There had been a contention among them. They still 97 thought that Christ was soon to be made king, and each of them wanted the highest place in His kingdom. So they had jealous and angry feelings toward one another. There was another cause of trouble. At a feast it was the custom for a servant to wash the feet of the guests, and on this occasion preparation had been made for the service. The pitcher of water, the basin, and the towel were there, ready for the feet-washing. But no servant was present, and it was the disciples' part to perform it.

Der var opstået en ordstrid iblandt dem. Det var fremdeles deres opfattelse, at Jesus snart skulle gøres til konge, og alle ønskede at få den højeste plads i hans rige. De nærede misundelse og harme. Der var også en anden årsag til uenigheden. Ved en festlighed var det skik, at en tjener tvættede gæsternes fødder, og ved denne anledning var alt gjort rede til handlingen. Vandkrukken, vaskefadet og linnedklædet var parat til fodtvætningen. Men der var ingen tjener. Det var derfor disciplenes pligt at udføre handlingen.