John 13:7 kjv
Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
John 13:7 nkjv
Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this."
John 13:7 niv
Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
John 13:7 esv
Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand."
John 13:7 nlt
Jesus replied, "You don't understand now what I am doing, but someday you will."
John 13 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 55:8-9 | "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways..." | God's ways are higher than human understanding. |
| Rom 11:33 | "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!" | The inscrutability of God's wisdom. |
| 1 Cor 2:14 | "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God..." | Spiritual truths require spiritual discernment. |
| John 14:26 | "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send...will teach." | The Spirit illuminates truth over time. |
| John 16:12 | "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now." | Disciples' inability to grasp full truth then. |
| John 16:13 | "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth..." | The Spirit reveals future understanding. |
| Acts 1:3 | "...appearing to them for forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God." | Post-resurrection clarity and teaching. |
| Luke 24:25-27 | Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. | Resurrection provides new understanding. |
| Luke 24:44-47 | "...thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer..." | Suffering of Christ understood post-resurrection. |
| Acts 2:1-4 | The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. | Pentecost brought deeper understanding of Jesus. |
| Mark 10:45 | "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve..." | Jesus' mission of ultimate servanthood. |
| Phil 2:5-8 | "...He emptied Himself...being born in the likeness of men." | Christ's profound humility and obedience. |
| Matt 20:26-28 | "...whoever would be great among you must be your servant..." | Principle of humble leadership in the kingdom. |
| Luke 22:27 | "...I am among you as the one who serves." | Jesus' self-identification as a servant. |
| Eph 5:25-27 | Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, cleansing her. | Christ's sacrificial act for spiritual cleansing. |
| Tit 3:5 | "...according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration..." | Spiritual cleansing through new birth. |
| Heb 10:22 | "...let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled..." | Cleansing of conscience by Christ's blood. |
| Rev 1:5 | "...Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood..." | Ultimate spiritual cleansing by Christ. |
| 1 Cor 13:12 | "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face." | Partial understanding now, full clarity later. |
| 2 Cor 3:18 | "...are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory..." | Progressive revelation and spiritual growth. |
| Hab 2:3 | "For still the vision awaits its appointed time..." | Divine timing for prophecy and understanding. |
| Rom 8:28 | "...all things work together for good for those who love God..." | Retrospective understanding of God's purpose. |
| John 21:15-19 | Jesus' restoration and instruction to Peter, "Feed my sheep." | Peter's eventual profound understanding and mission. |
| 1 Pet 1:10-12 | Prophets inquired and searched, revealing things for later generations. | Understanding of Christ's suffering and glory revealed progressively. |
John 13 verses
John 13 7 Meaning
John 13:7 records Jesus' reply to Peter's objection during the foot-washing, revealing that certain divine actions and their profound spiritual meaning are not immediately discernible to human understanding but are illuminated retrospectively through further revelation or experience, especially regarding Christ's salvific work and kingdom principles. It highlights the divine unfolding of truth over time.
John 13 7 Context
John 13 marks a pivotal moment, transitioning from Jesus' public ministry to His final teachings to His disciples and preparing them for His departure. It occurs during the Last Supper, a Passover meal, on the eve of His crucifixion. The disciples had just debated who was the greatest among them (Lk 22:24). Against this backdrop of earthly ambition and lack of true understanding, Jesus, knowing His hour had come to depart (Jn 13:1), performed the unthinkable act of a master washing His disciples' feet, a task usually reserved for the lowest servant. Peter's characteristic impulsiveness and discomfort led him to vehemently object, viewing it as demeaning to his Lord (Jn 13:6, 8a). John 13:7 is Jesus' direct, gentle yet firm response, foreshadowing a profound truth that Peter, and indeed all the disciples, would only grasp after Christ's death, resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
John 13 7 Word analysis
- Jesus (Ἰησοῦς - Iesous): The central figure, God Incarnate, whose very act is infused with divine meaning beyond human grasp.
- answered (ἀπεκρίθη - apekrithē): A direct, personal response, indicating Jesus addresses Peter's immediate resistance and spiritual blindness.
- said (εἶπεν - eipen): Conveys the imparting of essential truth.
- to him (αὐτῷ - autō): Specifically to Peter, who represents the limited, immediate human perspective.
- What I am doing (ὃ ποιῶ ἐγώ - ho poiō egō): Refers to the act of foot-washing, but also encompasses its deep theological significance, foreshadowing His greater act of cleansing by crucifixion. The "I" (egō) emphasizes divine agency.
- you (σύ - sy): Singular, pointing directly to Peter's lack of understanding.
- do not understand (οἶδας οὐ - oidas ou): The verb oida (from eido) signifies knowing by perception, an intuitive, immediate grasp of fact. Peter lacks this immediate, insightful comprehension of the act's true meaning and implications.
- now (ἄρτι - arti): Emphasizes the present, temporal limitation. Understanding is not immediately available at this specific moment.
- but (δὲ - de): A strong contrasting conjunction, pivoting to a future, different state of understanding.
- you (σύ - sy): Again, singular to Peter.
- will know (γνώσῃ - gnōsei): Future tense of ginōskō, which implies knowledge gained through experience, learning, or progressive revelation. This knowledge is not just intellectual assent but a deep, transformative understanding, a coming to full spiritual realization.
- after this (μετὰ ταῦτα - meta tauta): A crucial phrase. "This" encompasses not just the completion of the foot-washing, but more profoundly, the full scope of Jesus' redemptive work: His crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and particularly the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, who would empower the disciples to grasp the full significance of Christ's person and work. It implies a revelation yet to come.
- "What I am doing you do not understand now": This phrase highlights the mystery surrounding Christ's immediate actions and mission. The disciples, operating under earthly expectations of a political Messiah, could not comprehend Jesus' profound humility, service, and symbolic act of purification which pointed to His ultimate sacrifice.
- "but you will know after this": This is a promise of future illumination. The 'after this' is critically important, signaling that true, spiritual understanding of God's ways often requires subsequent events (like the cross, resurrection, and Spirit's indwelling) to reveal the deeper meaning. It teaches divine timing in revelation.
John 13 7 Bonus section
The progressive nature of spiritual understanding seen in John 13:7 is a common theme in Scripture, underscoring that certain truths of God's kingdom and Christ's person are veiled until their appointed time of revelation, often through divine grace or pivotal events. This divine timing allows for maturity in faith before heavier truths are disclosed. Furthermore, Peter's journey from resisting the washing to eventually serving as a cornerstone of the early church exemplifies the transformative "knowing" that occurs "after this." His future leadership, urging humility and spiritual cleansing (1 Pet 5:5; 1 Pet 1:22), directly reflects the lessons he "knew" in retrospect from this very encounter with Jesus.
John 13 7 Commentary
John 13:7 distills a core principle of divine revelation: God's plans and actions are often grasped retrospectively. Peter, impetuous and bound by earthly perspectives, couldn't reconcile his master's servile act with his expectation of a glorious Messiah. Jesus' response is not a rebuke but a patient forecast. The "what I am doing" refers not just to foot-washing as an example of humility but symbolizes His entire mission of servanthood culminating in the cross—the ultimate act of cleansing from sin. Peter, like all the disciples, would fully "know" the profound theological depth of Christ's humility and redemptive work only after witnessing His crucifixion, experiencing His resurrection, and especially upon receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The Spirit would open their minds to understand how all Jesus' actions, including this washing, foreshadowed and perfectly aligned with the divine plan for humanity's cleansing and redemption. This verse encourages patient trust in God's unfolding purposes, even when they seem incomprehensible in the present moment.