John 13:14 (ASV)

Passage

If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another`s feet.

Nearby Context

John 13:12 So when he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, and sat down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?

John 13:13 Ye call me, Teacher, and, Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.

John 13:14 If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another`s feet.

John 13:15 For I have given you an example, that ye also should do as I have done to you.

John 13:16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, a servant is not greater than his lord; neither one that is sent greater than he that sent him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lord", "teacher", "washed", "feet", "ought", and "another". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lord" and "teacher", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Ye call me Teacher and Lord and..." into verse 15's "For I have given you an example...", so "lord" and "teacher" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "lord" and "teacher" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.