Does John 13 refer to the Lord's supper?

Question

(KJV) John 13:3

3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; 4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.

(KJV) John 3:21

21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

(KJV) John 3:26

26 Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

(KJV) John 3:38

38 Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.

All the above texts were spoken by the Christ during the Lord Supper as recorded by the Evangelists Matthew,Luke & Mark.

John also records the same words but it seems it was days before the Lord's Supper.

How can we understand the above texts?

Answer 1

The answer is yes, John 13:2 refers to the same Last Supper described in the Synoptic Gospels. Here is one indication.

And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him; John 13:2

Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. Lk. 22:20-21

To be sure, there are verses and events to clarify such as John 18:28 where Passover is yet to come after crucifixion and Luke 22:8 where Christ observes Passover before crucifixion, but the OP doesn't ask about these things.

Answer 2

I believe that John 13:3ff is a recording of the events and conversation that took place immediately after the Lord's Last Supper with His disciples, on the night He was betrayed. In fact, if you take John 13 and place it alongside Luke 22, then the washing of the feet of the disciples comes as a response to the dispute among the disciples of who was the greatest of them and as a living demonstration of Jesus' response to them that "I am among you as the one who serves." (Luke 22:27)

The only problem with this chronology is the fact that John 13:1 indicates that this was "before the feast of Passover." However we understand that time reference, the weight of evidence seems to be that this was the Last Supper, based on how the narrative continues right after the supper in John 13, with Satan entering Judas Iscariot and Judas immediately going out to betray Jesus. This section, John 13:21-30, seems clearly to place these events on the night that Jesus was betrayed.

So, how do we reconcile John 13:1? Well, while 13:1 itself is talking about the final days leading up to the Passover, that does not preclude us from understanding 13:2 as introducing the Lord's celebration of the Passover supper itself with His disciples. So, it would be . . .

In the final days before the Passover: "Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end." (ESV)

At the Passover meal: "During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper . . . " (ESV)