The Living Bible (337 page)

John
13

Jesus knew on the evening of Passover Day that it would be his last night on earth before returning to his Father. During supper the devil had already suggested to Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, that this was the night to carry out his plan to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had given him everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. And how he loved his disciples!
⁴
 So he got up from the supper table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his loins,
*
⁵
 poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel he had around him.

    
⁶
 When he came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Master, you shouldn’t be washing our feet like this!”

    
⁷
 Jesus replied,
“You don’t understand now why I am doing it; some day you will.”

    
⁸
 “No,” Peter protested, “you shall never wash my feet!”

    
“But if I don’t, you can’t be my partner,”
Jesus replied.

    
⁹
 Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well—not just my feet!”

    
¹⁰
 Jesus replied,
“One who has bathed all over needs only to have his feet washed to be entirely clean. Now you are clean—but that isn’t true of everyone here.”
¹¹
 For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said,
“Not all of you are clean.”

    
¹²
 After washing their feet he put on his robe again and sat down and asked,
“Do you understand what I was doing?
¹³
 
You call me ‘Master’ and ‘Lord,’ and you do well to say it, for it is true.
¹⁴
 
And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.
¹⁵
 
I have given you an example to follow: do as I have done to you.
¹⁶
 
How true it is that a servant is not greater than his master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends him.
¹⁷
 
You know these things—now do them! That is the path of blessing.

    
¹⁸
 
“I am not saying these things to all of you; I know so well each one of you I chose. The Scripture declares, ‘One who eats supper with me will betray me,’ and this will soon come true.
¹⁹
 
I tell you this now so that when it happens, you will believe on me.

    
²⁰
 
“Truly, anyone welcoming my messenger is welcoming me. And to welcome me is to welcome the Father who sent me.”

    
²¹
 Now Jesus was in great anguish of spirit and exclaimed,
“Yes, it is true—one of you will betray me.”
²²
 The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he could mean.
²³
 Since I
*
was sitting next to Jesus
*
at the table, being his closest friend,
²⁴
 Simon Peter motioned to me to ask him who it was who would do this terrible deed.

    
²⁵
 So I turned and
*
asked him, “Lord, who is it?”

    
²⁶
 He told me,
“It is the one I honor by giving the bread dipped in the sauce.”
*

    
And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot.

    
²⁷
 As soon as Judas had eaten it, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him,
“Hurry—do it now.”

    
²⁸
 None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant.
²⁹
 Some thought that since Judas was their treasurer, Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money to the poor.
³⁰
 Judas left at once, going out into the night.

    
³¹
 As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said,
“My time has come; the glory of God will soon surround me—and God shall receive great praise because of all that happens to me.
³²
 
And God shall give me his own glory, and this so very soon.
³³
 
Dear, dear children, how brief are these moments before I must go away and leave you! Then, though you search for me, you cannot come to me—just as I told the Jewish leaders.

    
³⁴
 
“And so I am giving a new commandment to you now—love each other just as much as I love you.
³⁵
 
Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

    
³⁶
 Simon Peter said, “Master, where are you going?”

    
And Jesus replied,
“You can’t go with me now; but you will follow me later.”

    
³⁷
 “But why can’t I come now?” he asked, “for I am ready to die for you.”

    
³⁸
 Jesus answered,
“Die for me? No—three times before the cock crows tomorrow morning, you will deny that you even know me!

John
14

“Let not your heart be troubled. You are trusting God, now trust in me.
^2-3
 
There are many homes up there where my Father lives, and I am going to prepare them for your coming. When everything is ready, then I will come and get you, so that you can always be with me where I am. If this weren’t so, I would tell you plainly.
⁴
 
And you know where I am going and how to get there.”

    
⁵
 “No, we don’t,” Thomas said. “We haven’t any idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

    
⁶
 Jesus told him,
“I am the Way—yes, and the Truth and the Life. No one can get to the Father except by means of me.
⁷
 
If you had known who I am, then you would have known who my Father is. From now on you know him—and have seen him!”

    
⁸
 Philip said, “Sir, show us the Father and we will be satisfied.”

    
⁹
 Jesus replied,
“Don’t you even yet know who I am, Philip, even after all this time I have been with you? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking to see him?
¹⁰
 
Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I say are not my own but are from my Father who lives in me. And he does his work through me.
¹¹
 
Just believe it—that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or else believe it because of the mighty miracles you have seen me do.

    
^12-13
 
“In solemn truth I tell you, anyone believing in me shall do the same miracles I have done, and even greater ones, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask him for
anything,
using my name, and I will do it, for this will bring praise to the Father because of what I, the Son, will do for you.
¹⁴
 
Yes, ask
anything,
using my name, and I will do it!

    
^15-16
 
“If you love me, obey me; and I will ask the Father and he will give you another Comforter, and he will never leave you.
¹⁷
 
He is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, for it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you do, for he lives with you now and some day shall be in you.
¹⁸
 
No, I will not abandon you or leave you as orphans in the storm—I will come to you.
¹⁹
 
In just a little while I will be gone from the world, but I will still be present with you. For I will live again—and you will too.
²⁰
 
When I come back to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
²¹
 
The one who obeys me is the one who loves me; and because he loves me, my Father will love him; and I will too, and I will reveal myself to him.”

    
²²
 Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but his other disciple with that name) said to him, “Sir, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us disciples and not to the world at large?”

    
²³
 Jesus replied,
“Because I will only reveal myself to those who love me and obey me. The Father will love them too, and we will come to them and live with them.
²⁴
 
Anyone who doesn’t obey me doesn’t love me. And remember, I am not making up this answer to your question! It is the answer given by the Father who sent me.

    
²⁵
 
“I am telling you these things now while I am still with you.
²⁶
 
But when the Father sends the Comforter
*
instead of me
*
—and by the Comforter I mean the Holy Spirit—he will teach you much, as well as remind you of everything I myself have told you.

    
²⁷
 
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
*
²⁸
 
Remember what I told you—I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really love me, you will be very happy for me, for now I can go to the Father, who is greater than I am.
²⁹
 
I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do, you will believe in me.
*

    
³⁰
 
“I don’t have much more time to talk to you, for the evil prince of this world approaches. He has no power over me,
³¹
 
but I will freely do what the Father requires of me so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going.