Beginning with chapter 13 and until Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, He spoke only to His disciples to prepare them for His departure. As they were sad and troubled, He assured them that He would go to prepare a place for them and then would come and take them to be with Him in the Father’s house. He instructed them to love one another as He loved them, and promised to send the Holy Spirit who would abide with them and be in them. He also taught them how to be fruitful, and prepared them for possible persecution.

But before all that, He had to deal with a serious problem—their misunderstanding of what true greatness is. John and James had wanted to be distinguished, and the others were indignant because of it. This shows they all had the same problem: pride and the desire for preeminence. Therefore, before His wonderful discourse in chapters 14 to 16, He wanted to teach them that true greatness is in humility. Earlier they had heard Him saying, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt. 11:29).

The hardest lesson for us to learn is true humility; therefore, He gave them a living example. He laid aside His garments and, as a servant, girded Himself with a towel. To wash someone’s feet, one must kneel on the floor. You cannot sit on a chair or pedestal and wash a brother’s feet, or there are apt to be some broken bones. King Solomon said, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18).