One Day Left (Part 2) | Pastor Ben Snyder

A new five-week look at the events of the last supper centers on John chapters 13–17 and the reality that Jesus faced his final hours with urgent clarity. The setting sits at the Passover feast, where the Lamb theme points forward to the cross. Jesus understands that the hour has come, knows Judas will betray him and knows Peter will deny him, yet chooses a path opposite of worldly power: taking a towel, pouring water, and washing the disciples’ feet. That humble action reverses expectations of authority and reframes greatness as service.

The narrative frames the moment like a coach’s last locker-room talk before a championship: not a time for novel strategies but for basics—servanthood, humility, and love. Jesus models servanthood by meeting a need no one else had addressed, stepping into the lowly work of cleansing dusty feet rather than asserting divine power. The scene contrasts sharply with Pilate’s later gesture of washing his hands to avoid responsibility; where Pilate dismisses culpability, the act at the table embodies taking responsibility for others.

Humility emerges as a kingdom ethic: the greatest must become the least, and Jesus’ ultimate humility culminates on the cross. Scripture highlights that humility does not erase authority but reshapes it—authority in God’s kingdom looks like obedience and self-emptying love rather than domination or titles. Love binds these lessons together; the one who loved “to the end” washes even the feet of the betrayer, showing love that refuses to reserve kindness only for the deserving.

Practical application anchors the teaching in everyday church and community life: servanthood requires noticing needs and acting, humility requires choosing the low place rather than demanding honor, and love requires costly commitment even to those who wound. The John 13–17 passage functions as a final charge to live the fundamentals, preparing disciples for the trials ahead by returning them to the simple but costly acts that define the kingdom. Communion and remembrance of the Lamb provide the theological frame, while the foot-washing provides the behavioral model: meet needs, take responsibility, and love without condition.

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Servanthood chooses responsibility over convenience Servanthood refuses to treat inconvenient needs as someone else’s problem; it leans into discomfort to meet another’s need. Taking responsibility means acting where power and compassion intersect, not waiting for a more convenient moment or a higher title to authorize service. True service often looks like getting dirty, surrendering convenience for the sake of another’s dignity and flourishing. [38:16]
• 2. Humility makes the greatest the least Greatness in God’s economy requires deliberate self-emptying, not strategic reputation-building. Titles and position can shield from lowly tasks, but kingdom leadership chooses the lowest place to reflect Christ’s obedience. This humility reorders ambition into sacrificial care and reframes influence as a result of character, not rank. [51:05]
• 3. Love serves even for betrayers Authentic love chooses costly action toward those who will repay it badly or not at all. Washing the betrayer’s feet demonstrates a love that does not calculate return but acts to restore and reveal God’s mercy. Such love exposes the gospel’s power precisely because it confounds human notions of fairness and retribution. [55:36]
• 4. Basics prepare for the final hour When trials loom, the essentials—not flashy strategies—sustain endurance and witness. Returning to foundational habits of service, humility, and love equips disciples for pressure and persecution. The last-hour instruction presses simplicity: practice the ordinary acts that form character long before crisis arrives. [30:49]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [25:55] - Series Introduction: One Day Left
• [26:35] - The Last Supper Context
• [28:01] - Coach Analogy: Final Speech
• [31:32] - John 13: Setup and Meaning
• [32:29] - Passover Background and Lamb Imagery
• [35:48] - The Foot-Washing Action
• [37:34] - Teaching: Wash One Another’s Feet
• [38:16] - Three Lessons: Servanthood, Humility, Love
• [44:15] - Pilate’s Hand Washing Contrast
• [52:04] - Humility Fulfilled on the Cross

Bible reading: John 13:1-17 (ESV)

1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” 12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Observation questions

1. What did Jesus know about his immediate future and the actions of his disciples as this scene began? (John 13:1-3)
2. What specific, lowly task did Jesus perform for his disciples, and what items did he use to do it? (John 13:4-5)
3. How did Peter initially react to what Jesus was doing, and what was Jesus’s serious response to his refusal? (John 13:6-8)
4. After completing the task, what direct command and reason did Jesus give his disciples? (John 13:14-15)

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus knew he had all authority and that he would be betrayed, yet he chose to wash feet. What does this reveal about the true nature of power and authority in God's kingdom?
2. The act of foot-washing was a job for the lowest servant. Why would Jesus use this specific act, rather than another kind of service, as his final example to his disciples before the cross?
3. Jesus washed the feet of Judas, knowing he would betray him. What does this action communicate about the nature of the love we are called to have for others?
4. Jesus says that a servant is not greater than his master. In the context of this story, what does it mean for a disciple to embrace the position of a servant?

Application questions

1. Servanthood chooses responsibility over convenience. [38:16] Where have you recently seen a practical need—at home, work, or church—that was “not your problem,” but you had the ability to help? What held you back from acting?
2. Humility makes the greatest the least. [51:05] Is there a title, position, or area of competence in your life that you use as a reason to avoid lowly or undesirable tasks? What would it look like this week to deliberately choose that “low place”?
3. Love serves even betrayers. [55:36] Who is the hardest person for you to love or serve right now? What would a practical, humble act of service—a modern equivalent of “foot-washing”—look like for that person?
4. Basics prepare for the final hour. [30:49] If a crisis hit your life tomorrow, which of these fundamentals—servanthood, humility, or love—would you feel least prepared to live out? What is one small, ordinary step you can take this week to strengthen that area?
5. Pilate washed his hands of responsibility, while Jesus washed the disciples' feet. [44:15] When you are faced with a complicated or messy situation, what are the signs that you are tending toward “washing your hands” of it rather than “washing feet”?
6. How can we, as a group, create a culture where serving one another in humble, practical ways is normal and expected? What would that look like in our meetings and our daily interactions?