"WASh ONE ANOTHER'S FEET"
“WASH ONE ANOTHER’S FEET”
John 13:14
Preached by: Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Sunday, July 10, 2011
John 13:14: “If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, which you should do as I have done to you.”
After the institution of the Lord’s Supper, “Jesus rises from supper, laid aside His garments; and took a towel, and girded Himself. He pours water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded.”
Why would Christ do this? He even tells Peter in verse 7, “What I do, you do not now know; but you shall know hereafter.”
“Our Lord Jesus, having loved his own who were in the world, loved them to the end. This is true of the disciples who were his immediate followers, in particular the twelve. These were his own. In the world, they were his bosom-friends. These he loved, he called them into fellowship with himself, was always tender of them. He allowed them to be very free with him, and bore with their infirmities. He loved them to the end. He never took away his loving kindness. Though there were some persons of quality that supported his cause, he did not lay aside his old friends, but still stuck to his poor fishermen. Though he reproved them often, he never ceased to love them and take care of them.” (Matthew Henry)
The disciples had just a few minutes before betrayed the weakness of their love to him, in grudging the ointment that was poured upon his head. (Matt. 26:8) “A woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it upon His head as He reclined at the table. But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, why this waste? For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.”
The act of Jesus taking off his outer clothing is an act of humiliation which, in its fullest expression meant for Him the laying down of His life. There can be no further allegorical significance than this, and to look for it is to overlook verse 15 which plainly states that the act was primarily an example for the disciples as well as for us. Jesus took the slave’s posture, when He took the towel, which indeed He adopted supremely as the servant of the Lord.
No matter what the Lord commissions any of us to do, we will never rise above our calling as a servant of the Lord to serve one another. Men must not only have the desire to serve Christ, but to accept His service for them.
Rising from the table, He disrobes and girds Himself as a slave. The towel being the symbol of a slave in the East. This act pictures the thing of which He is now so fully aware---the laying aside of His robe of glory in the heavens to stoop to the depths of shame for those He loved to the limit.
The washing of feet should have been cared for before the meal. Apparently there was no host to see that the disciple’s feet were washed. Neither were any slaves about. No disciple volunteered to do the job. Luke says they were too busy arguing who was the greatest among them since the lowest in rank would inherit the task.
Luke’s description of the institution of the Lord’s Supper in Chapter 22:23-32 describes in detail this argument. “And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing (betray Jesus). There was a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority over them are called benefactors. But you shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that does serve. For who is greater, he that sits at meat, or he that serves? Is not he that sits at meat? But I am among you as he that serves. You are they which have continued with Me in My temptations. I appoint to you a kingdom, as My Father has appointed to Me. That you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not; and when you are converted, strengthen your brethren.”
The absence of slaves no doubt kindled their struggle for preeminence. When their debate was the hottest, Jesus arose from the table to assume the role of a slave. The room was instantly silent. Then he brought Part II of His lesson, bending to the task they shunned.
Then He comes to Simon Peter, who just received a warning that he was going to be sifted. Peter said to Him, Lord are you going to wash my feet? Jesus replied, “You don’t understand what I am doing, but later on you will.” Peter then says, Never, ever, will I let you wash my feet.
Nothing goes smoothly when Peter gets into the act! He should have been used to the Lord’s teaching through prophetic action. He is too shocked to think. Here they have all been arguing about rank. The Greek text reveals Peter’s protest to be strikingly bold and self-willed. The disciple does not show the slightest reverence. Literally his words mean, “As long as the world stands, You shall never wash my feet!”
Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash your feet, you have no part with Me.”
Peter’s continued refusal would have ended his disciple relationship with Jesus, for the Lord made it dependent upon this one single point. Peter retorts, “If washing my feet means fellowship with You, don’t stop there. Wash the rest of me too!” Peter is still not tenderly submissive. He is dictatorial and the Lord must deal with him further.
Jesus corrects him. “A man who is bathed is completely clean, with the exception of his feet. And all of you are so cleansed---that is, all except one.” The reason Jesus said “all except one,” was because He knew who His betrayer was.
The Lord now turns Peter’s blustering mistake to good account. “Bathed”, speaks of salvation, the washing of regeneration. “Washed,” speaks of the believer’s frequent rinsing (by confession) of the sins accumulated in his daily walk. Jesus is dramatizing the cleansing of the daily defilement when He washed the disciples’ feet. We are obliged to allow Him do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Jesus is teaching that truth when He warns Peter that continued fellowship with Him depends on daily spiritual cleansing.
After washing their feet and putting His garments back on, Jesus returned to His place at the table. Then He asked, “Do you understand what I have just done to you? You call Me teacher and master, and rightly so, for that is precisely what I am. If I then, who am the Teacher and the Master, washed your feet, you ought also to be willing to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example which teaches you to do as I have done.
(Vs. 16-17) “Verily, verily, I say to you, The servant is not greater than his Lord;’ neither he that is sent greater then he that sent him. If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.”
Why was Peter being sifted? Proverbs 15:23: “The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility.” Proverbs 18:12: “Before destruction the heart of man is haughty and before honor is humility.”
Proverbs 22:4: “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honor, and life.”
Peter learned this lesson well was converted and strengthened all of us through his ministry and word.
1 Peter 5:5; “Likewise you younger submit yourselves unto the elder, Yes all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility; for God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.
Thank you Lord for praying for Peter that his faith would not fail him. I pray for all the saints today Lord, that you will shower us with your great grace that we may be willing to wash one another’s feet (minister to one-another’s weakness; strengthen each other spiritually; and helping one another to live holy lives without condemnation, criticism, or pre-eminence.)
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
Scripture from K.J.V.; quotes from Matthew Henry; F. F. Bruce Bible Commentary, David J. Ellis; C. S. Lovett’s Lights on John. Comments and conclusions are my own and not meant to reflect the views of those from whom I have gleaned.