Section 145
Washing the disciples' feet
Jerusalem, in the upper room
| John 13:1-20 |
|---|
| 1Now before the feast of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2By the time supper ended, the devil had put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3Jesus knew that the Father had put all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4so he rose from supper, laid aside his outer garments, took a towel, and wrapped it around his waist. 5After that, he put water into the washbasin and began to wash his disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around his waist. 6When he came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not now understand, but afterward you will understand.” 8Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with me.” 9Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” 10Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed has no need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not all of you.” 11(For he knew who would betray him0x3B that is why he said, “You are not all clean.”) 12When Jesus had washed their feet and collected his garments, he reclined again at the table and said to them, “Do you know what I have done for you? 13You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15For I have given you an example so that you should do as I have done for you. 16Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. 18I am not speaking about all of you0x3B I know those whom I have chosen for myself. But the Scripture must be fulfilled: ‘He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me.’ [*] 19I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe that I am he. 20Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.” |
Notes
Upper Room
The Upper room, or Cenacle, commemorates the place where the last Supper was eaten and Holy Communion was instituted. The Gospels tell us nothing of the location of the house, but there is good indication it would have been on the western hill where a wealthy man would have had an upper room on his house. Archaeological excavations in the Jewish quarter show that there were large houses in this area during the time of Christ.
There is a possibility that this is indeed the correct location of the Upper Room. A church was built on this site soon after the death of Jesus. It must have survived the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Bishop Epiphanius wrote of how Emperor Hadrian made an inspection tour of Jerusalem in 130 A.D. and found “everything razed except for a few houses and a certain small church of the Christians which stood on Mount Zion in the place where the disciples returned after the ascension”. This church was destroyed and rebuilt many times over the following centuries before being handed over to the Franciscans who restored the room giving it its present Gothic appearance (14th century).
Photos
Videos
Video 31: Events of Passion Week (Mount of Olives)
Video 33: The Last Supper (Steps to the Upper Room)
Jerusalem, in the upper room
Footnotes
John 13,18
Psalms 41:9