John 13  The hour had come.  Jesus gathered with His disciples for the last time.  He loved them so much, John tells us.  He knew what was about to happen.  He knew that Judas was ready to betray Him.  He knew that Peter would deny Him.  Even so, He had another lesson for them to receive..

.. so He took off His outer garment and wrapped a towel around Him..
He took a basin of water.. and washed their feet.......
I imagine that He looked at each one with gentle love and tenderness.. He saw their hearts and knew their futures.. their struggles, their victories, their defeats, and their deaths... He knew what they would face that night and how dark it would seem to them.
Perhaps, as He touched their feet, He spoke a blessing, praying for them as He went around the table.
"He loved them to the end".. John writes.   Love filled that room...

Except in the heart of Judas.  Satan had already been at work in Judas. When Jesus exposed the fact that He knew what was in Judas' heart, there was a change that happened.. "Satan then entered into him"... John writes. Judas fled the room to do what he had committed himself to do.

"Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately. "    God's purpose was about to be fulfilled.  The disciples would not understand this until later, but all that needed to be accomplished for the salvation of the world would happen in the next 24 hours.

Jesus tells them that He was leaving and they couldn't follow until much later.  He leaves them with the most important command yet, " A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you love one another." ( v34)  

He loved them when He washed their feet. He wanted them to learn to serve one another in the same way.. with great humility and love.  To do what He did.. to love as He loved.  This would be the evidence that they belonged to Him. 

Father in heaven, Great Lover of our souls... we praise You, our Lord, the Holy One who reigns over all the earth.  How precious is the love of our Lord Jesus.. how tender and gentle is our Shepherd who cares for us and holds us in His hands.  Thank You for saving us. Fill us with this amazing love and grace that we might bear witness of the glory of Jesus and of You, our Father and God. Amen!