THE SYMBOL OF FOOT-WASHING.
John 13:1-17.
JOHN 13:1. The Lord was fully aware that He was about to leave the world and return to His Father. However, He was not taking His disciples immediately out of this world, but was rather equipping them with a model of love and humility for their continuing sojourn here. Jesus’ ministry here is towards “His own,” gathered around the Communion table.
It is an incredible commentary on the humility of Christ that He loved His disciples even to the very end. This is not necessarily a temporal measurement, but rather a reference to the intensity of His love: He loved them to the uttermost. All that He did was with a selfless love, even when He knew that “His hour” had come.
JOHN 13:2. It is also remarkable to recollect the men whom He thus loved. In the first instance it was the disciples whom He termed Apostles, a band of men most of whom would desert Him in His crisis hour. Even Judas Iscariot was being offered one last chance to retract from his impending betrayal by the demonstration of our Lord’s love that would follow.
JOHN 13:3. More than this, Jesus was fully aware of His position in relation to the Father. Jesus had come from God, and was going to God. Yet knowing that the Father had committed all power into His hands, our Lord with loving condescension stooped down to wash the feet of His disciples.
JOHN 13:4-5. This provides an elucidation of the whole sacrificial ministry of Jesus: we must remember that this was the season of Passover, when the Paschal Lamb was sacrificed. Just as Jesus had ‘emptied Himself’ at the incarnation, setting aside the insignia of His divinity and ‘making Himself of no reputation’ (cf. Philippians 2:7); so now He “laid aside” His outer garments and washed the disciples’ feet. And later the Good Shepherd would ‘lay down’ His life for the sheep (cf. John 10:18).
JOHN 13:6-8. It would appear that there had been a breach of etiquette in that no-one had taken it upon themselves to wash the feet of the little company. When the Lord took the initiative in the matter, impetuous Peter resisted: “What, you wash my feet? Never!”
We may not understand everything just yet, but we must still submit ourselves to the work of the Lord: when we do so we will receive a better understanding hereafter (John 13:7). Meantime if we will not be washed by Jesus then perhaps we have no part with Him (John 13:8).
JOHN 13:9. Hearing this, Peter characteristically went to the other extreme: “Not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.”
JOHN 13:10. The person who has bathed, who has had their sins washed away by the blood of the Lamb, has no need to repeat this action in their lives. However, it is necessary to have the dirt and grime of everyday life, the daily sins which still so easily beset us, washed away in confession and prayer (cf. 1 John 1:9).
JOHN 13:11. Whilst the Lord pronounced that “not all” were clean Judas Iscariot was still capable of being pricked in his conscience, but to no avail.
JOHN 13:12-13. After Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, presumably without further interruption, He sat down and explained His actions. “You call me the Teacher and the Lord, you say well: I am.”
JOHN 13:14-16. The minute eyewitness details of this historic event provide us with a parabolic example of humility, the spirit of which we are to follow. If the Master has condescended to do this menial task, then surely His followers, His ‘sent ones,’ should do likewise.
We are exhorted to emulate this paradigm of humility. The Christian life, after all, is a life of selflessness and sacrifice (cf. 1 Peter 2:21). We must attire ourselves for service; and there will come a day when our Lord stands while we sit, and will attire Himself, and serve us (cf. Luke 12:37).
JOHN 13:17. It is not sufficient just to “know” these things. Our blessing only comes in “doing” them. Head-knowledge is not enough: we must put it into practise. Needless to say, foot-washing is a metaphor for all kinds of service.
