The Order of the Towel and the Basin
John 13:1-17
Textual Introduction: Jesus’ public teaching has come to an end. In the next few chapters, he will teach some of his most profound lesson to his small band of disciples, those who had been with him from the beginning, teach them during the few hours before the crucifixion.
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Circumstances and schedules conspired to keep our youth from going on what has become an annual mission trip. I’ve had the privilege of going with them on each of their trips.
You’ve heard the stories of meeting Native Americans on the Cherokee reservation, of painting houses, of dealing with children in Bible clubs, of visits to nursing homes, of nightmarish bathrooms, of hordes of wasps; and, most recently, of angry rioters burning homes only a few blocks where we were staying. You haven’t heard as much about the evening worship times.
These were usually encouraging and often inspiring. Still, I always looked forward to the final night with a kind of dread. You, see the Thursday night meeting always concluded with a foot-washing service.
From our first trip to Cherokee we’ve asked the local leaders to make sure each person knew they had the right to decide for themselves if they would participate.
We’re we trying to be hard to get along with? I hope not. I think we were acknowledging that this passage has created some issues for Baptists over the years. Some of our fellow Christians are convinced Jesus was instituting a third ordinance, along with baptism and the Lord’s Supper. In fact, some Christian groups conduct a foot-washing service whenever they have communion. They believe the act is a sign of humility. One writer actually implied a congregation wasn’t healthy unless it practiced foot-washing.
The irony is these groups often believe they are being more humble than the rest of us.
Other groups focus on the cleansing Jesus speaks of and argue that foot-washing symbolizes our willingness to forgive the hurts and slights we may have received from that person whose feet we’re washing.
The fact someone has to go to such an effort to explain the rite probably means they’ve missed to point Jesus was making.
By the way, from what I can determine, the rite of foot-washing didn’t appear in the church until the fourth-century. Does this mean I believe any group of Christians who observe this practice is doing wrong? No. It does mean I believe the danger of missing the point of this story is very real.
As often seems to happen in John’s Gospel, there may be several levels of meaning in this account but ultimately I believe Jesus is calling those who believe in him to display a spirit of service.
Jesus had some final lessons to teach his disciples and he does so dramatically by providing a visual aid.
To do so he casts himself in the role of a servant. But, of course, this was nothing new. Paul reminded the Philippians that Jesus had conducted his whole earthly ministry in just such a servant spirit. Quoting what may have been an early Christian hymn, Paul says:
Your attitude should be the kind that was shown us by Jesus Christ, who, though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God, but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming a man. Christ humbled himself and he humbled himself even further, going so far as actually to die a criminal's death on a cross. (2:5-8)
Keep that in mind as we examine this story.
Look at
The Servant’s Example
In the ancient world most travel within a community and often from community to community was on foot. Even when a traveler was careful to bathe, his feet would inevitably become soiled and dusty from the roads. Most hosts made sure a servant stood ready to wash the feet of those who entered the home. This courtesy not only cleaned the dust from the feet but tended to refresh the traveler.
To omit this courtesy was highly irregular. Yet, as important as it was, washing another’s feet was considered a menial task, one to be performed only by a servant, a child, or your wife.
So, when the disciples gathered for what would be their last Passover meal with Jesus, no one offered to perform the duty of washing the feet of those attending.
The other Gospels tell us that the disciples had been debating about which one of them was the greatest so no one was about to do anything which might imply he was inferior to the others. Apparently, no one even felt compelled to wash Jesus’ feet because to do so might lead to the expectation that they would move on to wash their fellow-disciples’ feet. Consequently, the meal began with their feet unwashed.
Now, at this point you might say, “Well, why does it matter, they didn’t eat with their feet, they ate with their hands?” And, hygienically you’d be right. The problem was the attitude that led to the breach of etiquette. Pride and a complex sense of self-importance prompted their behavior.
What if this self-serving attitude, with it attendant passion for self-promotion, had been allowed to remain unchallenged, unchecked at they moved into the future?
• No one would have placed the needs of the Kingdom of God above his or her needs for comfort and security.
• No real cooperation would have been possible, especially if it involved sharing credit or recognition for any good accomplished.
• No one would have been willing to serve in the small, out-of-the-way place without constantly scheming to secure the larger, prominent place.
• None of the entrenched leaders would have been willing to hear a new idea from anyone not in their circle.
• No one—as Barnabus did for Paul (as John and Peter apparently did for others)—would have been willing to mentor a younger disciple lest that individual gain greater prominence than they.
The list could go on but you can see how the church would have been crippled if such self-serving attitudes dominated.
They had already settled into eating. Jesus, no doubt at the head of the table, looked at the men who had spent the past few years with him, looked at them with love. Within twenty-four hours he would make the ultimate sacrifice for them and for those who would believe in the future. Even though the ordeal of the passion was only a few hours away, he thought of them. So, as John tells us, “Jesus got up…and laid his [outer] clothes aside. He took a towel and wrapped it around his waist…put water in a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet.”
Culturally, this was unheard of. In Judaism a teacher did not carry any burden if one of his disciples was nearby. That disciple would gladly take it and carry it for his teacher. Jesus’ actions may have easily shocked the disciples into momentary silence.
But on another level, there is something beyond the cultural anomaly in his actions. R. C. H. Lenski, the Lutheran New Testament scholar who taught so long at Capital, wrote this comment on verse 3 (“Jesus knew that the Father had put everything into his hands.”):
“All things were in Jesus’ hands when those hands washed the disciples’ feet. Yet we see that these hands are still in deepest humiliation--they have almighty power but do not use this power in majesty. John emphasizes the consciousness of Jesus that all things were in his hands in contrast with the traitorous hands of Judas and all the hellish powers that stood back of this action. John intends to say that, although Jesus knew all things were in his hands in those hours of hastening toward his death, he did not smite the traitor and the foes in league with to his son of perdition but followed his course of love, completed his mission, and of himself laid down his life to take it up again.”
The hands that John has told us created the world wiped away the dirt and dust from his disciples’ feet.
This same attitude of self-sacrificing service would take Jesus to the cross. There he would fulfill the Prophet Isaiah’s predictions regarding the work of the Suffering Servant who would surrender himself to abuse for the sake of his people. There his goal would be salvation.
Now, his goal was to awaken his disciples to how much their own attitudes needed to be transformed.
Of course, they didn’t waken to their need without protest. Peter’s response shows this.
Peter protested that this just wasn’t right. It was clearly wrong for the teacher to wash the feet of his disciples. Now, notice that, at this point, Peter is only protesting the violation of cultural norms and is, by no means, offering to finish the job himself.
Jesus’ initial response to Peter was direct and, possibly, not unprecedented. He said, “Wait, Peter, you don’t know what’s going on here.”
Peter, perhaps thinking he did know what was going on, said, “No way, Lord. You’re not going to wash my feet, not now or ever.”
Now, think about that, “Lord” and “No,” in the same sentence. Before we scold Peter too much we had probably better review the tapes to make sure we’ve never said something similar.
Anyway, it’s Jesus next statement that really captures his attention. Jesus said, “If I don’t wash your feet, you have no part of me.” That got Peter’s attention. But what was Jesus saying?
I understand Jesus to mean something like this. “Peter, if you can’t submit to this, you don’t understand what I’m all about. If you don’t see the role humble service toward others has played in my work, you can’t be on my team. If you still believe you can tell me how I can and cannot carry out my mission, you’re not ready to do my work.”
I’m going to talk about more about the dialogue Peter and Jesus have in a moment. Right now, let me observe some of the dynamics illustrated here. These dynamics continue to be at work in almost every church.
Within every church there are those who are willing to be part of “The Order of the Throne and the Crown.” These are people who want to run things, people who insist on their share of the accolades. Their life-verse is Hezekiah 4:6, “If ye tooteth not thy own horn, the same shall not be tooted.” (For the sake of those who might be new to the Bible, stop looking in your index—I made that up.) Anyway, people who think like that create cliques around themselves and encourage those cliques to be more loyal to them than to the church. Because the status quo has given them a place of prominence, they often make any real change impossible.
Thankfully, within almost every church there are those who are willing to be part of “The Order of the Towel and the Basin.” What a contrast these people are. They are the men and women who serve faithfully year after year, never asking to be specially recognized. If their name is inadvertently omitted from some list of workers being honored, they don’t angrily call the pastor to complain. Whether the task they are doing puts them in the spotlight or keeps them in the shadows doesn’t matter. They’re simply glad for the opportunity to serve.
In some churches the members of the Order of the Throne and the Crown insist on having their contributions memorialized on brass plaques, in those same churches you can sometimes find the members of the Order of the Towel and the Basin quietly dusting those plaques.
But, now let’s go on with the story by considering …
The Servant’s Encouragement
The stories John recorded often involved layers of meaning. Sometimes there is a story within a story. The dialogue between Jesus and Peter is almost parenthetical to this story about Jesus’ washing the disciples’ feet. That story could have been told without mentioning their discussion.
The dialogue reflected Peter’s response to Jesus’ warning that a refusal to allow him to wash Peter’s feet would mean the disciple had “no part” with Jesus.
An unnerved Peter exclaimed, ``Lord, wash not only my feet; wash my hands and head, too!'' Peter was probably thinking, “O, man, I’ve blown it again. I’d better make up for it. If washing my feet is good, washing the rest of me has to be better.”
At this point Peter was still misunderstanding what Jesus was about. He seems to have thought only in terms of the ritual. He was confused but that shouldn’t surprise us. Jesus had already said, “You’re not going to understand just now, but you will later on.”
So, Jesus responded by with an observation which every person present would have understood—on a purely physical level--Jesus said, ``The person who has already had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean.” Traditionally, a Jewish person bathed before the Passover meal; that being true, a brief walk to the site of the meal would only make their feet dusty or dirty. Having already washed their bodies, only their feet would need washing.
That simple response seemed to satisfy Peter. The reference to one of them not being clean was probably misunderstood to mean that someone had not bathed before coming. Only later did he understand the reference was to Judas and only later did he appreciate the full implications of Jesus’ words, words that would be encouraging once they were understood.
Time would reveal there were two important principles and two great promises implicit in this brief dialogue. The principles demand we make a reality check when we examine our spiritual lives. The promises are the Servant-Savior’s encouragement in the face of what we discover.
Here are the two principles: First, there is a cleansing every person needs if they would be a Christian. Second, every Christian needs a source of continual cleansing to deal with those sins that mar our fellowship with Christ.
Now, here are the two great promises: First, Jesus promises the spiritual cleansing we need to become a Christian, one of his followers. Because of his death on the cross we may receive forgiveness when we place our faith in him. Jesus was referring to what his great work on the cross would accomplish. The Servant Who Died would provide spiritual cleansing for those who believed.
Second, Jesus promises the spiritual cleansing we need to deal with those sins that threaten our fellowship with and effectiveness with him. Bernard of Clairvaux understood this was behind the imagery: "Feet-washing is cleansing of those daily offenses which seem inevitable for those who walk in the dust of the world.”
Before the night was over Peter would fail Jesus miserably. After the resurrection, he would discover the reality of those promises.
Every person who would follow Jesus’ example as a servant needs those promises. Without them we can become spiritually self-centered, thinking only of how we can enhance our chances of acceptance before God. With those promises, we are free to serve others with sincerity and genuine selfless concern.
We are then ready to hear,,,,
The Servant’s Exhortation
Jesus finished his menial task and returned to the table. Then he provided a brief explanation for his outrageous behavior. (12-17)
That evening, when Jesus established the Order of the Towel and Basin, he demonstrated a great humility. He challenged his followers to think about what he had done, to consider it in the light of their understanding of his identity.
They had called him “Teacher and Lord” and not once did he contradict them. In fact, here and elsewhere he accepted their assessment. What they said about him was true. In this role he had the perfect right to be served.
That was the basis of his challenge. And at this point Jesus’ logic is clear: If I’m not too good to do such an act of menial service, neither are you.
So, Jesus said follow my example—I’ve washed your feet, you wash one another’s feet.
I’ve already said I don’t believe Jesus was commanding us to do exactly what he did that evening. Instead, when he told them he had given them an example, I think he was calling on them to discover ways to serve those they encountered, serve them with a selfless love. He had provided a pattern, now they would find ways to put it into practice.
One of the reasons I struggled with the foot-washing on the youth missions was the fact that if felt most of our youth had been busy “washing feet” all week.
I thought of the young boy who told me he had cleaned a toilet in a soup kitchen, cleaned a toilet for the first time in his life. Now, I suspect the toilet at his home was often cleaned—but I’ll let you guess who cleaned it.
I thought of how our youth played with the young children they met, children who were sometimes dirty, children who touched their blond hair with sticky fingers because they had never seen hair like it.
I thought of how our youth group, usually being the smallest, so often had the privilege of cleaning up the restrooms at the end of the week.
They had already learned how to wash feet.
Conclusion
Over the centuries the church has often made its greatest impression on a culture because simple Christians have washed the feet of those no one else would touch.
In the Roman world, when plagues ravaged cities, Christians didn’t join the exodus of those fleeing the disease. They stayed behind to help the sick and dying. Those acts of compassionate service cause the pagans to realize the anti-Christian propaganda was full of lies, caused them to consider the claims of Christ.
In our own era, the ministry of nuns to AIDS patients made most thinking people discount the attacks saying the church was indifferent to the crisis.
Of course, there are many ways we can heed the Servant’s exhortation, we only have to be willing to pick up the towel and the basin.
