“Know ye what I have done to you?”
The full verse · John 13:12 · KJV
he had , had , and was set , he unto , Know I have to ?
Asked by
Jesus: their Master and Lord, who had just washed their feet and taken His garments again (John 13:12-13)
Asked to
Disciples: "the disciples" (John 13:5), at supper with Jesus, among them Simon Peter (John 13:6) and Judas Iscariot (John 13:2); Jesus had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again (John 13:12)
The Scene
At supper before the passover, Jesus finishes washing the disciples' feet, takes His garments, and sits down again at the table (John 13:4-5, 12).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionJesus wanted His disciples to understand what they had just seen. Gill explains, "They knew the outward action he had done to them, that he had washed their feet; but, as yet, they did not know the mystery of it." Barnes takes the question to mean, do you know the meaning or design of what I have done? Earlier Jesus had told Peter, "What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter" (John 13:7). Now the time had come to explain. Gill notes that, having done the work of a servant, Jesus "reassumes the air and authority of Lord and master" to teach them.
The Response
What Scripture recordsNo disciple's answer is recorded. Jesus answered His own question: "Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet" (John 13:13-14). "For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you" (John 13:15). He ended with a promise: "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them" (John 13:17).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsWashing guests' feet was the work of a servant. Barnes notes that "It was uniformly the office of a servant to wash the feet of guests." The phrase "was set down again" means Jesus returned to His place at the table. Barnes says some have taken John 13:14 "literally as instituting a religious rite which we ought to observe; but this was evidently not the design." He sees no evidence that Jesus meant it as a religious observance like the Lord's Supper or baptism, but as a lesson in humble love. Jesus' saying "The servant is not greater than his lord" (John 13:16) makes the point plain.
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyJesus' question turns an act into a lesson. He did not leave the disciples to guess. He named who He is, "Master and Lord," and then said that because He is Lord, His example binds them (John 13:13-15). "The servant is not greater than his lord" (John 13:16).
The lesson rests on who Jesus is, not merely on a good idea. If the Lord Himself did a servant's work, no task for others is beneath His followers. Matthew Henry puts it this way: Jesus washed His disciples' feet "that he might teach us to think nothing below us, wherein we may promote God's glory, and the good of our brethren." And the lesson ends in blessing, not burden: "happy are ye if ye do them" (John 13:17).
Look Closer
Why did Jesus ask, "Know ye what I have done to you?"
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord Jesus, You asked Your disciples if they understood what You had done; what are You showing me through Your example that I still need to understand?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Jesus said, "happy are ye if ye do them." Why do you think knowing about humble service is easier than doing it?
- Tell about a time when someone's quiet act of service showed you what Jesus is like.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
Jesus does not only want you to admire His humility. He wants you to understand it and live it. His question invites you to stop and think about what He has done for you, and then to let it shape how you treat others.
If the Lord was willing to wash feet, you can take on the small, unseen tasks that help the people around you. Look for the jobs no one wants, the needs no one notices, and the people others overlook.
This does not mean letting others use you or neglecting your own responsibilities. Jesus served from a settled knowledge of who He was (John 13:3). Serve from that same security, not from a need to earn approval.
Scripture's own application: Philippians 2:3-8
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“Lord, dost thou wash my feet?”
“For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? Is not he that sitteth at meat?”
“Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? How sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?”
“Lord, whither goest thou?”