WASHING THE SAINT'S FEET
"Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put 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 was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside His garments; and took a towel, and girded Himself. After that He poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded." (John 13:1-5).
This act of our Lord's was meant to be much more than
merely an example of humility for His disciples. Jesus was not just proving to them that He
wasn't afraid to get His hands dirty.
No, this was something far beyond that.
There was a more elemental lesson that the Lord needed to leave with His
children before He departed to be with His heavenly Father.
Jesus' motivation was clear enough. The scripture reveals at least five things
that motivated what He did that night, none of which was to teach humility to
the disciples. They were:
· Knowing that He was soon to depart out of the world;
· Loving to the end His disciples which were to remain in
the world;
· Knowing that the devil had put into Judas' heart to
betray Him;
· Knowing that the Father had given Him all things;
· Knowing that He came from God, and went to God.
Peter missed the point altogether. When Jesus approached him to wash his feet,
he refused, saying, "Thou
shalt never wash my feet." The Lord tried to tell Peter that he wasn't
going to "get it" right away, but later on it would become clear to
him. He told Peter that if He didn't
wash his feet, then Peter would have no part with Him. At that point, impetuous Peter asked Jesus to
wash his feet, his hands, and his head!
Jesus answered him by saying, "He
that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every
whit." (v. 10). This statement got to the core of what Jesus
wanted His followers to learn. He was
telling them that they had been thoroughly cleansed by their faith in Him, and
by their heart-felt repentance. Being
now cleansed, He wanted them to see that the only thing that would get dirty
now would be their feet - that part of the body that would touch the world from
day-to-day.
Once we have been washed by the blood of our Lord Jesus
Christ, we are indeed clean; but we continue to walk in this world. There are many things in this world that can
"soil" us. The feet are just
symbolic. We get dirty wherever we
touch, and are touched, by the world and its ways. We can become tempted, persecuted, falsely
accused, oppressed by the evil around us; affected by the world's unbelief; and
marred in myriads of different ways.
This can affect our attitude, and steal our peace and joy. How necessary it is, then, to have our feet
washed constantly, because the world is pressing in on us constantly. It has a way of spoiling our spirit if left
unchecked. Just a few words from another
believer, though, can lift our spirits, and remind us that our God is in
control. It doesn't have to be a sermon
- a brother or sister just sharing a verse that spoke to them can encourage and
bless.
Have you ever noticed how clean you feel on Sunday
morning after you have heard the Word of God and been reminded of the things
that are freely given to you by God?
Your faith is stirred, and you come away feeling refreshed! This is what it means to have our feet
washed, but it's not something that we should wait for until Sunday
morning. We need this constantly. This is why the Bible tells us that the early
Christians met daily from house to house.
They found that as they visited one another, and sought each other's
fellowship, they were made stronger and their faith was stirred. We, too, will benefit from our contact with
other believers, whether it be our family, co-workers, or church members.
We also should be ready and able to wash the feet of
our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Jesus told the disciples, "If
I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one
another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye
should do as I have done to you."
(vs. 14, 15). Jesus set His own garments aside, and wrapped
the towel around Him. As He washed the
disciples’ feet, He took their dirt upon Himself. We, too, ought to bear one another's burdens
and so fulfill the love of God for each other.
As we share the goodness of God with each other day by day, we are
washing the feet of our brothers and sisters, and refreshing their souls. As we minister to them in this way, we are
loosening their burdens, and taking their cares to ourselves. We are pointing them to the Savior Who can
bear every burden, and heal every hurt.
Remember, Jesus was motivated not only by His great
love for His children, but also by the knowledge that He was soon to depart
this world and could not wash the saint's feet directly anymore. Knowing that all things were given to Him by
the Father, however, He knew that God would send the Holy Spirit into the
hearts of His children, and that that same Spirit would comfort and wash over
them. It would then be their task,
through the Spirit, to minister to one another.
Every Christian therefore has a responsibility to share
Christ with every other believer in order to uplift, encourage, and lighten their
burdens. It is not a work that Jesus
told just the pastors to do, or just the teachers, or just the elders. He meant it to be the responsibility of every
believer. This is what is meant by
speaking the truth in love so that we, "…may
grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from Whom the
whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according
to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." (Ephesians
4:15b, 16).
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