Coptic Orthodox Answers

In the Father and Son, the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen.

Welcome to Coptic Orthodox Answers deep dive. We saw last time how Christ was leaving the public ministry, all the service He has done throughout the three and a half years and He was about to prepare Himself for the Last Supper for the cross and so on. So, in John 13, this is pretty much what happens. Christ's public ministry has ended and He's about to focus even more on His disciples, and it starts with verse 1. It says:

'' 1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.'' (John 13:1)

So, again, the purpose of this verse is to shift Christ's public ministry to the private one and the main focus is on how much Christ loved the disciples all the way to the end. So, it's not only about how much He loved them in the public ministry, but also, and even more so, in the private one, as we will see the big act of service that Christ will do to them as, you know, He washed their feet.

In addition to this, there is a word play between the word passover in Greek and the word depart in New King James. And in King James, it's depart out, but I'm not gonna get to that, I'm just letting you know in case you wanna research it on your own.

So, moving on to verse 2, we realize that we're already at the end of the supper. Saint John skipped over the Eucharistic meal, the institution narrative, because he already knew that his readers are aware of what actually happened through the synoptic Gospels. Again, he's writing at the end of the first century. So, verse 2 says:

'' 2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.'' (John 13:2-5)

So, the primary purpose of verse 3, when it says that Jesus, knowing that God the Father had given all things into His hands, is that St. John wants to demonstrate that Christ was already aware: He is all-knowing; He is God, although He's about to be betrayed, although He was about to be crucified, right? Later that night, He's gonna be caught, right?, and gonna

be crucified the next day. He already knew all of these things. He was still in control. He's willingly, voluntarily giving Himself up to death. He wants... St. John wants to make sure that the readers understand that this man is truly divine: He is God. But the big question is: Why did Christ wash the feet of the disciples at that point in time? And for us to understand this, we have to go back to Luke 22, again in the context of the Last Supper. It says the following:

'' 24 Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.'' (Luke 22:24)

So, during the supper, the disciples actually fought or disputed over who should be the greatest, right?

'' 25 And He said to them, ''The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors'. 26 But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, [right?, the last will be first] and he who governs as he who serves. 27 For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.'' '' (Luke 22:25-27)

So, Christ washed their feet, right? He is the one that is supposed to be sitting at the table, but He went and served. So, potentially, there was a problem, a dispute between the disciples on who is the greatest and people... or they wanted to just sit at the table and get served rather than serve, right? Remember, again, they don't have the Holy Spirit at that point. So, Christ taught them this lesson of washing the feet.

'' 28 ''But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. 29 And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, 30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom [right?, the Eucharistic meal in the church], and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.'' '' (Luke 22:28-30)

So, let's dig into this a bit more. There was a custom at the time that during the Passover meal, the head of the family would sit in the middle of a U-shaped table, like you see in this picture, reclining with one arm on a couch and eating with the other. The other guests would gather around the head of the family according to their rank. So, there was a rank system or a ranking system. The first rank after the head of the table would be the person on the immediate left of the family head. The second one would on the immediate right-hand side of the family head.

So it seems that the disciples were coveting these positions, not only during the Passover, but also in the kingdom of heaven. So, we can see this in Mark 10, for example, where St. James and St. John were requesting to be on the right and left hand of Christ. So, it seems like this is the context of the washing of the feet. The disciples were still seeking these posts, these ranks. They had been overlooking the real service, which is the washing of the feet.

As you know, there was a custom back at the time for the servants to wash the feet of the guests, since they were all wearing sandals, right? So, in the absence of a servant, the lowest member present would perform the task. So, the question becomes: Well, who is the lowest amongst us? Right? Who should be washing our feet? That's the question. But the disciples were preoccupied with positions, with the opposite, with the ranks, rather than serving. Again, they didn't have the Holy Spirit. So, because of this, Christ Himself removed the garment, right?, and He started washing their feet.

Moving on to verse 6:

'' 6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, ''Lord, are You washing my feet?'' '' (John 13:6)

Obviously, St. Peter was always very outspoken, right? He's the first one that called Christ the Messiah, he's the one that wanted to walk on water, and so on and so forth. So here, Christ, as He started washing the feet of the disciples one after the other, He gets to St. Peter and St. Peter reacts in that fashion: Lord, are You washing my feet?

This could be a sign of humility from St. Peter. It could also be the opposite: it could also be denial, like, you know, St. Peter refused to wash the feet of his brothers. Now he sees his master doing that to him, so, could be a sense of denial, which, you know, implies a bit of pride as well. We can't tell, obviously. It is a possibility. Again, it can also be that St. Peter was just humble and this is how he perceived that he was unworthy of being washed or having his feet washed by Christ.

Verse 7:

'' 7 Jesus answered and said to him, ''What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.'' 8 Peter said to Him, ''You shall never wash my feet!'' Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.'' '' (John 13:7-8)

So obviously, Christ started washing the disciples' feet one after the other. He comes to St. Peter: St. Peter resists. So, Christ tells him very clearly: there are consequences to your resistance, that you have no part with me. So obviously, St. Peter changes his mind.

Here, you know, again, it could be perceived as humility from St. Peter, but if we look at it from a different perspective, the other disciples did not open their mouths. St. Peter, potentially deep down, right?, there was pride there. It's the pride within that would not allow him to have his feet washed by his master, right? Because Peter failed to do this to his brothers and now he sees his master doing that to him, which is a huge lesson of humility. So, the idea here is:

Do not seek posts, do not seek ranks, do not seek to be first. That is why, in verse 34 of the same chapter, it says the following or Christ says the following:

'' 34 ''A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.'' '' (John 13:34)

So obviously, loving our neighbour's an old commandment, but the idea here is that we ought to love one another, including the disciples in this case, as Christ loves us, right? As Christ lowered Himself to the level of the lowest of servants and served, we ought to do the same. Again, service and love are intertwined.

So, loving as Christ loves, it's a whole new level. It's a level that was not attained by anybody before Christ, 'cause He is the ultimate and only real human being, the perfect human being, right?, and we ought to follow in His footsteps to become like Him. And therefore, He gives us this new commandment to love as He loved.

Verse 9:

'' 9 Simon Peter said to Him, ''Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!'' '' (John 13:9)

So, St. Peter, here, takes the words very literally and he says: You know what? No, I love you too much. I cannot be apart from you. Just wash me all together, which is a great testament of his love for his master.

Verse 10:

'' 10 Jesus said to him, ''He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.'' [because Judas is there, obviously, so Judas is not clean] 11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, ''You are not all clean.'' '' (John 13:10-11)

So, St. Peter, here, is bathed, right?, because St. Peter loves Christ. So, what he needs is only a reminder of love and humility and service. And that is symbolized by the washing of the feet, right? Judas is not bathed. Judas has no love for Christ. These are the literal meanings. The symbolic meanings, obviously, this is a reference to baptism. When someone is bathed in the waters of baptism, then going forward in their lives, they only need to wash their feet, you know, 'cause again, when people would walk with sandals on a daily basis, their daily sins, right?, or the dirt, in other words, on their feet would need to be washed, need to be cleansed. So, this is the life of repentance, right? So we repent and we confess our sins. This is, you know, the washing of the feet.

So, St. Peter loved God and this is a beautiful example, again for us, to love Him as well to that level and to be... it's okay to be outspoken and to say what's inside of us, but the idea is that we need to walk after Christ. It's not only about what we say, but also about what we do, right? And this is a reminder for all of us in our daily lives, even in this 21 st century.

Also in verse 11, there was an emphasis made by St. John that Christ already knew that Judas would betray Him, right? So again, he wants to demonstrate that He's all-knowing, He is God and so on. And speaking about Judas, St. Ephraim the Syrian says something very poetically beautiful. He says:

''In his gentleness our Lord humbled his wise hands by washing the feet of his betrayer [Judas]. [In turn, Judas] expressed his gratitude for the cleansing with the nails of the cross.'' (St. Ephraim the Syrian, Commentary on Tatian's Diatessaron)

This is something that, you know, we can again blame Judas so easily on that, but again, like, where do I stand personally in there? Right? Christ, you know, was crucified for me, so He did even more than washing my feet, but how am I repaying Him? Am I giving my life back to Him? The one who is the being, the ultimate source of life and this, this God that was incarnate for my sake, for my own salvation, how am I responding to that call? Like, am I giving my life back to Him or, you know, am I participating with that other group which chooses to nail Him, right?, on the cross?

Verse 12:

'' 12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, ''Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. [You should do as I have done to you.] 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master;...'' '' (John 13:12-16)

Meaning we have no choice but to wash each other's feet. If our master did it and we're not greater than our master, then Christ leaves us no choice whatsoever but to wash each other's feet.

'' 16 ''...nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.'' '' (John 13: 16-17)

So obviously, washing the feet is symbolic to service in general for us to become the lowest of servants. This is our objective, actually, as Christians, right?, to imitate our master, because

the last will be first. So, there are works that go along with our faith, right?, and on that, St. Cyril says the following:

''It is not the knowledge of virtue but rather the practice of it that may be appropriately called worthy of both love and enthusiasm... Whenever actions go hand in hand with knowledge, then assuredly there is no small gain. But when either is lacking, the other will be seriously crippled. And it is written, even faith apart from works is dead. Although the knowledge of God who is one even in nature, and the confession of God in guilelessness and truth is all included in faith, even this is dead if it is not accompanied by the bright light that proceeds from works. Surely, therefore, it is utterly profitless merely to know what is good and yet have no desire to practice it at once.'' (St. Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on John, Chapter 9)

Verse 18:

'' 18 ''I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 'He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.' '' (John 13:18)

So, verse 17 speaks about a blessing. Verse 18 says that Judas has no part in that blessing, right? And then, verse 18 also wants to emphasize that Christ is not unaware of Judas' betrayal, right?, because He is God, again, He's all-knowing, so, the Scripture may be fulfilled. The Christ is, here, He's quoting Psalm 41, verse 9 in the masoretic text, that says: He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me, right?

'' 19 ''Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He.'' '' (John 13:19)

So, do not be surprised when someone betrays me, when Judas betrays me. I am telling you in advance: don't be too worried. I am the Messiah, right? You still ought to believe that I am He.

'' 20 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.'' '' (John 13:20)

So, whoever receives someone that Christ sends, right?, this person receives Christ Himself and whoever receives Christ Himself receives also the Father, 'cause the Father is the one that sends the Son. But the idea in verse 20 is to say that the 12 apostles were sent by Christ and therefore, the apostles ought to receive one another. They ought to serve one another, because Christ is the one that sent each one of them. So, the message here is: receive one another, serve one another, love one another, right? And the message to us is: well, serve each other within the Church, serve the members of the body of Christ and serve also those who are outside of the Church.

So, when it comes to Judas, many feel extremely bad for him and that's very... it's a very legit feeling we should be feeling bad for the man. However, some go to the point of saying: Well, you know, he's probably in heaven; it's not his fault; he's not at fault; he was chosen by Christ and therefore, he must be innocent, and all of these things. But there is an important point that we have to remember, again.

But before getting to that point, let me read verse 25 of the Acts of the apostles, chapter 1. Here, the apostles wanted to choose someone to replace Judas, right?, to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas, by transgression, fell, that he might go to his own place.

So, the idea is that Christ gave Judas the same amount of chances that He gave everybody else, right? Even to the end, he was still showing him love, but Judas chose to transgress. Often, today, we are so focused on our rights, right?, as a human being and what society, you know, owes me, in a sense, and we forget about responsibility. We are meant to be responsible for our own lives. We choose.

So Christ did not push Judas to betray Him, right? Judas was in the presence of Christ, the Almighty, who did and performed so many miracles, who taught this incredible moral teaching, right?, bringing morality to a whole different standard. He was in the midst of all of this. He did miracles himself. Judas performed miracles himself, right? He went out with the oil and cast out demons along with the 11 other apostles. That's in Mark, chapter 6.

Yet, that same Judas that had the same experience as the other apostles chose to betray. He had the free will to choose how he would deal with that Messiah. And everybody else living today has that same choice. And Christ gave us a mind to choose what is right. There's a way that leads to life. There's a way that leads to death. Therefore, choose life. And we all have that choice. Judas chose the wrong choice.

There could be many today, priests, bishops, servants, deacons, that are living in the midst of that grace, you know, in the Church and still choose, you know, to do the wrong thing. They choose to go and follow the way that leads to death. This is a personal choice that each one makes. So here, Judas, you know, it's a very sad story how it ended, but it's not Christ's fault. Judas is not innocent. We all bear our own load, our own responsibility and Judas is, unfortunately, no exception. On that, St. Cyril says the following:

''However, God knew that the first man, Adam, would sin, and yet he was created in the beginning... And likewise, God anointed Saul to be king, knowing that he too would sin... Therefore, in a similar manner, Christ chose Judas and associated him with the holy disciples, since at first he certainly possessed the capacity for discipleship. But when, after the temptations of Satan succeeded in making him captive to base greediness for gain, when he was conquered by passion and had become by this means a traitor, then he was rejected by God. This, therefore, was in no way the fault of him who called

this man to be an apostle. For it lay in the power of Judas to have saved himself from falling, namely, by making the more excellent choice and transforming his whole heart and soul in such a way as to become a sincere follower of Christ...'' (St. Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on John, Chapter 9)

Remember: Know your faith, live your faith, and teach your faith. And glory be to God forever and ever. Amen.

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Remember: Know your faith, live your faith, and teach your faith.