John 13:8 (YLT)

Passage

Peter saith to him, `Thou mayest not wash my feet--to the age.' Jesus answered him, `If I may not wash thee, thou hast no part with me;'

Nearby Context

John 13:6 He cometh, therefore, unto Simon Peter, and that one saith to him, `Sir, thou--dost thou wash my feet?'

John 13:7 Jesus answered and said to him, `That which I do thou hast not known now, but thou shalt know after these things;'

John 13:8 Peter saith to him, `Thou mayest not wash my feet--to the age.' Jesus answered him, `If I may not wash thee, thou hast no part with me;'

John 13:9 Simon Peter saith to him, `Sir, not my feet only, but also the hands and the head.'

John 13:10 Jesus saith to him, `He who hath been bathed hath no need save to wash his feet, but he is clean altogether; and ye are clean, but not all;'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "peter", "saith", "thou", "mayest", "wash", "feet--to", "jesus", and "answered". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "peter" and "saith", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "Jesus answered and said to him That..." into verse 9's "Simon Peter saith to him Sir not...", so "peter" and "saith" 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 "peter" and "saith" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.