Wash One Another's Feet

March 15, 2022

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, "Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them (John 13:12-17).

Whereas Baptism and Communion are ordinances given by Jesus to the church to practice perpetually, foot washing is an example that Jesus gave to teach a spiritual lesson. An ordinance (diatage) is an injunction, an institute, a decree or command. An example (hypodeigma) is an exhibit for imitation or warning; an instance serving for illustration.

In verses 4-11 Jesus humbled Himself to serve His disciples by washing their feet. It was yet another necessary demonstration of His humility that was indicative of His entire human life - the incarnation, obedience to Joseph and Mary, baptism by John the Baptizer, subjection to the authority of the Chief Priests and Elders of Israel, His experiencing all the attributes of a broken humanity (pain, suffering, hunger, thirst, weariness, rejection, etc.). But this wasn’t the point of His washing the disciple’s feet.

Jesus not only taught in parables and in direct instruction, but also in object lessons. This is one of those object lessons, the point of which was to impress upon the disciples the necessity to humble themselves before each other as an expression of love for one another. (John 13:34-35) A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. How is this demonstrated? (Philippians 2:1-4) Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

The disciples, for the entirety of their 3-year discipleship, had demonstrated their individuality, independence, ego, prejudice, even hatred for others. Even on the very night of the last Passover they were arguing over who would occupy the chief seats in the Kingdom of Christ rather than somberly weighing the significance of the very observance they were to celebrate.

Rather than celebrating the colloquialisms and idioms of our culture, i.e. ‘Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps’, ‘Look out for #1', ‘He that tooteth not his own horn, the same doth not get tooted’, etc., Jesus teaches us to humble ourselves before God and others, to engage in humble, loving service to others. This is the posture of the true Christian disciple. Amen.

Pastor

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