Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
1 It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.
2 The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 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.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12 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. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Jesus Predicts His Betrayal
18 “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: ‘He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.’
19 “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He. 20 I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”
21 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.”
22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”
25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
“What you are about to do, do quickly,” Jesus told him, 28 but no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
36 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”
Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”
37 Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
38 Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!
My Understanding: Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and to go back to the Father in heaven, and he knew the manner in which he would depart this world, too. One of his own would betray him to death, he would be falsely accused of crimes he did not commit, and his accusers would not even have the courage to face him directly with their accusations. They would beat him, mock him, make fun of him, spit on him, and then they would hang him on a cross to die, as though he was a common criminal. Yet, Jesus, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (see Heb. 12:2 NIV ’84). The joy set before him was the salvation of our souls.
So, even though he knew he was going to die, and he knew that one of his own would betray him to death, and another would deny him 3 times, and that all would desert him initially, still he loved them, and he chose to demonstrate that love to them by a very symbolic act. He took off his outer garments and wrapped a towel around his waist. Then, he poured water into a basin and he began to wash his disciples’ feet. Jesus was giving them an example of servanthood for them to follow, but his act symbolized so much more than just servanthood and showing love to those who would betray and/or desert him.
The Symbolic Act
Peter challenged Jesus’ desire to wash his feet. It didn’t make sense to Peter that Jesus would stoop down and would humble himself in such a manner. So, Jesus told Peter, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” That is our first clue that this symbolic act was to mean so much more than just Jesus demonstrating how we should serve one another in love, and it was to mean so much more than just the washing of feet, too. I know from personal experience, as well as from Bible history, that God uses symbolic acts sometimes to get out his messages, and that we don’t always understand what is behind the symbolism at the time the symbolic act occurs, but later we will understand when we see the reality of why the symbolic act occurred, when God opens our eyes and minds and he gives us that understanding. And, this was the case here, as well.
Peter then objected strongly to Jesus’ washing of his feet. Jesus told him that unless Jesus washed him, he would have no part with him. So Peter, who was passionate and impulsive in nature, told Jesus to wash his hands and his head, as well. Jesus responded to Peter’s request by telling him, “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.” He knew Judas was going to betray him, so that is why he said “not every one of you.” Jesus’ response to Peter’s request thus serves as yet another clue that Jesus is speaking more metaphorically here than he is literally.
If we are true believers in Jesus Christ, i.e. if we are his true disciples and followers, as was Peter and the other disciples, with the exception of Judas, we are cleansed from our sins. Yet, while we are still in these flesh bodies, we will still sin. God’s grace is not a free license to continue in willful sin, for the Bible says that if we continue to live in willful sin after we have received the knowledge of the truth, and/or after we have made a profession of Christ as Savior and Lord, that we are not truly in Christ, so if we think we know God, we are believing a lie. Yet, this does not mean we will be sinless. So, although we have had a bath (washed in the blood of Calvary’s Lamb), we daily need foot washing, i.e. we daily need to be cleansed of those sins we commit while on the way; while we walk about our daily lives, so that we can remain in Christ and him remain in us, and so we can obey Him fully.
Then, Jesus asked them if they understood what he had done for them. He had set an example for them that they should wash one another’s feet, and that they should do for one another what he had done for them. So, what had he done for them? And, how were they to follow his example? Since this was a symbolic act, we can ascertain that Jesus was not saying that we necessarily must engage in the actual physical act of foot washing, though he may have some of us do that. I did that once at a mission trip, and I am very thankful to God for that experience, because through it the Lord taught me humility, and he taught me, too, how this symbolic act related to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our feet represent our daily walks with Christ. Sometimes our feet get dirty because we sin against God in some way. So, we have to come to the Lord Jesus in repentance (turning from the sin), i.e. we have to willingly allow Jesus to wash our feet and to not resist his promptings in our hearts for us to turn from sin. Then, we are cleansed so that we can continue in that walk with Christ. In the case of the foot washing I was involved in, the people took off their old socks and shoes and handed us their feet to be washed, and then we put new socks and shoes on their feet. The Lord gave me that scripture about how, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come (see 2 Co. 5:17 NIV ’84). So, the taking off of the old socks and shoes, the cleansing of the feet, and the replacing the old with new socks and shoes thus represented this scripture passage where it says the old has gone (our old way of walking in sin) and the new has come (a new way of walking by faith and in obedience).
So, when Jesus asked them to do what he did, he was asking them not just to merely serve one another and not just to merely be involved in the physical act of foot washing, but he was asking them to serve one another by sharing the truth of the gospel with one another, even to other believers in Jesus, because we need to have our feet washed daily. We need to love each other enough to tell each other the truth about our sins and to follow the Biblical mandates for how to do that. If a brother is overtaken in a sin, those of us who are in a right relationship with Jesus Christ should gently and humbly restore that person, if the person is willing, to a right relationship with Jesus Christ (see Gal. 6:1-10).
If the person is not willing to repent of his or her sin, and he or she continues in willful sin, even after you have spoken to the person privately, then the scriptures teach that we are to “take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector” (See Matt. 18:15-20 NIV ’84). This is how we truly love one another, how we wash one another’s feet, and how we show true humility and servanthood to each other by sacrificing our own reputations and lives for the sake of our brothers who are caught in sin’s deceitfulness, and who need to be set free.
The Betrayal
Then, Jesus again made reference to his betrayer. He had earlier mentioned that not every one of them was clean. Now he told them more plainly that the one who shared his bread had lifted up his heel against Christ. He said that he told them this “before it happens, so that when it does happen you will know that I am He.” He was letting them know ahead of time that he was being betrayed by one in their immediate “family,” so that when that time came, they would understand, though they clearly did not understand at this point, even though Jesus said it even more plainly to them when he said, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, he dipped the bread in the dish and immediately handed the bread to Judas, so you would think the disciples would have understood that Judas was the betrayer, but their eyes were blinded and they could not see the truth of the situation. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered his heart. Jesus said to him, thus, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night, the scriptures say.
Yet, let me back up a minute here. There is something I left out. After Jesus told his disciples about his betrayer, and after he told them that he was telling them this before it happens, so that they would believe him for who he was/is, he said that “Whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” God the Father sent Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ sends out his followers and his disciples to carry on his work that he began when he was on the face of this earth, and that he continues through those who are truly his, who are following him, and who are obeying him. We are Christ’s ambassadors, as though Christ was making his appeal through us. We are his servants, his witnesses, and his messengers for the gospel of Jesus Christ. If we are carrying with us the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and we are teaching the truths of scripture concerning faith, repentance and obedience, as Jesus taught, and if people do not accept the truth of the gospel as brought through Christ’s servants and witnesses, then they are rejecting Christ. And, we, too, will be hated, betrayed, and abandoned, even by loved ones, and perhaps even put to death for our faith in Christ Jesus (see Matthew 10).
Your Heart / An Original Work / October 24, 2011
Tenderly He speaks, softly so.
Gently He calls - His will to know.
Won’t you invite Him in your heart?
Humbly accept Him now.
Bow before Him with contrite heart.
May you obey His will.
Seek Him with all your heart and soul,
And your heart, His Spirit fill.
Jesus died to free you from sin,
Giving you new life to begin,
Walking with Him ev’ry hour,
Obeying His commands.
Won’t you trust Him to be your Lord?
His grace you can’t afford.
Freely He gives you peace within,
When you turn from all your sin.
Live for Him ev’ry passing day.
Meet with Him; read His word and pray.
Serve Him in the way He leads you,
Doing all that He says.
Do unto others as you would
Have them do unto you.
Love them with Jesus love within you.
Your hearts to God be true.
Song lyrics @ Public Domain
Audio, song lyrics and sheet music:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs2/home/songs/your-heart
Song on video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc7tEOtSOLM
1 comment:
Matthew 10
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve
...I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
17 “Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23 When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
24 “A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!
26 “So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
32 “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn
“‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
37 “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
40 “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. 41 Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.”
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