"Between the Toes Too Please"
John 13:1-17
Pastor Dave Campbell
If you’ve ever spent time around farm animals, you may see a number of similarities between them and us people. Chickens, for example, have an interesting tendency to set up a social order in which the strong pick on the weak. Or maybe I should say "peck". The most dominant chicken will peck on the head of weaker chickens. The next most dominant bird then pecks on everyone else’s head except for the chicken more dominant than him, and so it goes all the way down to the lowliest chicken. Everyone pecks on his head and he pecks on no one. He is quite easy to spot. He’ll be the bleeding, bald-headed bird always looking over his shoulder. This is called the "pecking order".
The term has often been used to describe the way humans set up a social order whether in small groups or large communities, but especially in small, close social situations. We can even see it happening in the social dynamics that took place between the disciples of Jesus. More than once we see them jockeying for position and bickering over their prominence in the Kingdom. This quest for position and power appears to come to a full head by the time Jesus had the pass-over meal with them in the upper room. One by one, they filed into the room prepared for this special meal with Jesus. I’m sure when they entered, they would look around for someone to wash their feet before eating, but since no one was arranged to serve in this manner, they sat down with dirty feet. The job of washing the feet of dinner guests was the task of the lowest slave; the one at the bottom of the pecking order. With thoughts of glory and grandeur in their heads, none were about to wash any old feet! Jesus now gets up from the table to the astonished, blank gazes of the disciples, removes his outer clothing and wraps a towel around His waist and provides us with one of the most beautiful and significant living parables in the Bible. This event provides us with very practical and spiritual applications:
I. PRACTICAL
In a practical way, this story addresses the issue of:
a. PRIDE
Over and over, Jesus taught his followers about the value of humility. Now the Lord placed them in a situation in which they must act it out. To be effective as Christ-followers, pride would need to be broken! A cursory look at the book of Proverbs reveals a great deal about the problem of pride. Proud people seek prestige and honor (25:6). The proud individual believes that he is control of his own future (27:1) and is self-reliant (28:26). He will be blind to his own faults (30:12) and will exaggerate his own attributes (25:14). Egotists in the end have a tendency to stir up strife (28:25) as we have seen happening in the relational dynamics of the disciples. Pride sets us up for a fall (16:18), turns people against us and us against them (13:10), debases people (29:23) and puts us in trouble with God (6:16,17). No wonder it is at the top of God’s hate list!
b. PRIVACY
By nature, we like our privacy. A more senior pastor and close friend of mine used to greet me enthusiastically whenever I met him at a conference. He would grab me and talk to me just inches away from my face. Way too close for me! The more I tried to back up, the closer he got. I could see every pore in his skin and tell what he had for breakfast. More than I wanted to know. What was worse, he could tell if I had any blackheads on the end of my nose and that was more than I wanted anyone to know! He was just a warm and friendly guy, but he invaded the borders of my private and personal space and it made me feel uncomfortable. The problem with valuing our personal space is that real ministry occurs up close and personal. Laying on of hands, anointing with oil, caring for the sick cannot happen at a distance and I suspect that Jesus wanted to get that across to these future healers of hearts.
c. INDEPENDENCE
Whenever I ask someone the question, "What would you find most difficult: washing someone’s feet or having someone wash yours?" The answer was always the same. Having someone wash my feet bothers me a bit. I confess. I have a very independent streak in me. I do for myself thank you very much and these feet don’t need your help. I can wash them on my own, no problem. Besides, I don’t want another person to see the dirt between my toes and under my toenails. I have been dealing with toe jam for a good many years now with out the help of other people and I’ll be just fine now. The problem with this thinking, however is that it is far from the spirit of the Christian faith. An independent nature is not a highly valued trait for a Christian. In fact, we are placed in a family where we are mutually dependent for ministry and encouragement and edification. We need each other to survive and flourish as a church. (PS: The Lord and I are working on it.)
d. JEALOUSY
Remember that the disciples had been bickering over primacy in the Kingdom. Although they had a common bond in Jesus, they did not necessarily like each other. The air was thick with jealousy and suspicion. So there they sat with dirt and mud stuck to their feet. Far be it from any of them to humiliate themselves and grab a towel. Their heads were too full of glory and prestige and position to do such a thing. Besides, doing such a thing would typecast him as the chicken at the bottom of the pecking order. Every one would expect him to wash feet all the time from now on. They were all too busy worrying about taking a throne to be concerned about grabbing a towel!
So Jesus did it. Love took the initiative and the disciples sat agaste that the King would stoop to this job. He went from person to person, from dirty foot to dirty foot and blew their foolish, egotistical pride away.
A pastor told me of a foot washing service he attended. A lady in the congregation was offended at his wife Doris over something she had said or done. Providentially, the lady was called upon to wash Doris’ feet. As she did, God’s Spirit came upon her and broke her heart. Forgiveness and reconciliation took place then and there. It is very hard to stay mad or jealous of someone washing your feet.
II SPIRITUAL
Outspoken and spontaneous Peter did what he did best: open his mouth and talk. John 13:6-10 gives us the story of Peter’s reaction to the whole scenario. Feeling that it was wrong for Jesus to stoop to this level for him, he objected and refused this service from His Lord. "Jesus answered, ’Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.’" Over-reacting as always, " ’Then Lord,’ Simon Peter replied, ’not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!’" What Jesus said at this point opens to us the truth of regeneration. Now He was speaking in spiritual terms. If you have been washed initially when He saved you from sin and you became a born-again child of God, further such cleansing is unnecessary (See Titus 3:5). He was speaking of that initial salvation which occurred when the heart believed and received Christ as Savior and Lord. But we do need our walk cleansed on a continual basis! No matter how holy you are or think you are, we all experience the incidental defilements from casual contact with the world we live in. We get dirty and grimy and grungy as we pick up the dust and dirt of a sinful world. Perhaps you feel it though the week. Your job wears you down. Working and living in an unregenerate world leaves you feeling a bit dirty and out of touch with heaven. Therefore, when we come together on Wednesday or Sunday to gather in His Presence, we sense our need for cleansing before we can really enter into intimate fellowship with the Lord. Christian fellowship is meant to be a cleansing experience! The worship, the singing and the music, the ministry of the Word, the fellowship of the saints, the encouragement and contact of those of like precious faith is a real spiritual foot washing. This only really happens when we consciously resolve to minister to one another in humility, openness and love. This cleansing fellowship doesn’t happen when there is pride, bitterness and jealousy. This is why you’ve heard me say that you cannot remain in a ministry if you have a dislike or carry an attitude toward someone within the scope of your ministry. This is not allowed! "Be ye kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love, in honor preferring one another." (Romans 12:10)
CONCLUSION:
"When he had finished washing their feet, He put on His clothes and returned to His place. ’Do you understand what I have done for you?’ He asked them."
Now look at Philippians 2:5-11. It is known as the Kenosis passage. Kenosis means to empty. Let’s read it together.
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. But made Himself of no reputation and took upon Him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in the appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exhalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every name, that every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Can you picture it? In the upper room, Jesus got up from His seat, removed His outer garments, put on a towel to serve and minister to His people and when He was finished, put His garments back on and sat down again. What an object lesson of Philippians 2:5-11! He left His place in Glory, removed the outer appearance of divinity for a time and took on the form of a servant or slave. His humility caused Him to go right to the cross to save us. When He was finished the work of redemption, He put His garments of divinity back on and went back to sit at the right hand of the Father!
Jesus instructs us to follow His example and do the same for those in our ministry. Although we do not normally practice foot washing as some other churches do, we must follow the example of loving and humble service to others if we desire to be truly used of God! Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up!
