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Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 13:13

The Lordship of Jesus. I. OUR RESEMBLANCE TO THE DISCIPLES IN USING THE NAME . These men called Jesus "Lord," and were known as his helpers and agents. As long as Jesus remained in the flesh there was no difficulty in looking upon him as Master. All their doings had been sufficiently easy, consisting, as they did, for the most part, of outward actions. But in due season the visible Master became the invisible, and one by one the first servants also died away and went... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 13:14

Humility and mutual service. There are certain virtues which are distinctively Christian. Amongst these must certainly be reckoned humility. Christianity has done not a little to elevate this grace of character to a higher position than it occupied in the esteem of the ancients. The Old Testament, in some passages, extols lowliness of heart as acceptable to the High and Lofty One. Yet this can hardly be deemed a characteristic of even pious Hebrews. But by his example and by his precepts... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 13:14-15

If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet; ye ought also to wash one another's feet: for I have given £ you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you . καθώς , "as," "like as," was used by our Lord rather than ὅ , "that which." The ὑπόδειγμα £ shows that he had set before his disciples a parallel, an example, a symbolic type of the service they were to render to one another, and was not establishing a custom or exact ordinance. The washing of the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 13:15

The supreme example. Imitation is a principle of human nature. It is natural, and therefore the means by which a great part of our knowledge and many of our habits are acquired. It is universal, prevailing in all ranks and conditions of society. It is powerful, molding character, and controlling and directing life. It is ultimate, not to be explained, but to be accepted upon its own authority. Upon this principle human life develops itself; upon this principle education for the most part... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - John 13:16

The v erily, verily reveals the solemnity with which our Lord touched the frequently quoted aphorism ( Matthew 10:24 ; Luke 6:40 ; and again John 15:20 ). The servant —the slave— is not greater than his lord ; you have already called me Lord, and so I am; neither is ( one that is sent ) an apostle greater than he that sent him on his great mission. Therefore if I, your Lord and Teacher, have set forth this principle of self-abnegating service, a fortiori should ye in love... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - John 13:13

Ye call me Master - Teacher.And Lord - This word is applied to one who rules, and is often given to God as being the Proprietor and Ruler of all things. It is given to Christ many hundred times in the New Testament.Ye say well ... - Matthew 23:8, Matthew 23:10.So I am - That is, he was their Teacher and Instructor, and he was their Sovereign and King. read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - John 13:14-15

Ye also ought to wash ... - Some have understood this literally as instituting a religious rite which we ought to observe; but this was evidently not the design; because:There is no evidence that Jesus intended it as a religious observance, like the Lord’s Supper or the ordinance of baptism. It was not observed by the apostles or the primitive Christians as a religious rite. It was a rite of hospitality among the Jews, a common, well-known thing, and performed by servants. It is the manifest... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - John 13:16-17

The servant is not ... - This was universally true, and this they were to remember always, that they were to manifest the same spirit that he did, and that they were to expect the same treatment from the world. See the notes at Matthew 10:24-25. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - John 13:12-15

John 13:12-15. So after he had washed their feet, &c. After he had given them such a striking proof of his humility, condescension, and love, by performing to them the office of the meanest slave; he said, Know ye what I have done to you? Know ye the meaning of what I have done? for the action was emblematical. Ye call me Master, and Lord Ο διδασκαλος και ο κυριος , the master, or teacher, and the Lord. “The article prefixed to each appellation, and the nominative case... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - John 13:16-20

John 13:16-20. Verily, the servant is not greater than his lord And therefore ought not to think much either of doing or suffering the same things. If ye know these things Therefore, knowing your duty in this particular, ye are happy if you practise it. I speak not of you all When I call you happy; nor do I expect that all of you will hearken to me; I know whom I have chosen I know there is one among you whom no instruction will profit, and that I should have called such a one to the... read more

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