1. The Meaning of Jesus’ Love to the End and “The One Who Has Already Bathed”
Reflecting deeply on the foot-washing scene in John 13:2-11, Pastor David Jang emphasizes the significance of this event for the lives of Christians and the church community. In this scene at the Last Supper, there is already extreme tension and the foreshadowing of tragedy, as the devil had put into Judas Iscariot’s heart the thought of betraying Jesus. Despite knowing that His own death was imminent, the Lord still loves His disciples to the end, even longing for His enemy to turn back and be restored. Particularly, Jesus’ statement, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean” (John 13:10), shows well the tension between those who have been born again and the daily repentance required of them.
First, Pastor David Jang highlights that the phrase “the one who has already bathed” refers to the foundational experience of being born again. Through faith in Jesus Christ, one is freed from sin and transferred into a new life—this is the fundamental change of regeneration. By analogy, when you are invited to a banquet, it is proper to bathe beforehand and thus be qualified to enter. However, as you walk along the road, your feet inevitably get dusty or muddy, and so you must wash them again before fully joining the banquet. This symbolizes that even believers, whose faith has made them children of God, inevitably possess “feet quick to sin,” needing constant repentance and cleansing.
Pastor David Jang repeatedly stresses that this born-again experience is both the starting point and the essential core of faith. If a person has not yet bathed (i.e., has not been born again), then, even though he or she participates in worship and service in the church, in reality that person has no part with the Lord. This parallels Judas Iscariot, who stayed close to the Lord yet never truly grasped His love, ending up on the path of betrayal. However, that does not mean that those who have once been born again become perfectly sinless. Even someone “who has already bathed” may have their feet soiled in daily life and thus must continually wash them. This process of washing the feet addresses “personal sins” and signifies the daily spiritual battle against our lingering sinful nature even after salvation.
In John 13, Jesus’ actions appear to overturn the traditional hierarchy between teacher and disciple. In those days, it was customary for a teacher or someone of higher status to have disciples or servants wash his feet. Yet Jesus reverses the order and personally washes His disciples’ feet. Pastor David Jang interprets this as “Jesus becoming the servant of love,” an extreme example of lowering Himself. He teaches that in God’s kingdom, true authority and glory come from serving others.
When Simon Peter sees this, he resists. “Lord, do You wash my feet?” he asks in astonishment, unable to understand why Jesus would do such a humble act. But Jesus firmly replies, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me” (John 13:8). Here, Pastor David Jang emphasizes that no matter how unworthy or lowly we think we are, we cannot be united with the Lord apart from His grace and love that wash us. It would be the height of pride for sinners to reject His grace ourselves.
Startled, Peter then says, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!” But Jesus’ response—“He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet”—reveals that what a believer who is already reborn needs is daily cleansing from sin, not the denial of one’s born-again status or a repeated ritual of regeneration. Pastor David Jang connects this with the meaning of baptism, explaining that water baptism is an external sign that publicly displays the inward baptism of the Holy Spirit. Though the church tradition places high importance on the baptism ceremony, the ceremony itself does not guarantee rebirth. Ultimately, a person must personally experience the work of the Holy Spirit—turning away from sin and receiving new life in Christ, Pastor David Jang emphasizes.
Yet the story does not end there. Even a person who has “bathed” must wash his or her feet. Pastor David Jang points out that our human bodies and fallen nature remain vulnerable to sin. Even believers who have been regenerated in Christ live in a world filled with temptations like greed, hatred, jealousy, lust, and pride, and may sometimes succumb to them. Hence the unceasing need to wash our feet—that is, to repent daily and turn back to God. Otherwise, we risk becoming those who have nothing to do with the Lord, warns Pastor David Jang.
He explains that this is a valuable insight into the existential reality of believers. We have already received complete salvation in Jesus and become children of God through His grace. Yet in the here and now, we often fail to follow the Spirit and are caught by the desires of the flesh. Quoting the apostle Paul—“Their feet are swift to shed blood” (Romans 3:15)—he notes that our feet tend so easily to run toward sin. At those times, our necessary response is to go straight to Jesus and confess, “Lord, wash my feet,” thereby pursuing holiness.
In John 13, the phrase “the one who has already bathed” thus carries two major implications. One is that we have become qualified to join God’s banquet as those who have already been saved. The other is that we must constantly renew our relationship with the Lord by washing our feet. Pastor David Jang calls this “the boldness to enter into grace” and “staying alert in grace.” On one hand, we must deeply meditate on how great Jesus’ love is in embracing sinners who have no qualifications. On the other hand, we must keep watch over ourselves so that we do not disregard or trivialize that grace. He strongly urges the church and its members not to lose sight of this tension.
Valuing our status as “the one who has already bathed” and continuing to come before the Lord through daily repentance does not remain a merely personal devotional practice. It is directly connected to the essence of the church community. Washing one another’s feet within the church means following the example Jesus Himself set, by putting humility and love into practice. When we encounter another’s sins and failings, instead of condemning or distancing ourselves, we must care for one another in the spirit of foot-washing—praying and encouraging with that spirit. Without such a culture, the church easily becomes mired in human disputes and divisions. As Luke 22 shows, even at the Last Supper the disciples argued about who was the greatest, exposing how strong our human instinct is to seek dominance and hierarchy over humble service.
Ultimately, Pastor David Jang interprets Jesus’ words, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet,” as an invitation to live out Jesus’ service and love in all areas of life, inside and outside the church. Even though we have been invited to the banquet through being born again, if we do not wash our feet daily, we cannot remain clean. Therefore, we must earnestly rely on Jesus, who personally washes our feet. Through this process, we mature as true disciples of Christ.
Thus, in subtopic 1, the meaning of “the one who has already bathed” conveys that fundamental regeneration and daily repentance must be held in balanced tension. By emphasizing this truth, Pastor David Jang exhorts all believers not to rest on the assurance of their salvation but continually to wash their feet, thereby moving toward a life of holiness and purity that makes no compromise with sin. And this entire process of “foot-washing” is not something we do alone; it is accomplished through the love and service of Jesus. As we respond to that grace and share it with each other, the church community is renewed.
2. Judas Iscariot, the Disciples’ Indifference, and the Lord Who Loves to the End
Pastor David Jang interprets John 13:2—“the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him”—as a profoundly grave and tragic moment. The fact that there was an enemy present at the Last Supper shows how dramatically human sinfulness and God’s grace collide. Although Judas had been so dearly loved by the Lord, he ultimately does not change his heart and instead embarks on the path of betrayal.
First, Pastor David Jang notes that the devil’s greatest goal is to “separate the Lord from His disciples.” By choosing one among them to stage rebellion and betrayal, the devil achieves his biggest success. This warns us about the danger of betrayal, division, distrust, and hatred arising from within the church. Judas and Jesus sat at the same table breaking bread, and Jesus tried to hold onto him until the end. Yet Judas rejected that loving invitation, as the “thought the devil had put” in him was already controlling his mind.
Pastor David Jang points out something crucial here: when Judas conceived the idea of betraying Jesus, the other disciples had no inkling of the gravity of the situation. In John 13:27 and onward, even when Jesus said to Judas, “What you do, do quickly,” the disciples assumed he was going to buy something they needed for the feast or perhaps to give something to the poor. No one realized that he was leaving to commit betrayal. Their indifference and dullness, their failure to pay close attention to another’s spiritual condition, effectively allowed betrayal to occur within the community.
Pastor David Jang sees this as a call to reflect on today’s church. Even in a faith community, though we may formally worship together and share meals, someone might be nurturing the seed of betrayal in the depths of their heart. If we are numb to love and indifferent to the spiritual well-being of others, the devil may find an opening to bring down the community. That is why a church must pray for one another, stay spiritually alert, and be attentive to each other’s hurts and wounds.
Yet even more astonishing is the fact that Jesus knew Judas would betray Him but still held onto him until the very end. Pastor David Jang calls this “the Lord’s final loving touch toward the betrayer.” Judas participated in the Supper and even had his feet washed, yet he still left in the end, which from a human perspective is a colossal betrayal. “So after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night” (John 13:30). This Scripture verse reveals the climax of this tragedy. Judas disappeared into the darkness, indicating that he himself chose this irreversible path.
Here, Pastor David Jang speaks of the terror of being “abandoned” or “left alone” by God. In Romans 1:24 and 26, it says, “God gave them over,” meaning that when someone continually rejects God’s love and call, that person eventually falls into an abyss from which they cannot return. Judas never withdrew from his greed or his intention to betray the Lord; rather, he repeatedly cast aside the Lord’s attempts at loving persuasion. Ultimately, he became “abandoned.” However, his abandonment was not because God was cruel or unfeeling, but because Judas turned his back on God’s outstretched hand and accepted the devil’s thought instead.
Through the example of Judas, Pastor David Jang reminds us that we, too, could fall into sin and temptation and end up on an irredeemable path. Even within the church community, there can be those who betray like Judas—or we ourselves might become like Judas. The critical point is that even though the Lord’s love has already been poured out on us, if we reject that love or misuse it, we can fall into spiritual darkness. Thus we must remain ever vigilant.
Pastor David Jang also incisively critiques the other disciples’ dullness. Right before the Last Supper, the disciples argued among themselves about who was the greatest. Luke 22:24 shows that in such a mindset, they could never recognize or intervene in a brother’s descent into betrayal. Occupied with their own ambition and competing for higher position, they failed to notice the spiritual battle or the swirling darkness in their midst.
He uses this to challenge today’s church. Do we truly “wash our brothers’ feet,” or are we indifferent, arguing over “who is the greatest” and failing to care about one another’s souls? When conflict or division arises in the church, or someone is spiritually shaken, do we imitate Jesus by loving them to the end, or do we stand aloof, assuming “it’s not my problem,” and leave a struggling brother or sister to fall?
Moreover, Pastor David Jang interprets John 13:30—“he went out immediately; and it was night”—very symbolically. ‘Night’ here is not just the time of day but also an image of spiritual darkness, of sin and despair. Just as Judas departed from the Lord’s Supper and entered into darkness, anyone who departs from the love of Jesus can no longer abide in the light but becomes ensnared by darkness.
All this presents a stark contrast among Judas the betrayer, the disciples’ indifference, and Jesus who loves to the end. Pastor David Jang says that in this contrast, we see both the boundless love of God and the unyielding nature of human sin. The Lord loved His enemy, washed his feet, and offered him one final chance, yet Judas rejected that love. Meanwhile, the other disciples were not spiritually mature or caring enough to stop the tragedy from unfolding.
The conflicts and betrayals we sometimes see in church are smaller reenactments of the same tragic scene. Though we sing hymns, serve, and share meals together, inside we can harbor jealousy, hatred, competition, and even betrayal. How does Jesus respond in such situations? Pastor David Jang says that Jesus still remains there, extending His hand of love to the very end. But the choice is ours. Like Judas, we can spurn that hand and betray Him, or, by God’s grace, we can repent with tears and be restored.
Hence, subtopic 2, through Judas Iscariot and the disciples’ attitudes, warns both churches and individuals of the possibility of sin and betrayal. At the same time, it points us to how awesome and astounding Jesus’ enduring love truly is. Pastor David Jang teaches that this story should not be reduced to “Judas was the bad disciple,” but instead heard as “Any one of us can become Judas—but the Lord is still holding onto us.” It is thus both a warning and a comfort.
3. Jesus Who Washes Our Feet and the Command “Wash One Another’s Feet”
Commenting on John 13:4-5, where Jesus actually takes off His outer garments, wraps a towel around His waist, pours water into a basin, and begins to wash and dry the disciples’ feet, Pastor David Jang says this is a dramatic demonstration of what true authority in God’s kingdom looks like. In that culture, washing feet was typically the work of a servant or slave. Or in a rabbi-disciple relationship, the disciple might wash the rabbi’s feet, but never the other way around.
Nonetheless, Jesus ties a towel around Himself and washes His disciples’ feet one by one. Pastor David Jang calls this “The King of kings became the servant of servants,” clarifying that this is not a mere symbolic performance of etiquette, but rather a genuine act of self-emptying. Jesus then says to the disciples, “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14). This sets the fundamental attitude that the church is to embody—the example of mutual service and love.
The problem is that the disciples, even in that very situation, were quarrelling about who would be greatest (Luke 22:24). Pastor David Jang sees this as a display of universal human sinful nature, no different from how we often compare and compete in church communities, seeking recognition and influence. Yet in the midst of the disciples’ competition, Jesus—who was the Master and Lord—became a servant. He showed what true service is and what genuine authority in love looks like.
Pastor David Jang describes this as “the freedom of being the servant of love.” Although Jesus is above all creation and holds all power, the way He exercises His authority is not by domination or control but through becoming “the servant of love.” When one becomes a “servant of love,” genuine freedom follows. By emptying ourselves and humbling ourselves, we lose all fear and oppression. This directly connects with Philippians 2:6-8, where Paul speaks of Jesus “emptying Himself” and “taking the form of a bond-servant.”
How, then, should Christians today carry out this example of Jesus’ actions? Pastor David Jang addresses this on two levels:
First, on a personal level, we must take up our cross, learning self-denial and humility. Our feet can easily become stained with sin. And for us to wash others’ feet, we must lay down our own greed and pride. The cross is exactly the place where we renounce ourselves. Without the cross firmly set in the church, in the home, and in our hearts, we naturally revert to controlling or exploiting others rather than serving them. Pastor David Jang strongly warns that “without the cross, the church becomes just a gathering of proud men and women.”
Second, on a communal level, we need a culture of washing one another’s feet. This involves physically tending to each other’s needs and serving one another, but it also extends to the spiritual realm—covering a brother or sister’s sins and weaknesses, restoring them, and praying so that they may repent and be renewed. If a church truly grasps the meaning of foot-washing, its environment will be marked by restoration, reconciliation, and love rather than judgment and shame. Pastor David Jang says all believers should “carry around a basin and towel in their hearts, ready to wash someone’s feet.”
Along with this, we must not overlook the seriousness of Jesus’ words, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” This shows that we cannot wash our own feet by our own effort; we fundamentally need Jesus’ touch. Even believers who have already bathed must come before Jesus again when their feet get dirty. Meanwhile, washing one another’s feet does not mean we take the place of Jesus for others, but that we serve as a channel of His love.
Pastor David Jang advises us to remember the foot-washing event in John 13 whenever conflicts and disputes arise in the church. Most conflicts result from competing egos—“Who is higher?” “Who is right?” “Who has contributed more?” However, Jesus responds to all such disputes by washing the disciples’ feet, offering a radically different path. Just as Jesus, the Master and Lord, humbled Himself to become a servant, so must we follow that same path.
This world remains filled with people seeking “kingship and rulership.” In a culture that chases success, domination, and influence, living to wash one another’s feet can seem contradictory and inefficient. But Pastor David Jang asserts that in this paradox lies true life and freedom, and indeed the kingdom of God. When we wash someone else’s feet, we reenact and make present the love of Jesus.
Pastor David Jang especially notes that during Lent and Easter, the foot-washing message becomes even more meaningful. Lent is a season of reflecting on Jesus’ suffering and the cross, undergoing spiritual training as we follow His path of humility, sacrifice, and obedience. As we meditate anew during this time on Jesus’ command to “wash one another’s feet,” our faith is no longer confined to church services and rituals; it manifests as genuine repentance, service, and sharing in daily life.
Moreover, Easter celebrates Jesus’ victory, transcending the cross and death. His self-emptying and sacrifice did not end in failure or defeat; rather, through the Resurrection, it became a glorious triumph. Pastor David Jang maintains that the small acts of service—washing each other’s feet—will similarly be crowned with the glory of resurrection. Though the world may regard it as foolish, in this path we find true freedom and joy.
In conclusion, according to Pastor David Jang, the foot-washing scene in John 13:2-11 encapsulates the very nature of the church and the identity of Christians. First, those who have already bathed are regenerated but must still wash their feet daily in repentance. Second, the betrayal of Judas and the other disciples’ indifference reminds us of the lurking potential for grave sin, disbelief, and apathy in the church. Third, Jesus’ personal act of washing the disciples’ feet reveals that love is found in humbly serving as a servant, and only through this path can genuine community and the joy of salvation be perfected.
Finally, Pastor David Jang challenges us to consider whether we can wash the feet of those we regard as “enemies” or of the most difficult people in our community. Since even Jesus washed Judas’ feet, whose feet are we washing today? Are our professions of faith merely words about love, or do they lead us to lower ourselves and serve our brothers and sisters in concrete ways? He insists that our honest wrestling with these questions is what makes the church truly the church and believers genuinely Christian.
Hence, “Wash one another’s feet” is a command that sets a very high bar but also reveals astonishing grace. The Lord knows we lack the power to wash each other’s feet on our own, so He first washes us. He willingly cleanses our daily dirtied feet, renewing us continually. Having received that love, we can now wash one another’s feet, spreading the fragrance of Christ. In this lies the church’s mission and ultimate purpose.
Thus, subtopic 3 examines the spiritual and practical meaning of “foot-washing” as an act of love. Pastor David Jang underlines that Jesus’ command, “wash one another’s feet,” is the path for restoring brotherly love within the church and bearing witness to the world of Christ’s true love. He describes it as a pilgrimage route from Lent to Easter morning. Even though foot-washing might look small and insignificant, it is in fact the miracle that builds God’s kingdom right here and now.
Gathering together all of Pastor David Jang’s commentary, the essence of John 13’s foot-washing scene is summarized as: the continual repentance required of those who have been saved, the caution regarding betrayal and sin that can occur within the church, and following Jesus’ example of becoming a servant to one another in love. This path Jesus taught is truly the embodiment of grace, truth, and the fullness of love. By meditating on and practicing this daily, “those who have already bathed” will experience an ever deeper abundance of salvation and grow as a church community that serves one another.