7—18.
817
12. “Ore οὖν ἔνιψε τοὺς πόδας αὐτῶν, καὶ ἅ ἔλαβε τὰ ἵμάτια αὐτοῦ, q x. 17, 18.
᾿ἀναπεσὼν ' πάλιν, εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, “' Γινώσκετε τί πεποίηκα spiv;r Lk. xi. 37.
13. ὑμεῖς φωνεῖτέ µε, “O διδάσκαλος, καὶ ὁ
λέγετε, εἰμὶ γάρ.
14. εἰ οὖν ἐγὼ ἔνιψα ὑμῶν τοὺς πόδας, ὁ κύριος
Ἀ . i ob. ii. τ. κύριος" καὶ καλῶς siv. 17; viii. 48.
ς
καὶ ὁ διδάσκαλος, καὶ ὑμεῖς ὀφείλετε ἀλλήλων νίπτειν τοὺς πόδας -
15. "ὑπόδειγμα γὰρ ἔδωκα ὑμῖν, ἵνα καθὼς ἐγὼ " ἐποίησα ὑμῖν, καὶ t Jas. v. το.
2 Ρεί.11.6.
ὑμεῖς ποιῆτε. 16. duty ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐκ ἔστι δοῦλος ” μείζων u Exod. xiv. a lol a Il. τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ, οὐδὲ ἀπόστολος peiLwv τοῦ πέµψαντος αὐτόν. v xv. 20.
17. εἰ ταῦτα οἴδατε, µακάριοί ἐστε ἐὰν ποιῆτε αὐτά.
Μι. χ. 24.
18. οὗ περὶ Lk. vi. 4o.
πάντων ὑμῶν λέγω: ἐγὼ οἶδα obs” " ἐξελεξάμην : *GAN ἵνα ἡ ypadh x Constr. i. πληρωθῇ, ΄ Ὁ ᾿τρώγων pet ἐμοῦ ὃ τὸν ἄρτον, ἐπῆρεν ἐπ᾽ ἐμὲ τὴν ν Ps, xii, 9.
1 και ανεπεσεν in ΡΟ”.
1 Better τινας with BCL 33.
3 per’ εµον in SAD vet. Lat. vulg. ; pow in BCL adopted by W.H. The clause
is thus closer to the Hebrew.
their present evil temper and jealousy removed: they were true in heart, they had been in the bath and had only con- tracted a slight stain. But Judas had not been in the bath: he had no genuine and habitual loyalty to Christ.—Ver. 12. “Ore... ὑμῖν: “when, then, He had washed their feet and taken His garments [cf. τίθησι τὰ ἱμάτια of ver. 4] and reclined again He said to them: Know ye what I have done to you?” Do you perceive the meaning of this action? By washing their feet He had washed their heart. By stooping to this menial service He had made them all ashamed of declining it. By this simple action He had turned a company of wrangling, angry, jealous men into a company of humbled and_ united disciples.—Ver. 13. ἡὑμεῖς φωνεῖτέ pe, «γε call me,” in addressing me (φωνεῖν, not καλεῖν), 6 διδάσκαλος Kal 6 Κύριος, “Teacher”? and ‘‘ Lord”; the nomina- tivus tituli, see Winer, 226. Perhaps ** Rabbi ” would convey better the respect involved in διδάσκαλος. καὶ καλῶς λέγετε, εἰμὶ yap. Jesus, humble and selfsuppressing as He was, clearly recognised His own dignity and on occasion asserted it. Here the point of the lesson lay in His consciousness of being their Lord.—Ver. 14. Hence the a fortiori argument: εἰ οὖν ἐγὼ ἔνιψα ... πόδας, “if I then, Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, ye also ought (ὀφείλετε denoting moral obligation) to wash one another’s feet”. ‘‘ It is not the act itself, but its moral essence, which after His example He enjoins upon them to exercise.” Meyer. This has sometimes
been considered a command enjoining the literal washing of the feet of poor saints: and was practised in England until 1731 by the Lord High Almoner, and is still practised by the Pope on Maundy Thursday (Dies Mandati), the day before Good Friday. See also Church’s Anselm, p. 49. The ancient practice is discussed in Augustine’s Letters, 55, to Januarius, c. 33. It at once took its place as symbolic of all kindly care of fellow-Christians, see 1 Tim. v. 10.—Ver. 15. ὑπόδειγμα . . . ποιῆτε. ὑπόδειγμα is condemned by Phrynichus, who recommends the Attic παράδειγµα. See Rutherford’s interesting note, New Phryn., p. 62. The purpose, ἵνα, of His action was that they might act in the same humble, loving spirit, in all their conduct to one another,—Ver. 16. And as confirmatory of this example and in rebuke of their pride, He adds: οὐκ ἔστι. δοῦλος . . . αὐτόν. In Mt. x. 24 a similar saying occurs; cf. also Lk. vi. 40, and Lk. xxii. 27. The slave whose function it is to serve is not “‘ greater,” μείζων, than his lord, who may expect to receive service, and therefore the slave may well stoop to the offices which the lord himself discharges and count on no &éxemptions the lord does not claim.— Ver. 17. These are obvious first principles in Christian discipleship, but the mere knowledge of them is not enough: εἰ ταῦτα οἴδατε, µακάριοί ἐστε ἐὰν ποιῆτε αὐτά. ταῦτα refers to what Jesus had just declared to be the significance of His action. et οἴδατε, ‘if ye know,” as you do know ; ἐὰν ποιῆτε, a supposition. “‘The knowing is objectively granted,.