It’s All About Jesus: Bible Study #1 P a g e | 1
Bible Study # 1
Jesus Came to Serve – John 13:1-17
Items Needed:
John 13:1-17 Bible sheets
Colors or pencils
Servant Bingo sheets
“It’s All About Jesus” Poster
Create Interest: Play a fun shoe game.
Have the children take off one shoe and place them in a pile. Ask the children to keep their eyes closed,
crawl to the pile, try to find their shoe without looking, and put it on their foot. Remind them that it will be
more fun if they do not peek while they are doing it. Once all the kids have found a shoe, have them open
their eyes and make sure they got the right one.
SAY: Most of us wouldn’t want to put someone else’s shoes on our feet. And many of you probably didn’t
like feeling around in a pile of dirty shoes. How would you like to have to clean everybody’s feet right
before you were about to eat supper?
Bible Study: Jesus washes His disciples feet. John 13:1-17.
SAY: In the times that Jesus lived, they didn’t have hot and cold running water and showers and tubs like
we have today. They also walked on dusty streets everywhere they went. So people’s feet got very dirty
and smelly. One of the worst jobs that servants had to do was to wash the feet of guests when they came
to someone’s house. Let’s read about who washed everyone’s feet before Jesus’ Last Supper with His
disciples.
*For the older classes, give each child a copy of the Bible passage. You can read the passage to
them, or have some volunteers help read it. For verses 6-8 assign the parts of Peter and Jesus to
two readers who will read the exchange between the two of them.
*For the younger classes, the teacher can read the passage, but have your helper read the parts of
Peter, so it sounds like a dialogue.
John 13:1-17 (from the New Living Translation)
1 Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his
Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. 2 It
was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3
Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and
would return to God. 4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5
and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had
around him.
6 When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”
8 “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!”
Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”
It’s All About Jesus: Bible Study #1 P a g e | 2
9 Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”
10 Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be
entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.”
11 For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
12 After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I
was doing? 13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. 14 And since I,
your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an
example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16 I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master.
Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. 17 Now that you know these
things, God will bless you for doing them.
ASK: Lead a discussion by asking questions about the Bible Story. Encourage the children to raise their
hands and speak one at a time.
vs 1: What did Jesus know? How did washing His disciples feet show how much Jesus loved His
disciples?
vs 2: Why did Jesus wash the feet of Judas, even though Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him?
vs 3: What had God the Father given to Jesus? If Jesus had all the authority and came from God, do
you think someone should have washed His feet instead? Why or why not?
vs 4-5: If you had been one of the disciples, what would you have thought or felt when you saw
Jesus getting ready to wash everyone’s feet?
vs 6-10: Why did Peter respond the way he did?
vs 12: How would you have answered Jesus’ question: “Do you understand what I was doing?”
vs 13-16: What was the lesson Jesus taught His followers?
Since we have ways to keep our feet cleaner today, how does Jesus serve us? How does He meet
our needs?
Bringing It Home: Brainstorm ways that we can serve others.
vs 15: Jesus said he was giving His disciples an example to follow. How can we follow His example today?
What are some ways we can show our love for others by serving their needs?
After they have had a chance to share their ideas, have the students turn their Bible story sheets over and
draw a picture of themselves serving someone else in one of the ways they discussed.
Review Memory Verse: Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Distribute the Servant Bingo Sheets. (For the older kids, point out that they also have one in the Journey to
the Cross Activity Book on Page 9.) Talk about some of the ideas that are found in the squares. Challenge
the students to see how many of the squares they can mark off today and through the rest
of the Easter weekend by helping to serve other people.
Close in Prayer: Thank Jesus for loving us enough to meet our needs.
It’s All About Jesus Poster: Allow children to complete the Lord’s Supper portion
of their poster. Tell them to summarize what happened at the Last Supper and why.
***Let younger children answer out loud as they color that portion of the poster.
