Pastor David Jang has often emphasized, through the message of John chapter 13, that we must deeply reflect on the suffering and love of Jesus Christ, as well as His servanthood toward His disciples. Particularly during the Lenten season, he stresses that we should draw nearer to Christ’s suffering and realize why that suffering is an expression of love. John 13:1 says, “Before the Passover Festival, Jesus knew that His hour had come to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” This verse marks the starting point of the Lord’s “love to the end” as He was about to conclude His earthly ministry. Pastor David Jang teaches that the Lord’s attitude and practical acts of love in this scene represent the core of discipleship required of us. By following this teaching, we naturally come to understand why Jesus loved to the very end and what that love contains. This is because love is suffering, and that suffering leads to the cross. When Jesus loved His disciples to the end, it meant He humbled Himself and took the posture of a servant, even to the point of the cross for their sake. Through this love, the truth is declared to us that “love is never a curse but a blessing and the way to receive life.” As the Apostle Paul said, “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). Indeed, love is the key that completes everything, and it is this love that leads us to eternal life.
Pastor David Jang explains that if we examine John 13 through 19, we can clearly see Jesus’ mindset and attitude before He entered the path of the cross, how He taught and cared for His disciples, and ultimately how He decided to obey the Father. From John 13 onward, Jesus’ suffering begins in earnest, yet at the starting point there is always love. The declaration, “He loved His own who were in the world, and He loved them to the end,” provides a clear answer to why Jesus did not avoid suffering. It was because He loved—because He loved to the very end—that He willingly took on suffering, showing us it was absolutely necessary for our salvation. Pastor David Jang emphasizes that this truth is crucial to our life of faith. Sometimes we regard suffering merely as a curse, punishment, or “discipline” from God, but in reality, God’s deep love and providence are woven into suffering, ultimately making us more mature and holy.
In many places, Scripture repeatedly tells us about the benefit of suffering and the necessity of participating in it. For instance, Psalm 119 declares, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey Your word,” and “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn Your decrees,” confessing that suffering actually brought about spiritual growth. In Romans 5:3–11, Paul expresses a desire to know Christ more deeply through suffering: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” Likewise, Colossians 1:24 says, “Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of His body, which is the church.” In 2 Timothy 1:8, Paul exhorts, “Join with me in suffering for the gospel,” and in 2 Timothy 2:3, “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” First Peter 2:20–21, 4:13, and other passages also instruct us to participate in the sufferings of Christ. All these teachings convey that suffering is not something to avoid; rather, we should gladly accept it and learn Christ’s path through it—an essential spiritual truth.
Building on these biblical teachings, Pastor David Jang explains that the foot-washing incident in John 13 stands as a quintessential example of “the suffering contained in love.” We often speak of love, but love is never completed by mere words. To love means to give oneself for another, willingly bearing the service the other is due to receive from us. During the Last Supper with His disciples, Jesus rose from the table, took off His outer garment, wrapped a towel around His waist, poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet. This was the same act a servant would perform for his master and guests in that cultural context—an act of thorough “service from the lowest position.” Yet right before this moment, the disciples were arguing among themselves about “who was the greatest.” Some even asked to sit at Jesus’ right and left in His kingdom, effectively revealing a desire to be elevated above others. Pastor David Jang explains, “Because the disciples were trying to exalt themselves according to worldly values, Jesus did the opposite by taking the lowest place, thus demonstrating the true principle of the kingdom of God.”
This kingdom principle that Jesus demonstrated is diametrically opposed to the world’s values. The world pursues “higher status, more power, and greater honor,” but Jesus teaches us to “serve from the lowest position, with the least power, and in the most humble appearance.” In Matthew 20:26–27, He declares, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.” He did not come to be served but to serve, and that service reached the point of giving His life as a ransom for many. Pastor David Jang stresses that following Jesus’ instructions to serve is not easy and inherently involves the death of self and the experience of suffering. Yet only when we follow that path as disciples of Christ do we truly encounter real life, true joy, and resurrection power. Though it sounds paradoxical in earthly logic, in God’s kingdom “going down is truly going up.”
Examining the overall flow of John 13, we see that Jesus already knew He was about to face the cross. Pastor David Jang points out that the phrase, “Jesus knew that His hour had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father” (John 13:1), indicates that He was fully aware of the dreadful suffering and death about to unfold. Even so, He loved His own who were in the world “to the end.” The expression “to the end” here carries the meaning of “completely, thoroughly, eternally.” It signifies not a momentary feeling or brief care, but a steadfast love that would be carried out all the way to the cross, where He would give up everything. Pastor David Jang proclaims this fact to be the heart of Christian life. When suffering comes upon us, we tend to become preoccupied with ourselves, with our own worries and troubles, losing the capacity to care for others. Yet even though Jesus was on the brink of the cross, He gathered His disciples, served them the Last Supper, taught them, comforted them, and cared for them. This is genuine love, the example we must follow.
At the apex of that love stands the foot-washing. In Palestine at that time, most roads were not paved, and footwear was little more than sandals, if not bare feet for the very poor. Naturally, people’s feet became filthy. When someone arrived at a house, it was customary to wash the dust off with water. If a guest was invited to dinner, the servant would wash the guest’s feet as a sign of welcome. But at the Last Supper—this solemn and significant occasion when Jesus shared His final meal with His disciples—no one volunteered for the role of a servant washing feet, because the disciples were caught up in quarreling over who was the greatest. Hence Jesus took off His outer garment, tied a towel around His waist, and washed their feet Himself.
Pastor David Jang remarks, “This dramatically proves that Jesus did not merely speak about service; He personally demonstrated how to practice it.” The Lord’s life was the Word itself, and the Word was manifested in action, a model of discipleship we must continually reflect upon and imitate. Many talk about love, teach about service, and preach about sharing, yet fail to embody it in real life. But Jesus acted according to what He said, and even on the threshold of death, He gave Himself to serve others. This was the road to the cross and simultaneously the road of love. Pastor David Jang has repeatedly emphasized that we must meditate deeply on this path of love and practice it, not just during Lent but in all areas of daily life.
Thus, love inevitably involves suffering. It is not merely a beautiful feeling or the romantic notion portrayed in films; it is a sacrificial act in which we lower ourselves and exalt the other. If Jesus had asserted His majesty and rights, He would have had no reason to wash His disciples’ feet. Yet He willingly took the position of a servant. As a result, the disciples witnessed His teaching firsthand and learned the true meaning of service. Pastor David Jang urges us to apply this event wholesale to our churches and faith communities today. Even within churches, pride can arise based on positions, roles, age, social status, or financial standing. If the desire to be served grows, we can never build the kind of community the Lord wants. Our situation should not resemble the disciples who fought about who was the greatest; instead, we must recall and follow Jesus’ example so that genuine fellowship, “washing one another’s feet,” may occur.
People often say true love is not influenced by the other’s response. Whether the other person betrays or misunderstands us, love perseveres to the end. In John 13, Jesus already knew Judas Iscariot would betray Him, yet He still washed Judas’s feet. From a human standpoint, this is incomprehensible, but Jesus chose that path nonetheless. Pastor David Jang calls this the “paradox of God’s kingdom.” In the world, revenge, hatred, and recurring hurt are the norm, but in the kingdom of God, grace, forgiveness, self-sacrifice, and love overflow. So Jesus said, “You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet” (John 13:13–14). Pastor David Jang insists that the command, “you also should wash one another’s feet,” is the central task for the church community and believers to practice in daily life. It refers to “disciples washing one another’s feet, brothers serving brothers,” a lifestyle through which Christ’s glory is revealed.
Of course, this is no easy matter. Love demands an astonishing amount of sacrifice. The paradox that “whoever wants to become great must be the servant” and “whoever wants to be first must be the slave” is difficult for our human nature to accept, because we all want recognition, elevation, and superiority. But Jesus plainly said, “Not so with you” (Matthew 20:26). If we believe and follow the gospel of Christ, we must think and act according to God’s ways, not the world’s. Pastor David Jang refers to this as the “end of one worldview and the birth of another.” Only when the old nature’s value system fully ends and the new nature’s values begin can we become true disciples. We do not choose the seat deemed high by the world; instead, we choose the life position God deems valuable. This choice is both a road of suffering and a road of blessing.
During the Last Supper, Jesus shared bread and wine, saying, “This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19). Pastor David Jang notes that Christ’s self-sacrifice is not merely a doctrinal concept or moral lesson; it is a very concrete, real event. The bread signifies Jesus’ body, and the wine His blood—demonstrating that He truly had His body broken and His blood shed for the salvation of His disciples and all humanity. Yet, even in that solemn moment, the disciples were preoccupied with their rights and positions, arguing over who was the greatest, showing they did not fully grasp the Lord’s suffering and sacrifice. Even so, Jesus did not abandon them. He continued to teach and restore them until the end. Pastor David Jang points to this perseverance as evidence that we too, despite our frailties, can be reborn in God’s love.
Pastor David Jang especially insists that the church must thoroughly teach about suffering. Many believers still misunderstand suffering as God’s forsaking them or as mere punishment. However, Scripture presents a totally different perspective. Just as Christ loved us to the end, in suffering we are refined like gold, learn deeper love, and walk the path of becoming more like Christ. Paul’s many epistles and Peter’s exhortations affirm that suffering can actually become our joy, and within it we discover true hope. Pastor David Jang teaches, “The ultimate fruit of faith is that we participate in the death of Christ, and also share in the power of His resurrection.” Within that love, we experience eternal life.
Returning to John 13, as Jesus begins His journey toward the agonizing cross, the first thing He shows His disciples is foot-washing. Even though He knew “that the hour had come for Him to leave this world” and that He would soon depart to the Father, He prepared the Last Supper for His disciples and washed their feet. Clearly, He intended to demonstrate by example, taking the very nature of a servant. Pastor David Jang observes, “We see that in moments of urgency, Jesus did not focus solely on Himself but, rather, awakened and strengthened His disciples spiritually, revealing the fullness of His love.” He then advises that when we encounter trials or hardships, instead of giving in to self-pity or complaints, we should pray for the faith and resolve to look after and serve those around us.
We should also note how the disciples responded differently to Jesus washing their feet. Peter first exclaimed, “No, You shall never wash my feet,” but after Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me,” Peter suddenly said, “Then, Lord, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” (John 13:8–9). Jesus then taught, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet,” implying that while the disciples had already been cleansed spiritually, they still needed daily cleansing from the sins and mistakes that inevitably accumulate. Pastor David Jang highlights this as a vital lesson: even if we are saved by believing in Jesus Christ, we must repent and be cleansed daily, just as our feet get dirty every day. Furthermore, he adds that such repentance bears abundant fruit when it takes place in a community where believers serve and love one another.
After Jesus finished washing the disciples’ feet, He asked, “Do you understand what I have done for you?” (John 13:12). Pastor David Jang believes that this question is also posed to us today: “Do you truly understand what Jesus has done? Do you truly grasp the service, love, and meaning of the cross?” Only when we understand can we put it into practice and pass it on. Thus, Pastor David Jang cautions that if the church neglects this essence—focusing solely on programs, organizational operation, and numerical growth—it cannot claim to truly “know what Jesus did.” The foot-washing event is not just a singular act of kindness but a defining symbol of discipleship and the very reason the church exists: it illustrates the concrete model behind the new commandment, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).
Moreover, after washing their feet, Jesus told the disciples, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15). Pastor David Jang underscores the firmness of this imperative. Jesus did not present it as a mere suggestion; it is a command that disciples must obey. Love is not theory but action, and service is not talk but practice. Therefore, the church must wash one another’s feet to reveal Jesus’ love to the world, thereby proclaiming the gospel of Christ. In the end, love and suffering are inseparable. To serve others, we must sacrifice ourselves; to elevate others, we must humble ourselves. To cover another’s sin and weakness, we must first understand and endure. This process can hurt and challenge us, requiring constant breaking of our pride. Yet it is the path Jesus walked and the path that led Him to the cross.
Reflecting comprehensively on the meaning of the Last Supper and the foot-washing, we gain a clearer understanding of what love truly is. It is far more than an emotional delight or a simple act of goodwill; it involves dedication and sacrifice and at times calls us to endure betrayal or misunderstanding. Pastor David Jang teaches that, just as Jesus loved His own “to the end,” we too must possess the strength to love someone to the very end. We cannot do this in our own will or capacity; we need the help of the Holy Spirit. Yet as we choose this path and begin to walk it, the Spirit of Jesus works within us, enabling us to finish the race. As the body of Christ, the church proves itself to be the salt and light in the world precisely by practicing this love.
Pastor David Jang also warns that if we only fear or shun suffering, we will never attain maturity in love. Suffering can reveal how deeply we love and can refine that love as if by fire. On the road to the cross, Jesus faced betrayal by His disciples, false accusations by the Jewish religious leaders, the ridicule and scourging of soldiers, and finally excruciating pain. However, all these events starkly displayed “He loved them to the end.” Had there been no love, Jesus would never have chosen the cross. But because of love, He willingly embraced suffering for our salvation. This also connects to the church’s calling in the world. Even when hated or rejected, the love of Jesus within us empowers us to overcome suffering.
We must note that “He loved them to the end” implies a deeply proactive stance, not just passively “not giving up” on the disciples. Jesus actively cared for them until the last moment. Even when praying in Gethsemane, on the verge of facing the horrors of the cross, He was concerned for His disciples’ weakness, warning them to “watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” Pastor David Jang views this as yet another expression of “love that persists to the end.” Facing imminent torment and death, the Lord was still focused on His disciples’ spiritual condition, ensuring they would not fall away. This is the ultimate portrayal of love. When we look to Jesus, we should recall the One who refused to stop loving, saying “Nevertheless” at every juncture of human frailty.
Pastor David Jang points out that immediately following the foot-washing, Jesus declares, “One of you will betray Me” (John 13:21). In other words, after a most beautiful moment of love came the prophecy of betrayal—an utterly paradoxical situation. Even knowing this, Jesus did not withdraw His love. Judas was included in the foot-washing. Pastor David Jang calls this “the essence of divine love, transcending human calculation and emotion.” From a human standpoint, if you know someone will betray you, you would hardly treat them kindly. Yet Jesus did not stop Judas or treat him with hostility, but extended grace to the very end. Ultimately, the consequences of betrayal fell on Judas himself, but from Jesus’ side, the door of love had never been shut. This is the real, painful reality of Jesus’ “love to the end.”
Because love accompanies suffering, Pastor David Jang cautions that if the church fails to teach about suffering, it also loses the essence of love. Should the church merely emphasize prosperity and a trouble-free life, it diverges from the genuine path of the cross that Jesus demonstrated. There can be no resurrection without the cross, and no glory without suffering. Therefore, Lent is the time to contemplate deeply the suffering of Christ and the love embedded in that suffering, and to decide to follow that love in our lives. This decision should not be confined to Lent alone; it is a continuous calling for the church even after Easter. Pastor David Jang teaches that the church’s mission is “to make that love known to the world, sharing Christ’s service and sacrifice with all who suffer.”
John 13:1—“He loved His own who were in the world, and He loved them to the end”—serves both as the overture to Jesus’ final earthly ministry and the thematic key to all His imminent suffering. Jesus dines at the Last Supper with His disciples, washes their feet, gives them a new commandment, is arrested, endures suffering, dies, and then rises again. All these events are strung together by the overarching theme of love. Pastor David Jang states, “If you do not love to the end, then it is not true love at all.” Embracing suffering through steadfast love, while still hoping in the glory of the resurrection, is the core of the Christian faith. Indeed, in John 17, Jesus prays for His disciples, saying, “Sanctify them by the truth,” and even when confronted by those who came to arrest Him, He openly said, “I am He,” offering no resistance. His obedience to the Father’s will was absolute, carried out in love, despite knowing the disciples would betray Him and scatter—yet still anticipating their eventual restoration.
Pastor David Jang underscores that when today’s church and believers reflect on this passage, we must realize that we, too, are called to walk this same path. “If I, your Teacher and Lord, have washed your feet, shouldn’t you wash one another’s feet?”—this question from Jesus should resonate deeply in us. If we cling to worldly forms of power, wealth, and prestige in the church—seeking to be served rather than to serve—we will never mature as Jesus’ disciples. The example Jesus set by serving shows us that, whether one is a church leader or a member, the posture of service is imperative. Pastor David Jang insists that Jesus’ teaching—“Whoever wants to be great must become a servant, and whoever wants to be first must become a slave”—is the foundation for rightly ordering the church’s spiritual hierarchy. When that order is properly established, the church shines with an entirely different light than the world does. Instead of competing to rise above one another, believers strive to lower themselves before each other. Through such a community, people can tangibly experience the truth of Christ’s gospel.
Pastor David Jang’s message from John 13 is clear: Jesus loved His own in the world to the very end, concretely demonstrating that love while never avoiding suffering. Rather, He endured it in love and thus accomplished the salvation of mankind. If we are called to be Christ’s disciples, we too must walk the path of love, of service, and of suffering, and the glory that emerges from that path will be a true joy, like the power of resurrection given to us. Even though we, like the disciples, may sometimes argue about who is the greatest or fail to grasp the Lord’s teaching, the crucial point is that Christ still loves us to the end, guiding and teaching us through His Word and Spirit. Our responsibility is to obey that love, continually practicing the act of “washing one another’s feet” in everyday life. This is the essence of the church, the value we must always pursue.
Beyond Lent, in every season of our lives, as we ponder Jesus Christ’s suffering and love—His willingness to serve “to the end”—we should surrender our distorted values and rebuild our perspective on God’s kingdom. The world prizes power, wealth, and fame, but Jesus gave His life for us, lived as a servant, and through His glorious resurrection proved this to be true. Therefore, when we work harder at elevating others instead of ourselves, when we kneel to wash our neighbors’ feet in a servant’s spirit, only then do we merit the title of Jesus’ disciple. Pastor David Jang reminds us, “Most importantly, remember that we have been cleansed of our sins through Jesus’ love.” We must give thanks daily for this cleansing grace and willingly practice serving others in return. In that way, the church stops bickering over “who is greater” and instead experiences beautiful fellowship, honoring and uplifting one another. Seeing this, the world will realize that Jesus truly is the living Lord.
John 13:1—“He loved His own who were in the world, and He loved them to the end”—lies at the heart of John chapter 13. It signals the beginning of Jesus’ suffering and, together with the foot-washing, reveals “the most profound expression of love.” Throughout two thousand years of church history, countless believers have reread, taught, and practiced this passage. Pastor David Jang declares that this scene embodies the very essence of the gospel and the fundamental reason for the church’s existence. If we meditate on it not only in Lent but day by day, we, too, will be ready to emulate Jesus’ love and service by washing one another’s feet. When these small sacrifices and shared burdens of love accumulate, the church becomes Christ’s body, functioning in fullness, and the world is gradually transformed by the light of Christ. Since Jesus loved us to the end, we also must love others to the end. This is our ultimate calling as Christians and the remarkable power of the gospel. A life of love that endures to the end, serving in the posture of a servant—this is the true obedience demanded of those who believe in Jesus Christ, and it is on this path that we taste the glory of God’s kingdom even now. Ultimately, as Pastor David Jang teaches, this points us toward that future day in heaven when Jesus will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”