WASHING THE FEET

The Washing of Feet

John 13:1-11

We have neither parable, nor parabolic illustration in this paragraph; but we have the record of a parabolic and symbolic action on the part of our Master attempting to teach the church His threefold ministry taking His own to the perfection required to enter His Kingdom as perfected fellow servants who shall rule and reign with Him in His Kingdom. Our Lord's application of what He did shows what is necessary for those that are truly His as their journey ends as His is nearing. A Threefold Godhead works to save the elect and He does a threefold ministry as His part in the Godhead’s work of salvation. A past work (justification) (bread and cup), a present work (sanctification) (washing – of the feet), and a future work (glorification – wedding feast) at their journeys end whether by rapture or death.

It occurs in this wonderful section of John's record in which our Lord is seen at the end of His public ministry alone with His own disciples. All the public teaching was over, and the works wrought in the sight of the multitudes had ceased. He had gathered around Him that first little band whom He had chosen to be with Him, and that He might send forth in His name. Through these chapters (John 13-17) there was no stranger there. Jesus was alone with His own. There were thirteen men there; our Lord Himself, and twelve others. Very soon the number was reduced. As a matter of fact, this very parabolic action led to the exclusion of Judas; the cleansing of His own. One was in need of exclusion; the rest needed their feet cleansed to picture His present ministry with His own as well as His final ministry when He returns a 2nd time. Don’t let church dogma exclude you from what He was here teaching His own. Peter had trouble with this teaching but was warned not to interfere with the Despot Who has all authority in heaven and earth. The One with the sole authority to teach the faith and practice of those who are still on this earth until His return that He promised.

We give attention then to the action in itself, and proceed first to ask, what was our Lord intending to illustrate in His action on this memorable occasion? Then we will examine the figure revealed in the action, and which He thus employed for teaching His own. Finally we seek to gather for ourselves the teaching that lies within it.

What was the subject He was illustrating? We have a remarkable glimpse here in the beginning, of the mind of the Lord Himself, His consciousness, the matters that were possessing His thought, and hav­ing their influence upon all He said, and all He did. That mind is remarkably revealed in the opening words of the chapter, "Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing." This obviously was not the Passover meal, for it was the preparation meal the day prior. The Passover was tomorrow. That plain statement is hard for some people for their churches have doctrine that can't have that be true. And the other important statement is repeated in vs. 3, "Jesus knowing." His conversation with the Father hours before spoken of in John 12:49-50 says He has just received instruction from the One Who sent Him to earth to do His work giving Him a commandment, what He should say, and what He should speak. The importance of this is too often not recognized. And also He adds to the magnitude of what He was told to say but telling them the rest of what Daniel saw 100’s of years before when Jesus came out of the grave and returned to the One Who sent Him to receive what He tells them in John 13:3 concerning three“all things”. The Father had told Him to tell them He had been given “all things into His hands” at this point. Daniel saw that happen and told the Jewish nation that back in Dan. 7:13-14.

What did He know? First that His hour was come that He should depart out of the world unto the Father (the Ancient of Days). I am not concerned with what follows, although it is important. John here emphasizes the con­sciousness of Christ at the time. That was the ultimate thing, the first thing, that He knew that His hour was come. What hour? That "He should depart out of this world unto the Father." (Dan. 7:13) The conscious­ness of Christ is marvelously revealed to us, and the merging in it of His knowledge of all that lay before Him, all the terror that was in front of Him, and yet the consciousness of triumph through the terror (Dan. 7:14). He knew His hour was come when the Greeks came. He then said "The hour is come that the Son of man (Jewish Messiah) should be glorified (job finished)." Perfection at the end (made perfect by the things He suffered) (Heb. 5:8-9). Now the hour was come. The Greeks could only see Him as He went down into death, and came out again in resurrection power, as the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies. Now, He knew that the hour was come that He should depart out of the world. With all reverence, by way of interpretation, He knew how He was to depart out of the world. He had been telling His disciples for six months over and over again of the method of His going. This caused their hearts to be troubled. (John 14:1) Now He knew that the hour had come, and He knew the method of it, He knew the issue of it. Yes, He was departing out of the world, but where was He going? To the Father, and the note of perfect assurance and victory is there. That is one thing He knew. All things placed in His hands and under His control. Dominion, glory and His Kingdom awaited His entrance into the presence of the Father whom He was serving as the Son of man.

What was the other thing that John says He knew? I am not concerned with the immediate application of it, but with the general stating. He knew that "the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He came forth from God, and goeth unto God." Daniel says dominion, glory, and a Kingdom awaited Him. (Dan. 7:14) Jesus knew scripture so well and had constant conversation with the Father Who sent Him that nothing came as a surprise. He knew by scripture that Judas had to leave the room. As in the case of the Temple cleansing He removed all that was untrue to this gathering of men. There was the consciousness that His hour was come, and there was the certain consciousness of His own authority, which He had received from His Father. "All things were delivered into His hands." And after coming back from the grave all authority was given to Him in both heaven and earth (Matt. 28:18). We look at Him, and as we look we wonder. All things? Just beyond is the Cross, when He was delivered into the hands of sinful men. That is only the surface outlook. All things were delivered into His hands, and He knew that; and He knew that He had come from God, and was going to God. Dominion, glory and a Kingdom and at the Second Coming the establishment of that for which He had come this time to introduce to His own, but they didn’t want Him ruling their lives. And that is the state of America, Europe, Africa and Asia including Israel, who is now in the center stage. They do not want God ruling their lives or their countries; that is individually or nationally or they would have accepted Who the Father sent.. That is the background. But what else is here? We have the background of the disciples, those who were round about Him, and of all that had been happening amongst them during the previous six months to which we have referred already. Ponder again carefully those last six months, from Caesarea Philippi and Peter's confession and the Cross. Do not forget He had never explicitly told them He was going to the Cross till then; but from that moment there was a feeling of estrangement. The ruling parties were plotting His murder while the disciples couldn’t believe His telling them of His departure especially through death. They could not understand. I am not criticizing them. They did not see the two comings in the OT scriptures. We should not have understood; and they did not. Even though we find over and over again our Lord told them about His Cross, took them aside to tell them, and to tell them carefully in detail; and in every case we find these two startling facts, that He never told them about His Cross but that He also mentioned His resurrection; and also that in every case, immediately after His emphasizing of His Cross, they were disputing, quarreling as to who was the greatest.
There they were, men thinking about their own preeminence, and their own positions of power; and there is a sense in which that was all permissible, and yet it was entirely self-centered. They proved they were not capable of ruling and reigning with Him. He taught them power and authority only comes after perfect compliance to the Father’s will. Who is the greatest (Jesus)? In that Kingdom who shall have the position of power, and two men thought they ought to have it, and got their mother to speak for them. It is a way mothers have sometimes! Jesus informed them it was the one with a perfected heart, like the Servant of God Who came not to be served but to serve. When they had done this, the ten were angry with them for having done it and the reason was the ten were angry because they wanted the position themselves. That is not being unkind to them. There is the background. Jesus knew what was in their hearts, and by that symbolic action, that parabolic action, the subject illustrated was first the heart of the Lord Himself that those men might see Him by a simple act yet so sublime that it holds us in its control today. Therefore in order that they might understand what was lacking in the true responsibility of their discipleship, the subject illustrated in this parabolic action was the heart of the Lord, and the responsibilities yet future He would perform in order that they might rule and reign with Him in His Kingdom..

Now the figure itself. What was this that Jesus did? Vs. 10, "Jesus saith to Peter, He that is bathed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit; and ye are clean, but not all." He spoke of Judas who was not bathed. Christ commanded him to leave and he did. I am not now concerned with the last part of the verse. "He that is bathed needeth not save to wash his feet." The Authorized Version renders this, "He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet." You want power and authority in the Kingdom, you first need a cleansing in addition to the blood bath you already had. The Revised Version has the word "bathed," "He that is bathed." I think the word "bathed" is better, for there are two Greek verbs there, which give us in a flash the picture behind this, and the thing Jesus was using as an illustration. The first of the Greek verbs rendered "washed" in the Authorized, and now rendered "bathed" in the Revised is a verb that means just that, to bathe the whole person, the verb luuo; whereas the verb nipto is to cleanse the hands or feet, that is, wash, and it is distinct from bathing. Jesus said to Peter, He that is bathed only needs to wash his feet. To bathe meant complete cleansing, and the picture behind this is that of a man having been to the baths, and completely bathed, taking his way home through the dust of the highway, contracting dust upon his feet, and when he reaches home he will cleanse his feet from defilement contracted after he has bathed. That is an Eastern figure, and all would be familiar with it as Jesus said, "He that is bathed needeth not save to wash his feet." After the complete cleansing of the bath, that does not need to be repeated; but he does need to be cleansed from any defilement as he walks by the way. That is what our Lord was illustrating. So He said to them, you are all clean, but you are not home yet. You have all been bathed, but you may have contracted defilement in your walk to your new home. I will await you and wash you at your arrival. But you ought to practice this till you finish your course (John 3:14). The figure of speech was an Eastern one of the bath and the foot washing. Jesus was a Jew.
He adds that happy, blessed (born-again) are those who follow His example (hupedeiknumi) or pattern for His own (John 13:15). He had just been given command of this by the Father Who sent Him (vs. 16) so now you have a moral obligation (ought) to follow Me. See Me as I am (1 John 3:2). The husband cares for His wife (Eph. 5:25-27) and those verses reveal the extent of His love (clear to the end of her journey - (John 13:1) which is to be the final washing so she arrives perfect at her new home.

Look at the story once more, and observe what Jesus did. The action must have been very arresting to those men, because it must have been something entirely unusual. To wash the feet of these men sitting round the board was a most unusual procedure. Notice the statement of vs. 2, "during supper." In vs. 4 we are told, knowing these things, He "riseth from supper, and layeth aside His garments." What He did, He did then, "He riseth from supper." Again this was the preparation meal for the Passover that was tomorrow. The alternative is that during the meal He did this; or at the close He did it, and not at first. It is difficult for the Western mind to see the oddness of this action. This was not the close of a journey, when they constantly brought water to wash away the dust of the highway. But He had been given a commandment from His Father to teach the faithful of what He would do for them at their arrival in heaven before the Feast He would prepare them for their wedding. After the washing they would get white robes as they reveal their perfect state with that display. The particular description of that unusual procedure would immediately arrest their special attention. What could it mean that the One Who was practically the Host, suddenly in the midst of the meal, or when it was over; did what men usually did at their arrival at the house? He revealed what He would do when they arrived at the house He was going to prepare for them. (John 14:2)

He said to them, do you know what I have done? They did not understand. But they would when the Comforter would teach them what He meant by all this. Next we see the removal of Judas from the group, a cleansing act of the Teacher and Master. For the heart of Judas was Satan inspired by hatred, as the result of satanic action, a determination to betray. In the heart of Jesus there was the passion to serve His Father, and to teach His faithful His final act when they arrived to the home He was going to prepare for them

It was the Servant of God who was girded about the loins with a towel of homespun or common material. Jesus taking a towel, laying aside His garments, girded Himself, drew it around Him, and revealed to them of their need at the arrival of the home He was going to prepare for them. Taking a basin, and pouring water, He taught them His act He would need to do for them to complete their perfecting. Whether Peter was the first, I will not argue; but supposing he was, He knelt down at Peter's feet, and began as the Servant of God will do, to wash the feet of the disciples before they enter their new home that He was going to prepare for them. When Peter protested, Jesus said, "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me." Perfection is required at the end of the journey (Matt. 5:48). I love to read his answer, after his protest, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head." You only need bathed once but the cleansing after salvation is different.

Did Peter understand that last phrase of the Sermon on the Mount. Did he realize the necessity of that final cleansing before going into the presence of the Father, the ancient of Days. Yes, Peter came to understand. He came to know that in that hour he saw into the very heart of Jesus. There was the outshining of the grace of God in the marvel of that action. He emptied Himself, He humbled Him­self, He bent. He was their Lord and Master. They called Him that. He was their Teacher and their Lord. He said, you are quite right. I am your Teacher, I am your Lord. But what is the Teacher doing now? What is the sovereign Lord of all authority doing now? Behold His final work with a believer before entering into the presence of the Father of Jesus. Before entering into glory.

No, said Jesus, you do not understand now, but you will someday. They were in need of the Comforters ministry in their minds and hearts to understand the Masters teaching.

Then He applied it in words we have already referred to. "If I then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye ought also to wash one another's feet." What does it mean? He knew that in the walk of those who were cleansed by the bathing there would be the contraction of defilement; and they would need the washing of the feet until the day they leave this earth. He said, you have seen Me do it; you ought also to be ready to do it for each other. Paul was writing to the Galatian Christians and he said this (Gal. 6:1), "Brethren, even if a man be overtaken in any trespass, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in a spirit of meekness, lest thou also be tempted." What our Lord was saying to His fellow disciples was, I know the way, all along this pilgrimage cleansed men will contract defilement. When your brother does, your business is not to emphasize the defilement, not to turn to your brother the cold shoulder of pride and indifference. Your business is to at­tempt to wash his feet, to restore such an one, as Paul says, in the spirit of meekness. As we do that, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ shines out, and the glory of the triumph of love is manifested in us and through us knowing our need at the end of our journey here. We need the whole church gifted by the Spirit to exert the labor as their Teacher taught for their arrival in the Kingdom, cleansed thoroughly and therefore perfect ready to go into the presence of the Ancient of Days and then to return with their Lord and Master to rule and reign with Him in perfected bodies wearing white robes. To God be the glory for accomplishing this amazing work. And it took all Three for us to arrive at His prepared home perfect. We shall enter His gates with singing, bathed, washed and perfect.

He loved them to the end symbolizes that their perfection at the end of their journey is sure.

Perfection-Ultimate destination of the walk of the Christian. Matt. 5:48; Eph. 4:13; Phil. 3:12, 15; Col. 3:28; 4:12; 1 Thess. 3:10; 2 Tim. 3:17; Heb. 2:10; 13:21; James 1:4; 1:17 (a gift from above); 3:2; 1 Pet. 5:10; John 4:17, 18.

Gal. 3:3 flesh does no good.

Heb. 5:9 He makes this possibility certain.

Heb. 7:19; 10:1 Law couldn't but a better Way could make it possible.

Heb. 11:40 not just the Church saint.

Heb. 12:3 more groups involved for all must be perfected to enter the Kingdom of God.