John 13:7 (ASV)

Passage

Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt understand hereafter.

Nearby Context

John 13:5 Then he poureth water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples` feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

John 13:6 So he cometh to Simon Peter. He saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?

John 13:7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt understand hereafter.

John 13:8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.

John 13:9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jesus", "answered", "said", "thou", "knowest", "shalt", and "understand". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jesus" and "answered", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "So he cometh to Simon Peter He..." into verse 8's "Peter saith unto him Thou shalt never...", so "jesus" and "answered" 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 "jesus" and "answered" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.