John 13:1-11
The Full Extent of Christ’s Love
Introduction (v1)
Chapter 13 ends one section and begins a new one in John’s Gospel. Chapters 1-12 covered the 3 years of Jesus’ earthly ministry, whereas chapters 13-17 all take place on the night before Jesus was crucified. Chapters 1-12 show the public ministry of Jesus to the Jewish nation, whereas, chapters 13-17 show the private ministry of Jesus to His disciples. From chapter 13-17 John gives us what the other 3 gospels don’t - a behind the scenes look at what Jesus spoke privately to His disciples on the night He was arrested.
Describe the Passover Feast and the sacrificial lamb. Jesus was called the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world in the beginning of His ministry. Now, the climax of His ministry is going to take place at the Passover. Every Jew will be bringing their lamb to the slaughter to celebrate the Passover, and, this time, God will be bringing His Lamb. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrated His own love for us in this: While we were sinners Christ died for us.” John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” It was the love God has for man that was being expressed in the death of His own Son to ransom men from their sins.
I want to ask you a question: Do you know how much you’re loved by Jesus Christ? Do you really know? Paul said in Ephesians 3 that he prayed – on his knees - that the Christians there would “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ”.
John says here that Jesus loved those who were his in the world, and now, He was going to show them the full extent of his love. And that’s what I want to title our sermon this morning, “The Full Extent of Christ’s Love”. How far did Jesus go to show the extent of his love for you and me? What is the width? What is the length? What is the height? What is the depth? What is the extent of the love of Jesus Christ for us?
Christ’s Love Extends to the Heinous (v2)
First, we see that Christ’s Love Extends to the Heinous. Christ’s Love extends to the most heinous of people. Notice verse 2, “The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus.”
Judas is one of the most heinous people in the Scriptures. At this point, Judas has already made the arrangements with the enemies of Jesus to betray Jesus into their hands. John told us in chapter 12 that Judas was the one who handled the money for the ministry of Jesus and he had been stealing from the money bag throughout the whole three-year ministry. Judas was a fraud, a fake, a liar and a cheat.
But Judas had every opportunity to respond to Jesus. He had more advantage than anyone else. He spent 3 years everyday and every night with Jesus. He heard every sermon. He heard every private teaching. He saw every miracle. He saw the pristine character of Jesus (he would later confess to the chief priests and elders that he had betrayed innocent blood). He heard the voice of the Father come out of heaven all 3 times. Judas was there, in that upper room, during the last supper, watching Jesus on bent down on His knees washing his feet and there wasn’t one ounce of remorse for the 30 silver coins he had hidden in his pocket. He was so close to Jesus, but, so far away. He was close enough to see Jesus for everything that He was, but, Judas never believed in Him. Judas watched Jesus wash his feet, but, Judas never let Jesus wash his heart from the sin that stained it. He was the most heinous.
But, the gospel that Jesus preached wasn’t for good people. “It’s not the healthy that need a doctor” Jesus said, “but, the sick. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” The Gospel Jesus preached was for Judas. It was for the men who nailed Him to the cross for Jesus prayed to the Father, “Forgive them Father they don’t know what they are doing!” It was for Paul who believed himself to be the worst of sinners (1 Tim 5:16). The gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ’s name is for the heinous.
Do you see yourself as heinous? Has your life been a wreck? Does guilt rack your mind and heart over the sins you’ve committed? Then look to the cross of Jesus Christ. You’re not so heinous that Christ’s love doesn’t reach you. The love of Jesus Christ has been extended to you. He can take that burden. He can remove that guilt. If you would turn to Him and believe in Him, and believe that He died on the cross for those sins that weigh you down, you will find that He will set you free from that past. He will take you when you’re heinous, and through the blood He shed on the cross, He will make you holy.
Will you reject the love that’s been extended to you? Judas did. You don’t have to. You have the opportunity today to receive that love that Judas rejected. You can be saved from your sins. Don’t turn away from the love Christ has extended to you.
Christ’s Love Extends from Heaven (v3)
Secondly, we see that Christ’s Love Extends from Heaven. Notice verse 3, “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God”.
We are loved by the highest and most important and most powerful person in all existence. The Father has put all things under Jesus’ power. John said this back in chapter 3, “The Father loves the Son and has placed everything into His hands.” In Matthew 11 Jesus said, “All things have been committed to me by my Father.”
The quality of the love given is superior. The love that is given is the greatest love that can be given
Christ’s Love Extends in Humble Service (4-10a)
Thirdly, we see that Christ’s love extends to us in Humble Service. And there are 3 points about this humble service I want to show from the rest of these verses.
First, the Characteristic of Christ’s Humble Service. Notice verses 4-5, “so He got up from the evening 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 the towel that was wrapped around him.”
It is characteristic of the lowest of slaves. The roads were dusty and socks weren’t worn with sandals so people’s feet would get dirty and need to be washed. It was customary in the day that when guests arrived the host would provide someone to wash their feet – a slave, or the lowest ranking person in the house.
Now, the conversation the disciples were having leading up to this foot-washing is the contrast to Jesus’ humble service. According to Luke 22 the disciples were spending their time that night arguing over who was going to be the greatest. They were arguing over who was the most important and the most deserving of honor. Jesus was the greatest among them but they were vying for 2nd place. How shocked were they when Jesus got down and acted like the lowest slave in the house and washed their feet himself?
Hudson Taylor was a famous and scheduled to speak at a Large Presbyterian church in Melbourne, Australia. The moderator of the service introduced the missionary in eloquent and glowing terms. He told the large congregation all that Taylor had accomplished in China, and then presented him as "our illustrious guest." Taylor stood quietly for a moment, and then opened his message by saying, "Dear friends, I am the little servant of an illustrious Master."
D.L. Moody said, “Be humble or you’ll stumble”.
The Son of Man came to serve humbly, not to be served, Jesus said in Matthew 20. He is the most important person in the room. He got up and took his outer garment off, his regular everyday garment, and, He instead made Himself to look like a servant. He took on the appearance of a servant. He acted like a servant.
You have to see the picture in the upper room John describes here is symbolic of the greater mission of Jesus. Jesus, the eternal Word of God, was clothed in His eternal glory in heaven in the Father’s presence. But, in a sense He removed that glory and became something less – a man. He appeared as a man – a servant of God. You might say He took off His outer garment of glory and dignity as God and wrapped Himself in the servant’s attire of human flesh. That’s what Philippians 2 says, “He made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. He humbled himself…”
Second, the Confusion over Christ’s Humble Service. Notice verses 6-8a, “He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ ‘No’ said Peter, ‘you shall never wash my feet.”
Peter was confused about what Jesus was doing. He was always the act first, think later apostle. He didn’t understand that He needed to be served by Jesus Christ. He needed what Jesus came to give him.
People today are confused about the humble service that Jesus came to offer them.
I want to close with the Third point, which is the Cleansing from Christ’s Humble Service. Notice verses 8b-10a, “Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.’ ‘Then, Lord’ Simon Peter replied, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!’ Jesus answered, ‘A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean’”.
Jesus came to clean. He came to clean sinners of their sins. If you have not been cleansed by believing in Jesus Christ, then you are dirty in your sins. You’re not clean in God’s eyes. Your good works are as filthy rags in His sight. You have no part with Jesus. That means you are not one of His and He has nothing to do with you.
Unless He washes you – that is the key. You can’t wash yourself and be with Jesus. You can’t have another religion wash you and be with Jesus. The only way to be with Jesus is to be washed by Him. And when you trust in Him and only Him to wash your sins away then you will be clean. In Acts 10:15 God says, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
The Full Extent of Christ’s Love
Introduction (v1)
Chapter 13 ends one section and begins a new one in John’s Gospel. Chapters 1-12 covered the 3 years of Jesus’ earthly ministry, whereas chapters 13-17 all take place on the night before Jesus was crucified. Chapters 1-12 show the public ministry of Jesus to the Jewish nation, whereas, chapters 13-17 show the private ministry of Jesus to His disciples. From chapter 13-17 John gives us what the other 3 gospels don’t - a behind the scenes look at what Jesus spoke privately to His disciples on the night He was arrested.
Describe the Passover Feast and the sacrificial lamb. Jesus was called the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world in the beginning of His ministry. Now, the climax of His ministry is going to take place at the Passover. Every Jew will be bringing their lamb to the slaughter to celebrate the Passover, and, this time, God will be bringing His Lamb. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrated His own love for us in this: While we were sinners Christ died for us.” John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” It was the love God has for man that was being expressed in the death of His own Son to ransom men from their sins.
I want to ask you a question: Do you know how much you’re loved by Jesus Christ? Do you really know? Paul said in Ephesians 3 that he prayed – on his knees - that the Christians there would “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ”.
John says here that Jesus loved those who were his in the world, and now, He was going to show them the full extent of his love. And that’s what I want to title our sermon this morning, “The Full Extent of Christ’s Love”. How far did Jesus go to show the extent of his love for you and me? What is the width? What is the length? What is the height? What is the depth? What is the extent of the love of Jesus Christ for us?
Christ’s Love Extends to the Heinous (v2)
First, we see that Christ’s Love Extends to the Heinous. Christ’s Love extends to the most heinous of people. Notice verse 2, “The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus.”
Judas is one of the most heinous people in the Scriptures. At this point, Judas has already made the arrangements with the enemies of Jesus to betray Jesus into their hands. John told us in chapter 12 that Judas was the one who handled the money for the ministry of Jesus and he had been stealing from the money bag throughout the whole three-year ministry. Judas was a fraud, a fake, a liar and a cheat.
But Judas had every opportunity to respond to Jesus. He had more advantage than anyone else. He spent 3 years everyday and every night with Jesus. He heard every sermon. He heard every private teaching. He saw every miracle. He saw the pristine character of Jesus (he would later confess to the chief priests and elders that he had betrayed innocent blood). He heard the voice of the Father come out of heaven all 3 times. Judas was there, in that upper room, during the last supper, watching Jesus on bent down on His knees washing his feet and there wasn’t one ounce of remorse for the 30 silver coins he had hidden in his pocket. He was so close to Jesus, but, so far away. He was close enough to see Jesus for everything that He was, but, Judas never believed in Him. Judas watched Jesus wash his feet, but, Judas never let Jesus wash his heart from the sin that stained it. He was the most heinous.
But, the gospel that Jesus preached wasn’t for good people. “It’s not the healthy that need a doctor” Jesus said, “but, the sick. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” The Gospel Jesus preached was for Judas. It was for the men who nailed Him to the cross for Jesus prayed to the Father, “Forgive them Father they don’t know what they are doing!” It was for Paul who believed himself to be the worst of sinners (1 Tim 5:16). The gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ’s name is for the heinous.
Do you see yourself as heinous? Has your life been a wreck? Does guilt rack your mind and heart over the sins you’ve committed? Then look to the cross of Jesus Christ. You’re not so heinous that Christ’s love doesn’t reach you. The love of Jesus Christ has been extended to you. He can take that burden. He can remove that guilt. If you would turn to Him and believe in Him, and believe that He died on the cross for those sins that weigh you down, you will find that He will set you free from that past. He will take you when you’re heinous, and through the blood He shed on the cross, He will make you holy.
Will you reject the love that’s been extended to you? Judas did. You don’t have to. You have the opportunity today to receive that love that Judas rejected. You can be saved from your sins. Don’t turn away from the love Christ has extended to you.
Christ’s Love Extends from Heaven (v3)
Secondly, we see that Christ’s Love Extends from Heaven. Notice verse 3, “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God”.
We are loved by the highest and most important and most powerful person in all existence. The Father has put all things under Jesus’ power. John said this back in chapter 3, “The Father loves the Son and has placed everything into His hands.” In Matthew 11 Jesus said, “All things have been committed to me by my Father.”
The quality of the love given is superior. The love that is given is the greatest love that can be given
Christ’s Love Extends in Humble Service (4-10a)
Thirdly, we see that Christ’s love extends to us in Humble Service. And there are 3 points about this humble service I want to show from the rest of these verses.
First, the Characteristic of Christ’s Humble Service. Notice verses 4-5, “so He got up from the evening 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 the towel that was wrapped around him.”
It is characteristic of the lowest of slaves. The roads were dusty and socks weren’t worn with sandals so people’s feet would get dirty and need to be washed. It was customary in the day that when guests arrived the host would provide someone to wash their feet – a slave, or the lowest ranking person in the house.
Now, the conversation the disciples were having leading up to this foot-washing is the contrast to Jesus’ humble service. According to Luke 22 the disciples were spending their time that night arguing over who was going to be the greatest. They were arguing over who was the most important and the most deserving of honor. Jesus was the greatest among them but they were vying for 2nd place. How shocked were they when Jesus got down and acted like the lowest slave in the house and washed their feet himself?
Hudson Taylor was a famous and scheduled to speak at a Large Presbyterian church in Melbourne, Australia. The moderator of the service introduced the missionary in eloquent and glowing terms. He told the large congregation all that Taylor had accomplished in China, and then presented him as "our illustrious guest." Taylor stood quietly for a moment, and then opened his message by saying, "Dear friends, I am the little servant of an illustrious Master."
D.L. Moody said, “Be humble or you’ll stumble”.
The Son of Man came to serve humbly, not to be served, Jesus said in Matthew 20. He is the most important person in the room. He got up and took his outer garment off, his regular everyday garment, and, He instead made Himself to look like a servant. He took on the appearance of a servant. He acted like a servant.
You have to see the picture in the upper room John describes here is symbolic of the greater mission of Jesus. Jesus, the eternal Word of God, was clothed in His eternal glory in heaven in the Father’s presence. But, in a sense He removed that glory and became something less – a man. He appeared as a man – a servant of God. You might say He took off His outer garment of glory and dignity as God and wrapped Himself in the servant’s attire of human flesh. That’s what Philippians 2 says, “He made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. He humbled himself…”
Second, the Confusion over Christ’s Humble Service. Notice verses 6-8a, “He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ ‘No’ said Peter, ‘you shall never wash my feet.”
Peter was confused about what Jesus was doing. He was always the act first, think later apostle. He didn’t understand that He needed to be served by Jesus Christ. He needed what Jesus came to give him.
People today are confused about the humble service that Jesus came to offer them.
I want to close with the Third point, which is the Cleansing from Christ’s Humble Service. Notice verses 8b-10a, “Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.’ ‘Then, Lord’ Simon Peter replied, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!’ Jesus answered, ‘A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean’”.
Jesus came to clean. He came to clean sinners of their sins. If you have not been cleansed by believing in Jesus Christ, then you are dirty in your sins. You’re not clean in God’s eyes. Your good works are as filthy rags in His sight. You have no part with Jesus. That means you are not one of His and He has nothing to do with you.
Unless He washes you – that is the key. You can’t wash yourself and be with Jesus. You can’t have another religion wash you and be with Jesus. The only way to be with Jesus is to be washed by Him. And when you trust in Him and only Him to wash your sins away then you will be clean. In Acts 10:15 God says, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
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