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John Chapter 13

1. BUT before the feast of the passover, jesus knowing that his hour was come, that he should pass out of this world to the father, having loved his own that were in the world, he loved them to the end.

2. And during supper, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's [son] to betray him;

3. jesus knowing that the father had given all things to him into the hands, and that he came forth from god, and went to god ;

4. He rises from supper, and laid aside the upper garments, and taking a linen cloth, girded himself.

5. Then he pours water into the bason, and began to wash the feet of the disciples, and to wipe [them] with the linen cloth with which he was girded.

6. Then he comes to Simon Peter, who says to him, lord, do you wash my feet?

7. jesus answered and said to him, What I do you know not now, but you shall know after these things.

8. Peter says to him, You shall never wash my feet. jesus answered him, Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.

9. Simon Peter says to him, lord, not my feet only, hut also the hands and the head.

10. jesus says to him, He that is washed, has no need, except to wash the feet, but is wholly clean; and you are clean, but not all.

11. For he knew him that should betray him; therefore said he, You are not all clean.

12. When therefore he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, sitting down again, he said to them, Know you what I have done to you?

13. You call me Master, and lord ; and you say well, for I am.

14. If then I have washed your feet, [being] the lord, and the Master, you also ought to wash one another's feet.

15. For I have given you an example, that as I have done to you, you also should do.

16. Verily, verily, I say to you, the servant is not greater than his lord ; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.

17. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

18. I say not of you all; I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, he that eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me.

19. From now on I tell you before it come to pass, that when it is come to pass, you may believe that I am.

20. Verily, verily, I say to you, he that receives whomsoever I send, receives me; but he that receives me, receives him that sent me.

21. jesus, saying these things, was troubled in spirit and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say to you, that one of you shall betray me.

22. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spoke.

23. Now there was lying in jesus's bosom one of his disciples, whom jesus loved.

24. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, to ask who it was of whom he spoke.

25. But he reclining on the breast of jesus, says to him, lord, who is it?

26. jesus answered, He it is to whom I shall give a sop, having dipped it. And having dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, [the son] of Simon.

27. And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said jesus to him, What you do, do quickly.

28. But no one of those who were at the table knew for what intent he said this to him.

29. For some thought, because Judas had the bag, that jesus said to him, Buy what we have need of for the feast, or that he should give somewhat to the poor.

30. He then having received the sop, went out immediately; but it was night.

31. When therefore he was gone out, jesus said, Now is the Son of Man glorified, and god is glorified in him.

32. If god be glorified in him, god will also glorify him in himself, and will straightway glorify him.

33. Little children, yet a while I am with you. You shall seek me, and as I said to the Jews, whither I go you cannot come, so now I say to you.

34. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

35. In this shall all know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another.

36. Simon Peter says to him, lord, whither go you? jesus answered him, Whither I go, you can not follow me now, but you shall follow me afterwards.

37. Peter says to him, lord, why cannot I follow you now? I will lay down my soul for your sake.

38. jesus answered him, Will you lay down your soul for my sake? Verily, verily, I say to you, the cock shall not crow till you have denied me thrice.

exposition.

Verse 2. The devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's [son] to betray him. See Extract from AE at chap. 6:70.

Verse 3. Jesus knowing that he came forth from God, and went to God, &c. By coming forth from God is here to be understood, that the essential divinity assumed the humanity; and by going to God is signified to unite the human essence to the divine essence. AC 3736.

Verse 4. He rises from, supper, and taking a linen cloth, girded himself. By linen and a linen cloth is signified the truth of the exterior natural principle, and hence it may be manifest why the lord, when he washed the feet of the disciples, girded himself with a linen cloth, and wiped the feet with the linen cloth with which he was girded; for washing of the feet signified purification from sins, which is effected by the truths of faith, for by them man is taught how he should live. AC 7601.

Verses 4 to 17. By washing, in the Word, is signified ablution from the filth of self-love and of the love of the world: this is what was signified by washing in the representative church, where it was commanded, for the sake of representation, that they should wash the skin, the hands, the feet, and likewise the garments, by all which things were signified those things which are of the natural man; the lavers also, which were of brass, were placed out of the temple, namely the brazen sea, and the ten brazen lavers, 1 Kings 7:23-37, 38, 39. The laver of brass in which Aaron and his sons were to wash themselves, was placed between the tent of assembly and the altar, thus likewise out of the tent, Exod 30:18, 19, 21, by which also was signified, that only external natural principles were to be purified; for unless these are purified, that is, unless the loves of self and of the world are removed, internal things cannot flow-in, which relate to love to the lord and towards the neighbour. In order that it may be better known, how this case is, namely that external principles are to be purified, let good works be taken for an example and for illustration, or what is the same thing, the goods of charity, which are at this day called the fruits of faith, and which are external because they are exercises. Good works are all evil works, unless the things relating to self-love and the love of the world are removed, for when works are done before the removal of such things, they appear outwardly good, but inwardly they are evil, being done either for the sake of reputation, or for the sake of gain, or for the sake of self-distinction, or for the sake of renumeration, thus they are either meritorious or hypocritical, for the things which are of self-love and the love of the world communicate such a quality to works, but when these evils are removed, then works become good, and are goods of charity, that is to say, there is in them no respect to self, to the world, to reputation, to remuneration; thus they are neither meritorious nor hypocritical, for in such case celestial love and the spiritual love from the lord flow-in to the works, and cause them to be love and charity in act; and in this case the lord by them also purifies the natural or external man, and arranges him into order, that he may receive correspondently the celestial and spiritual things which flow in, as may manifestly appear from what the lord taught in John, when he washed the feet of the disciples, "He comes to Simon Peter, who says to him, lord, do you wash my feet? jesus answered and said to him, what I do you know not yet, but you shall know afterwards. Peter says to him, you shall never wash my feet. jesus answered him, unless I wash you, you have no part with me. Simon Peter says to him, lord, not my feet only, hut also my hands and my head: jesus says to him, he that is washed has no need except to wash the feet, but is wholly clean," John 13:4-17, in which passage, "he that is washed has no need except to wash his feet," signifies, that he who is reformed has only need to be cleansed as to natural principles, that is, that eviis and falses may be thence removed, in which case all things are arranged into order by the influx of spiritual principles from the lord : moreover, to wash the feet was an act of charity, denoting that the evils of another ought not to be reflected on; and it was likewise an act of humiliation, denoting to make another clean from evils, as from filth, as likewise may be manifest from the lord's words in the same chapter, John 5:12-17.

Every one may see, that to wash does not purify any one from evils and falses, but only from the filth which adheres to him; yet since it was amongst the ceremonies enjoined in the church, it follows that it involves somewhat peculiar, namely spiritual washing, that is, purification from the filth which inwardly adheres to man: they therefore who knew these things, and thought of the purification of the heart, or of the removal of the evils of the loves of self and of the world from the natural man, and endeavoured with all their might to effect this, observed the right of washing as external worship so enjoined; but they, who were not acquainted with these things, nor willing to be acquainted, but thought that the mere ceremony of washing the garments, the skin, the hands, the feet, tended to purification, and provided they performed this ceremony, that they were allowed to live in avarice, in hatred, in revenge, in unmercifulness, in cruelty, all which things are spiritual filth, they made this ceremony idolatrous. AC 3147.

It is necessary that, during man's regeneration, his natural principle should be regenerated even to the sensual, for unless this be regenerated, there is no reception of truth and good, since truth flowing-in is there perverted, and in such case the interiors are closed; wherefore when the exteriors are regenerated, the whole man is regenerated; this was signified by the lord's words to Peter, when he washed his feet, "Simon Peter said, lord, not my feet only, but also the hands and the head: jesus said to him, he that is washed has no need except to wash the feet, and is wholly clean, whereby feet are signified things natural; by washing is signified to purify; by the hands are signified the interiors of the natural principle, and by the head things spiritual; hence it is evident what is meant by the words, he that is washed has no need except to wash his feet and is wholly clean, namely that man then is regenerated, when he is regenerated also as to the exterior things which are of the natural principle; when therefore man is also regenerated as to the natural principle, then all things in that principle are subordinate to interior things, and when interior things flow in there, they flow in as into their common [or general vessels] by which they render themselves sensible to man; when this is the case with man, then from those interior things the affection of truth is made sensible, which is of faith, and the affection of good, which is of charity. But the sensual principle itself, which 'is the ultimate of the natural principle, can hardly be regenerated, by reason that it is filled with material ideas derived from things material, corporeal, and worldly; therefore mail who is regenerated, especially at this day, is not regenerated as to the sensual principle, but as to the natural principle which is next above the sensual, to which he is elevated from the sensual by the lord, when he thinks of the truths and goods of faith: the faculty of elevation from the sensual principle is that with which man is gifted who is regenerated by the lord. AC 7442.

Verses 5 to 10. Who can know what is involved in what the lord here says, What I do, you know not yet, but you shall know afterwards? Again, If I wash you not, you have no part with me? And again, He that is washed has no need to be washed except as to his feet, and is wholly clean? That purification from the evils and falses is here treated of, cannot be known except from the internal sense, from which it is evident, that by washing is meant purification from evils and falses; by the water in the basin the truth of faith in the natural principle; by the linen cloth, with which the Lord was girded, and with which he wiped, the divine truth proceeding from himself; by the feet, the natural principle of man; by washing the head, the hands, and the feet, regeneration. In like manner by him that is washed: thus by washing the feet is meant to purify the natural principle of man, for unless this be purified and cleansed with man, whilst he lives in the world it cannot afterwards be purified to eternity; for such as the natural principle of man is when he dies, such it remains, not being afterwards capable of being amended, inasmuch as it is the plane, into which interior things, which are spiritual, flow-in, it being their receptacle; wherefore when it is perverted, the interior things, when they flow-in, are perverted accordingly. The case herein is, as when the eye is injured, or any other organ of sense, or member of the body, in which case interior principles cause no other sensation and no other action by them, than according to reception: that man therefore cannot be purified to eternity, if he is not purified as to his natural principle in the world, is meant by the lord's words, What I do you know not yet, but you shall know afterwards; That he who is regenerated needs not to be purified, except as to the natural principle, is meant by these words, He that is washed, has no need to be washed except as to the feet, and is wholly clean: And that all purification is effected of the lord alone, is meant by these words, If I wash you not, you have no part with me; and that this is effected by divine truth which proceeds from the lord is signified by his wiping them with a linen cloth with which he was girded; that linen cloth denotes truth from the Divine [Being or principle] see AC 7601, thus the linen cloth, with which the lord was girded, is divine truth from himself. From these considerations it may again be manifest, that the lord spoke by correspondences, thus from the internal sense, inasmuch as he spoke from heaven, in which that sense is; wherefore unless the Word of the lord be understood as to that sense, it is little understood. AC 10243.

The internal man is not reformed by knowing, understanding, and being wise only; consequently by mere thinking, but by willing that which science, intelligence, and wisdom teaches; when man knows, understands, and has a relish for knowing and understanding, that there is a heaven and a hell, and that all evil is from hell, and all good from heaven, in this case, if he does not will what is evil, because it is from hell, but wills what is good because it is from heaven, he is then in the first degree of reformation, and in the threshold leading from hell to heaven: when he proceeds further, and is willing to desist from evils, he is in the second degree of reformation, and on this occasion is out of hell, but not yet in heaven, seeing this latter above himself: it is necessary that there should be this internal principle, to the intent that man may be reformed; but unless both the external and internal are reformed, the man is not reformed; the external is reformed by the internal, when the external desists from the evils, which the internal does not will because they are infernal, and especially when on this account he shuns them, and fights against them, thus the internal consists in willing, and the external in doing, for unless a man does what he wills, there is something within which he does not will, and at length there is unwillingness. From these few considerations it may be seen, in what manner the external man is reformed by the internal. This likewise is what is meant by the lord's words to Peter, "If I wash you not, you have no part with me: Peter said to him, lord, not my feet only, but also the hands and the head. jesus said to him, he that is washed has no need except to wash the feet, but is wholly clean. By washing is here meant spiritual washing, which is purification from evils; by washing the head and hands is meant to purify the internal man, and by washing the feet is meant to purify the external; that when the internal man has been purified, the external is to be purified, is meant by these words, He that is washed has no need except to wash the feet; that all purification from evils is from the lord, is meant by these words, If I wash you not, you have no part with me. That washing amongst the Jews represented purification from evils, and that this is signified by washing in the Word, and that by washing the feet is signified the purification of the natural or external man, has been abundantly shown in the arcana coelestia. DP 151. See also AR 49.

When the natural principle, which is signified by the feet, is regenerated, the whole man has life such as a regenerate person has, according to the words of the lord in John, Jesus said to Peter, He that is washed has no need but to wash the feet, and is wholly clean, where by being washed is signified to be purified from evils and falses, which is to be regenerated, wherefore he that is washed signifies who is purified, that is, regenerated as to the spiritual principle, which is the good of love and the truth of doctrine, which must be received into the memory and understanding, that is, be known and acknowledged; by having no need except to wash the feet is signified, that the natural or external man is then to be purified or regenerated, which is effected by a life according to the precepts of love and faith, that is, according to the goods and truths of doctrine from the Word, and when this is the case, the man himself is purified or regenerated, for to live according to the goods and truths of doctrine from the Word is to will them, and thence to do them, which is the same thing as being affected by and loving them, for what is made an object of will is made an object of affection and of love, consequently of the man himself, for the will is the man himself, because man is his own love and his own affection; wherefore it is said, that in such case the whole man is clean. AE 666.

Verse 13. You call me Master and Lord, and you say well, for I am. By lord is here meant the Saviour of the world, jesus christ, who is called lord without other names, and is acknowledged and adored as lord in the universal heaven, because he has all power in the heavens and in the earth. He also commanded, saying, you call me Lord, and you say well, for I am. The disciples also after the resurrection called him lord. AC 14.

Inasmuch as the lord was jehovah, who is so often named in the Old Testament, therefore also he said to his disciples, You call me Master and Lord, and you say well, for I am, by which words is signified, that he was jehovah god ; he is there called lord as to good, but Master as to truth. AC 2921."

Verse 20. He that receives me, receives him that sent me. Inasmuch as the father and he were one, and the Human [principle] of the lord was divine by virtue of the divine in itself, therefore all things of the father were his; and whereas they were one, he says, He that receives me, receives him that sent me. AE 852.

Verse 23. Now there was lying in Jesus s bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Inasmuch as interior things are together in ultimates, as the thought and will of man are in deeds or works, or in spiritual things his faith and love, therefore John was loved of the lord above the rest of the disciples, and lay at his breast, by reason that that disciple represented the works of charity, see Preface to chap. xviii. and to chap. xxii. of Genesis. AC 9824.

Inasmuch as John represented the church as to good works, and good works contain all things of love to the lord, and of charity towards the neighbour, therefore he was loved of the lord above the rest, as may be manifest from this, that he lay in the Lord's bosom, and reclined at his breast; by the bosom and the breast in the Word is signified spiritual love, which is love in act, and by the lord's bosom and breast, is signified the divine love itself, wherefore they are in the province of the breast in heaven, who are in spiritual love. AE 821.

Verses 31, 32. When therefore he was gone out, Jesus said, now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him, &c. The external man is nothing else but somewhat instrumental, or organical, having in itself no life, but receiving life from the internal man, in which case it appears as if the external man had life from himself: but with the lord, after that he had expelled hereditary evil, and thereby purified the organical principles of the human essence, even these principles received life, so that the lord, as he was life in regard to the internal man, was made also life in regard to the external man; this is what is signified by glorification in John, Jesus says, now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him; if God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him. AC 1603.

That divine truth is the Son, and divine good the father, may be manifest from the signification of Son, as denoting truth, see AC 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2633; and of father, as denoting good: also from the conception and nativity of truth, as being from good: the reason why Son is divine truth, and father divine good is, because the union of the divine essence with the human, and of the human with the divine, is the marriage of divine good with truth, and of truth with good, from which comes the heavenly marriage; for in jehovah or the lord there is nothing but what is infinite, and inasmuch as it is infinite, it cannot be apprehended by any idea, only that it is the esse and existere of all good and truth, or good itself and truth itself; good itself is the father, and truth itself is the Son; but whereas there is a divine marriage, as was said, of good and truth, and of truth and good, the father is in the Son, and the Son in the father, as the lord himself teaches in John, now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him; if god be glorified in him, god shall also glorify him. in himself: hence it may be manifest what is the quality of the union of the divinity and humanity in the lord, namely: that it is mutual, or reciprocal, which union is what is called the divine marriage, from which descends the heavenly marriage, which is the kingdom of the lord in the heavens. AC 2803.

The divine truth in the Human Divine [principle] of the lord, which endured temptations, is not the divine truth itself, for this is above all temptation; but it is the rational truth such as angels have, consisting in appearances of truth, and is what is called the Son of Man, but before glorification; but the divine truth in the Divine Human [principle] of the lord glorified is above appearances, neither can it come to any understanding, still less to the apprehenson of man, nor even to that of angels, thus it cannot at all be subject to temptation. Concerning this divine truth, or Son of Man glorified, it is thus written in John, "jesus said, now is the Son of Man glorified, and god is glorified in him, if god be glorified in him, god shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him." That a distinct idea may be had of this very great mystery, it is allowed to call the truth belonging to the lord, which was capable of being tempted, and which endured temptations, truth divine in the Human Divine [principle] of the Lord, but to call the truth which could not be tempted or undergo any temptation, because it was glorified, divine truth in the Divine Human [principle] of the Lord. AC 2814. See also AC 9429, 10053, 10067. See also Doc. Lord, LORD 35, and TCR 128.

Verse 38. Verily, verily, I say to you, the cock shall not crow until you have denied me thrice. The number three inasmuch as it signified what is complete even to the end, thus one period great or small, was therefore received in the representative church, and was applied also in the Word, as often as such a thing was signified. On this account it was said of Peter by the lord, that he should thrice deny him. AC 4495.

He that is acquainted with the internal sense of the Word, may know what is involved in Peter's thrice denying the lord, before the cock crew twice, for by Peter was represented the faith of the church, or, what is the same thing, the church as to faith; by the time when the cock crew was signified the last state of the church, which time was also cock crowing; by the threefold denial was signified the plenary denial of the lord in the end of the church; that Peter represented the faith of the church thus the church as to faith, may be seen in the preface to chap. xviii. Gen. and to chap. xxii. also AC 3750, 4738, and that those words to Peter signified the denial of the lord in the church, when its end is, see AC 6000, 6073, 10087; for the lord is denied, when there is no longer any faith, and there is no faith when there is no longer charity; that three signify what is plenary, see AC 2788, 4495, 7715, 8347, 9198, 9488, 9489; hence it is that it was said, that he should thrice deny; that this was done in the twilight, when the morning was about to come, is manifest from John 18:28; and that cock crowing and twilight is the same thing, is evident from Mark, "watch you, for you know not when the lord of the house is about to come; at evening, or at midnight, or at cock-crowing, or in the morning," Mark 13:35. AC 10134.

TRANSLATORS NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS.

Verse 10. Jesus says to him, he that is washed has no need except to wash his feet, but is wholly clean. It is remarkable that the expression, he that is washed, is in the original Greek lelamenos, from the verb lao, which signifies to wash, whereas the term to wash, as afterwards applied to the feet, is expressed in the Greek by nipsasthai, from the verb nipto, which also signifies to wash, whence it is evident that the lord here applies two distinct terms to express spiritual washing, which is purification from spiritual evils, and that the former term, or lelamenos, is expressive of a more interior washing, or purification, than the latter term nipsasthai. These two kinds or degrees of washing are probably expressed by the psalmist in these words, purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow, [Psalm 51:7], where to purge [or to expiate] with hyssop, and to become clean, denotes external purification; and to wash, and be made whiter than snow, denotes internal purification, see AC 7918.

Verse 23. Now there was lying in jesus's bosom one of his disciples, whom jesus loved. The beloved disciple is here described as lying in jesus's bosom, whereas in the 25th verse he is described as reclining on the breast of jesus, to denote probably, not only that he was principled in spiritual love, but also that he was spiritual love in act, the former being figured by lying in jesus's bosom, and the latter by reclining on the breast of jesus.