[Verse 1]
Before the feast, He knew His hour had come,
To leave this world and go unto the Father;
Having loved His own who still were in the world,
He loved them to the end and drew them nearer.
[Verse 2]
Supper ended; betrayal stirred in Judas' heart.
All things were in the hands of Christ the Lord.
He rose, laid by His garments, took a towel,
And girded Himself without a spoken word.
[Interlude - 4 bars]
[Verse 3]
He poured the water gently in a basin,
Washed every dusty foot and wiped it dry.
Then Peter cried, Lord, dost Thou wash my feet?
What I do now, thou shalt know by and by.
[Bridge]
Thou shalt never wash my feet, Peter answered.
If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me.
Then wash my hands and head, not feet alone.
He that is washed is clean, save where his feet must be.
[Refrain]
If I, your Lord and Master, washed your feet,
Ye ought also to wash one another's feet.
I gave an example for you to follow:
As I have done to you, so do in love complete.
[Outro]
The servant is not greater than his lord;
Happy are ye if ye know and do these things.
Blessed are the servants who obey.
John 13: The hands that hold all things take up a towel
The Book of John begins the final evening by placing extraordinary authority behind an ordinary towel. Jesus knows where he came from, where he is going, what the Father has placed in his hands, and who will betray him, yet that knowledge moves him toward service rather than distance. Peter resists being washed before he understands that receiving must come before imitation. Betrayal then unfolds inside a meal where Judas remains difficult for the others to identify, even after the dipped morsel. Once he leaves, Jesus speaks not of collapse but of glory, love, and departure. Peter answers the warning of separation with a promise to lay down his life. Jesus answers that confidence with a prediction of three denials before morning, leaving loyalty sincere but untested and insufficient.
