Washing Feet

26^th June 2010

John 13v2-17
The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel round his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped round him.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"
Jesus replied, "You do not realise now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."
Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."
"Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"
Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
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. "You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Jesus was doing three things here:

Firstly, He was prophesying His crucifixion

When Peter protested, Jesus said "You do not realise now what I am doing, but later you will understand".

One day soon, Peter would grasp that Jesus washed us with His own blood, sacrificed on the cross.

Secondly, He was demonstrating that He was our servant as well as our Lord

Jesus acknowledged that "You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’, and rightly so, for that is what I am" but he washed their feet. He sacrificed His own comfort for their sake.

This is the character of Jesus. He is a servant as well as a King. In Mark 10v45 Jesus said "even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many". And that's what He did, nailed to the cross until He died.

Thirdly, He was showing us that we should serve each other

Jesus said "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him."

He also said "Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them".

The if you do them part is important. As James 1v22 says, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." Jesus said:

Matthew 7v24-5
"everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

Who is wise? The one who hears the words of Jesus and puts them into practice.

To wash another person's feet is to do a dirty, humble, unpleasant thing for the benefit of that other person. Do we gladly accept unglamorous, thankless, menial tasks for the comfort and blessing of our brothers and sisters and the glory of God? To put it another way, who washes the toilets in your church? They are the ones who are following in Christ's footsteps.