John 13:15 (LSB)

Passage

For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.

Nearby Context

John 13:13 You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.

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

John 13:15 For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.

John 13:16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.

John 13:17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "gave", "example", and "should". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "gave" and "example", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "If I then the Lord and the..." into verse 16's "Truly truly I say to you a...", so "gave" and "example" 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 "gave" and "example" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.