John 13:14 (GNV)

Passage

If I then your Lord, and Master, haue washed your feete, ye also ought to wash one an others feete.

Nearby Context

John 13:12 So after he had washed their feete, and had taken his garments, and was set downe againe, he sayd vnto them, Knowe ye what I haue done to you?

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

John 13:14 If I then your Lord, and Master, haue washed your feete, ye also ought to wash one an others feete.

John 13:15 For I haue giuen you an example, that ye should doe, euen as I haue done to you.

John 13:16 Verely, verely I say vnto you, The seruant is not greater then his master, neither the ambassadour greater then he that sent him.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Ye call me Master and Lord and..." into verse 15's "For I haue giuen you an example...", so "lord" and "master" 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 "master" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.