of human life satisfactory but this. Once accepted the axe is laid at the root of all impatience and disgust.

II. THERE WAS A WORK YET TO BE DONE BY PETER.

1. Indeed the work done in Peter was with a view to that to be done by him. To regard our knowledge and experience only as a fitting us for heaven is only selfishness. Christ taught that both were for the sake of others. They could only follow Him as they gave themselves for their fellow men, as He did. Doubtless Peter soon understood this, and acquiesced in the "afterwards."

2. Our work here is a preparation for the life hereafter. That will be no state of inactivity, and by serving Christ here in our inward and outward life we are to learn how to work for Him in heaven.

(H. S. Toms.)

1. Peter meant what he said, but he did not measure the meaning of his words. Sometimes our words are bigger than we are, and all exaggeration is weakness. Peter spoke out of his passion, not out of his reason, and the only passion that endures is reason-on-fire. If he had said less, he would have done more. The strongest man has only so much energy, and if that be spent in wild speech, it will not be spent in well-directed actions. Hear a man talk much about the poor, and the probability is he is not going to do much for the poor. How to spend our limited amount of energy to the greatest effect ought to be the inquiry of every earnest man. We want more Bible reading, deeper devotion — the strengthening of our inner life — and then the expenditure will be with ease, and be a great beneficence.

2. Thunder frightens people; the light is welcome to all, and how quietly it comes. "Let your light so shine," etc. I quote this passage because there is a danger lest this doctrine of action, as opposed to speech, should be perverted. Persons excuse themselves from saying anything about their religion, and say that they seek the shade. Don't believe them. The shade is never difficult to find. To talk about humility is not to practice it. Action and speech must go together. Love the shade, certainly; but remember that God made the light, and that everything does not grow in the shade, and don't undervalue the light. Are you sure that you are honest in professing to love the shade? Is it not when someone asks you to do something that you don't like that you become so modest? Christ wants speech and action, open conduct, that everybody, if needful, can see and estimate. There are times when the shadow will be right welcome; but let the light make the shade.

3. Peter's boast is one of the expressions which outdo themselves by their own bigness. Beware of outdoing yourself by your own words. There are men whose geese are all swans, and their swans eagles. Christ demands that our words be weighed and directed to His Cross and service. He asks no man to lay down his life, in this tragical sense, on a manufactured occasion — that will come by and by as a practical necessity. There are many who are ready to do some tremendous thing for us when we don't want anything tremendous done. A dying master told his old slave that he had arranged in his will that he (the slave) was to be buried in the family grave: to which he made reply, "Ten dollars would suit Cato better." We cannot live on tragedies — give us bread and water. "My mother, sir!" says the wild youth, "I would walk fifty miles on burning metal for her!" But his mother wants no filial piety so tragical as that; but she would like him home a little earlier at night. Don't say that you would lay down your life for her — lay down your glass, your pipe, your cards; lay down something as an instalment. "My pastor! sir, I would die for him!" No, no; he wants nothing so tragic, all he wants is for you to take a sitting, come in time, and pay your subscription occasionally.

4. Peter's boast was a broken sentence. Christ only could complete it, and did. "I have power to take it again." To serve friends after death, as well as in it, was reserved for Him alone. Therefore economize life. You can serve others better by living than by dying — even Christ. "I beseech you therefore...present your bodies a living sacrifice." And if we live for Christ we shall certainly die for Him.

(J. Parker, D. D.)

A great commander was engaged in besieging a strongly fortified city. After a while he concentrated his forces at a point where the fortifications were stronger than at any other, and at two p.m., under a bright sun and a clear sky, ordered an assault. When expostulated with by an under officer, the commander replied: "At this point such a general is in command. At this hour of the day he is invariably accustomed to retire for a long sleep. When informed of our approach he will deny the fact, and send a messenger for information. Before the messenger returns we shall gain possession of the fortress." The facts turned out exactly as predicted. "Yonder weak point," said the commander, "is held by General There is no use in attempting to surprise him; he is never for a moment off his guard."

(A. Mahan, D. D.).

People
Jesus, Judas, Peter, Simon
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Afterward, Afterwards, Answering, Clear, Hast, Hereafter, Later, Present, Realize, Understand
Outline
1. Jesus washes the disciples' feet, and exhorts them to humility and charity.
18. He foretells and discovers to John by a token, that Judas should betray him;
31. commands them to love one another;
36. and forewarns Peter of his denials.

Dictionary of Bible Themes
John 13:7

     8355   understanding

John 13:1-11

     6028   sin, deliverance from

John 13:1-17

     2327   Christ, as servant
     4293   water
     5699   guests
     7449   slavery, spiritual
     8475   self-denial

John 13:2-17

     7342   cleanliness

John 13:3-10

     5153   foot-washing

John 13:4-15

     5216   authority, nature of

John 13:5-10

     7426   ritual washing

John 13:6-8

     5113   Peter, disciple
     5843   embarrassment

John 13:6-9

     5822   criticism, against believers

Library
December 16 Morning
Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.--JOHN 13:1. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.--Greater
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

May 16 Morning
A servant of Jesus Christ.--ROM. 1:1. Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.--If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.--Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.--Being made free from sin, and become servants
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

July 10 Morning
The disciple is not above his master.--MATT. 10:24. Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord.--If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep your's also.--I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

July 4 Morning
Leaning on Jesus' bosom.--JOHN 13:23. As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you.--They brought young children to him, that he should touch them. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.--Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.--A high Priest . . . touched with the feeling
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

July 28 Morning
Walk in love.--EPH. 5:2. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.--Above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.--Love covereth all sins. When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.--Love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again.--Rejoice not when thine enemy
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

September 4 Evening
What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.--JOHN 13:7. Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. When I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest mine.--Whom the Lord
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

October 21 Evening
The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.--JOHN 13:16,17. There was . . . a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief,
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

August 30. "Happy are Ye if Ye do Them" (John xiii. 17).
"Happy are ye if ye do them" (John xiii. 17). You little know the rest that comes from the yielded will, the surrendered choice, the abandoned world, the meek and lowly heart that lets the world go by, and knows that it shall inherit the earth which it has refused! You little know the relish that it gives to the blessing to hunger and thirst after righteousness, and to be filled with a satisfaction that worldly delight cannot afford, and then to rise to the higher blessedness of the merciful, the
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

The Love of the Departing Christ
'... When Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end.'--JOHN xiii. 1. The latter half of St. John's Gospel, which begins with these words, is the Holy of Holies of the New Testament. Nowhere else do the blended lights of our Lord's superhuman dignity and human tenderness shine with such lambent brightness. Nowhere else is His speech at once so simple and so deep. Nowhere else have
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

'Is it I?'
'And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto Him, Lord, is it I? 25. Then Judas, which betrayed Him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.'-MATT. xxvi. 22, 25. 'He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto Him, Lord, who is it?'--JOHN xiii. 25. The genius of many great painters has portrayed the Lord's Supper, but the reality of it was very different from their imaginings. We have to picture to ourselves some low table, probably a mere tray
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Dismissal of Judas
'... Then said Jesus unto Judas, That thou doest, do quickly.'--JOHN xiii. 27. When our Lord gave the morsel, dipped in the dish, to Judas, only John knew the significance of the act. But if we supplement the narrative here with that given by Matthew, we shall find that, accompanying the gift of the sop, was a brief dialogue in which the betrayer, with unabashed front, hypocritically said, 'Lord! Is it I?' and heard the solemn, sad answer, 'Thou sayest!' Two things, then, appealed to him at the moment:
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Cannot and Can
'Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek Me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go ye cannot come; so now I say to you.'--JOHN xiii. 33. The preceding context shows how large and black the Cross loomed before Jesus now, and how radiant the glory beyond shone out to Him. But it was only for a moment that either of these two absorbed His thoughts; and with wonderful self-forgetfulness and self-command, He turned away at once from the consideration of how the near future
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Seeking Jesus
'... Ye shall seek Me.'--JOHN xiii. 33. In the former sermon on this verse I pointed out that it, in its fullness, applies only to the brief period between the crucifixion and the resurrection, but that, partly by contrast and partly by analogy, it suggests permanent relations between Christ and His disciples. These relations were mainly--as I pointed out then--two: there was that one expressed by the subsequent words of the verse, 'Whither I go, ye cannot come'--a brief 'cannot,' soon to be changed
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

A Rash Vow
'Jesus answered him, Wilt them lay down thy life for My sake? Verily, verily I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied Me thrice.'--JOHN xiii. 38. In the last sermon I partly considered the dialogue of which this is the concluding portion, and found that it consisted of an audacious question: 'Why cannot I follow Thee now?' which really meant a contradiction of our Lord; of a rash vow; 'I will lay down my life for Thy sake'--and of a sad forecast: 'The cock shall not crow till
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Servant-Master
'Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside His garments; and took a towel, and girded Himself. After that He poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded.'--JOHN xiii. 3-5. It has been suggested that the dispute as to 'which was the greatest,' which broke the sanctities of the upper chamber, was connected with
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Glory of the Cross
'Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God he glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify Him.'--JOHN xiii. 31, 32. There is something very weird and awful in the brief note of time with which the Evangelist sends Judas on his dark errand. 'He ... went immediately out, and it was night.' Into the darkness that dark soul went. That hour was 'the power of darkness,' the very keystone of
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

'As I have Loved'
'A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another: as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.'--JOHN xiii. 34, 35. Wishes from dying lips are sacred. They sink deep into memories and mould faithful lives. The sense of impending separation had added an unwonted tenderness to our Lord's address, and He had designated His disciples by the fond name of 'little children.' The same sense here gives
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Quo Vadis?
'Peter said unto Him, Lord, why cannot I follow Thee now! I will lay down my life for Thy sake. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for My sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied Me thrice.'--JOHN xiii. 37, 38. Peter's main characteristics are all in operation here; his eagerness to be in the front, his habit of blurting out his thoughts and feelings, his passionate love for his Master, and withal his inability to understand Him, and his self-confident
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

October the Twentieth the Lord as the Servant
"Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He came forth from God, and goeth to God...." --JOHN xiii. 1-20. And how shall we expect the sentence to finish? What shall be the issue of so vast a consciousness? "He took a towel, and girded Himself ... and began to wash the disciples' feet." So a mighty consciousness expresses itself in lowly service. In our ignorance we should have assumed that divinity would have moved only in planetary orbits, and would have
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

25TH DAY. Heavenly Illumination.
"He is Faithful that Promised." "What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter."--JOHN xiii. 7. Heavenly Illumination. As the natural sun sometimes sinks in clouds, so, occasionally, the Christian who has a bright rising, and a brighter meridian, sets in gloom. It is not always "light" at his evening-time; but this we know, that when the day of immortality breaks, the last vestige of earth's shadows will for ever flee away. To the closing hour of time, Providence may be to him
John Ross Macduff—The Faithful Promiser

Love is the Touchstone by which the Reality of Truth is Perceived...
1. Love is the touchstone by which the reality of truth is perceived, and by it shall all men know that ye are My disciples (John xiii.35). I also make use of the sword of justice, so that at first sight some are inclined to think that, like Solomon, I intend to finish My work without mercy (1 Kings iii.16-28), but My object, like his, is to apply the touchstone of love which will bring out the truth, and show that you are the children of that God of Love who gave His life to save yours. You ought
Sadhu Sundar Singh—At The Master's Feet

The Paschal Meal. Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet.
(Thursday Evening of the Beginning of Friday.) ^D John XIII. 1-20. ^d 1 Now before the feast of the passover, Jesus knowing that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto his Father, having loved his own that were in the world, he loved them unto the end. [Since the second century a great dispute has been carried on as to the apparent discrepancy between John and the synoptists in their statements concerning the passover. The synoptists, as we have seen in the previous section,
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

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