Football and Foot Washing
DEVOTIONS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS
Football and Foot Washing
The Super Bowl may be old news by now. The hype over the commercials, celebrity sightings, and potentially contentious halftime acts has faded. For those of you who watched the game, you may remember that the most controversial topic during this year’s broadcast (not named Taylor Swift) was actually…
Washing feet!
Yep, you read that right. A 60-second commercial sponsored by “He Gets Us” showed a variety of modern-day people with clear racial, political, and spiritual differences washing one another’s feet. While the intentions were good, the ad didn’t quite hit the mark for most people.
We’re not going to get wrapped up in a discussion of what was culturally right or wrong with the ad. But let’s take a more productive look at the original foot-washing story in John 13 to consider what Jesus was teaching His disciples — both then and now.
Background
In Jesus’ day, ordinary people didn’t have the luxury of a tub or a shower in their house; not even a sink with running water. They would go to a public facility to take a bath. But with the dry climate and dusty roads, their sandal-clad feet needed to be washed more often.
It was common courtesy to have your feet washed when entering a home (just as we’d take our muddy shoes off at the door). For guests, this was done by a young servant. Peers would not wash each other’s feet, so the absence of a foot-washing servant at the Last Supper created a socially awkward situation. It would have left the disciples feeling uncomfortable about sitting down to a meal together with dirty feet.
Since the disciples often quarreled about their individual status in the group, it’s unlikely any of them would volunteer to perform this menial task, or even mention it for fear Jesus would assign the job to them. Their discomfort about this would have made Jesus’ action all the more significant when He quietly began to carry out His humble gesture. He was clearly taking on the role of a servant.
So what can we learn from all this?
1. The foot-washing pictures the cleansing Christians need every day to enjoy fellowship with God.
When the Lord began to wash Peter’s feet, Peter was justifiably startled and confused. How could Jesus, whom Peter had identified as his Lord and “the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16), lower Himself to such a humble chore? It started an interesting back-and-forth that went something like this:
Peter: Lord… hold on… You aren’t actually going to wash my feet, are You?
Jesus: Yes. And someday you’ll understand why I’m doing this.
Peter: There’s absolutely no way I will let You wash my feet!
Jesus: If I don’t wash you, then you’re not one of my people.
Peter: Huh? Um… well in that case… wash my hands and head as well!
Jesus: After a full bath, a person is clean. He only needs to wash his feet. And all of you here are clean, except for one of you. (Jesus was referring to Judas because He already knew His betrayer.)
With the background of the public baths and the frequent foot washings in place, the disciples would have readily understood that Jesus was talking about two different types of washings. He actually used two different words for “wash” in this passage to accent His teaching.
Jesus explained that the “full bath” represents salvation. Titus 3:5 says that the Lord saved us and “washed away our sins.” That verse refers to the “bath” of salvation. This washing is done once and for all when a person trusts Christ as personal Savior.
Meanwhile, the “foot washing” is different, and represents a frequent cleansing from defiling sin. We live in a sinful world and stumble in many ways (James 3:2). We need Jesus to cleanse us from the effects of sin in our everyday lives to enjoy continual fellowship with a holy and righteous God—to enjoy a seat at His table, so to speak. This is a good reminder to our casual culture that God is not simply love, but that God is also holy.
No one is free from sin, but 1 John 1:8-9 says if confess our sins, the Lord is faithful to purify us. Notice in Matthew 6, when the Lord taught the disciples how to pray, He included, “and forgive us our sins” (v12). Psalm 139:23-24 provides us with the right attitude: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”
2. The foot-washing is an example of humility for us to follow.
Going back to the Super Bowl commercial: the ad’s message about washing feet may have had its faults, but it did get one thing right. It portrayed demonstrations of true humility and a servant attitude.
Humility isn't about diminishing ourselves. It's about recognizing the inherent worth and dignity of every individual — even those who may oppose us. Remember, Judas was present at this part of the meal, and Jesus was fully aware of his impending betrayal (John 13:11). But Jesus graciously washed the feet of Judas, demonstrating the same love and humility to His betrayer as He did to His closest companions. If Jesus could humble Himself to that degree, how can we not do the same?
The Bible teaches that humility is not a sign of weakness, but of strength. How often are we strong enough to set aside our pride and humble ourselves as Jesus did? In God’s eyes, greatness is found in serving others, not in seeking recognition or status. (Philippians 2:3-4)
When Jesus finished washing all their feet, He said, “Since I… have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.” (John 13:14-15)
May we follow Jesus’ amazing example of humility and service in our own lives, as this social media post sums up so well:
“Sometimes I joke about what I'd do if I knew I had one day left to live… eat junk, go crazy, etc.
Today it hit me: Jesus knew. And He washed feet.”
- Ron Reid