1—6.
δις
παραδῷ, 3. εἰδὼς ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς, ὅτι πάντα δέδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ πατὴρ eis τὰς
Χεῖρας, καὶ ὅτι ἀπὸ Θεοῦ ἐξῆλθε καὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ὑπάγει, 4. " ἐγεί- η xi. οο.
peta ἐκ τοῦ δείπνου, καὶ τίθησι τὰ ἱμάτια, καὶ λαβὼν λέντιον Σδιέζωσεν ἑαυτόν" 6. εἶτα βάλλει ὕδωρ εἰς τὸν νιπτῆρα, καὶ ἤρξατο ΟΡ. xxi. 7
)γίπτειν τοὺς πόδας τῶν μαθητῶν, καὶ
a fA * wee "ἐκμάσσειν τῷ λεντίῷ ᾧ ἦν 1 Gen. xiii,
διεζωσμένος. 6. ἔρχεται οὖν πρὸς Σίµωνα Πέτρον καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ κ xii. 3,
“supper having arrived,” ‘‘ supper having been served,” cf. γενομένον σαββάτον, the Sabbath having come, πρωΐας yevo- µένης, Mt. xxvii. I, morning having dawned. In x. 22 the phrase ἐγένετο τὰ ἐγκαίνια means ‘‘the Dedication had arrived”. So here the meaning is “‘ sup- per having come,” and not “ supper being ended,” or ‘‘ while supper was proceed- ing”. If we read γινοµένον the meaning is substantially the same, ‘‘ supper arriv- ing,” “fat supper time’”’. This also is essential to the understanding of the in- cident. Feet-washing, pleasant and cus- tomary before a meal, would have been disagreeable and out of place in the course of it. [The custom is abundantly illustrated by Wetstein, Doughty and others. See especially Becker’s Chari- cles.| The feet, either bare, or sandalled, or with shoes, were liable to be heated by the fine dust of the roads, and it was expected that the host would furnish means of washing them, see Lk. vii. 44. When our Lord and His disciples supped together, chis office would be discharged by the youngest, or by the disciples in turn ; but this evening the disciples had been disputing which of them was the greatest, Lk. xxii. 24, and consequently no one could stoop to do this menial office for the rest. (3) τοῦ διαβόλον... παραδῷ [or παραδοῖ], “the devil having now put into the heart,” etc. For the expression βεβληκότος eis τὴν καρδίαν see especially. Pindar, Olymp., xiii. 16, πολλὰ δ᾽ ἐν καρδίαις ἀνδρῶν ἔβαλον Ὥραι κ.τ.λ. Similar expressions are frequent in Homer. It is perhaps rather stronger than “suggest,” ‘‘the devil having al- ready put in the heart”; the idea had been entertained, if we cannot say that the purpose was already formed. His presence was another disturbing element in the feast. But had Jesus unmasked him before such fiery spirits as John and Peter, Judas would never have left that room alive. Peter’s sword would have made surer work than with Malchus. Judas therefore is included in the feet- washing. ‘ Jesus at the feet of the traitor, what a picture, what lessons for us ”’ (As- tié).—Ver. 3. (4) εἰδὼς . . . χεῖρας, this
consciousness on the part of Jesus is men- tioned to bring out the condescension of the action to berelated. (5) So too is the accompanying consciousness, ὅτι ἀπὸ Θεοῦ .. . ὑπάγε.. It was not in for- getfulness of His true dignity but because conscious that He was supreme and God’s ambassador that He did what He did. [‘ All things,” says Melanchthon, ‘‘condere testamentum promissum in Scripturis ” : ‘‘ omnia, adeoque peccatur et mortem ”.]—Ver. 4. This person, and in this mood and in these circumstances, on the brink of His own passion, is free to attend to the wants of unworthy men, and ἐγείρεται . . . διεωσµένο. “He rises,” having reclined at the table in expectation that one or other of the disciples would do the feet-washing.— καὶ τίθησι τὰ ἱμάτια, “and lays aside His garments,” z.e., His Tallith, appear- ing in His χιτών, similar to our “in His shirt sleeves”. τίθηµι is similarly used in τίθηµι τὴν ψνχήν, x. 11, etc. [See also Kypke on Lk. xix. 21.]--καὶ λαβὼν λέντιον διέζωσεν ἑαυτόν, “and having taken a linteum,’’ a towel or long linen cloth, ‘He girt Himself,” tying the towel round Him. Cf. ἐγκομβώσασθε, 1 Pet. ν. 5. The middle διεζώσατο is used in xxi. 7; the expression here more emphatically indicates that He was the sole Agent. The condescension is under- stood in the light of what Suetonius tells of Caligula (Cal. 26), that he was fond of making some of the senators wait at his table ‘‘ succinctos linteo,” that is, in the guise of waiters——Ver. 5. εἶτα..