Washing Feet
Devotions for Growing Christians
Washing Feet
John 13:14-15 - Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
Read John 13:1-17.
Believe it or not, one of the gifts of love that Christians should give each another is “foot-washing”! It's not hard to give a nicely wrapped gift to a friend on a special occasion, but “washing feet” all year long is a gift that's hard to give. It takes time, care, and selflessness. But the Lord Jesus didn't give us an ordinary gift - He gave His whole life to the task of washing others! And He said that we are to follow His example!
Jesus washing the disciples' feet is found in John 13:1-7. It happened on the night before the crucifixion - the very night of His betrayal (v2). Although the Lord was well aware of all the suffering that lay before Him (v1, 3), He spent this last evening serving His short-sighted followers. Although He was looking beyond the cross with great anticipation to a joyful reunion with the Father (vs1, 3), He was concerned (as always) about meeting the needs of others around Him. Although He knew that all things were “given into His hand,” the Lord of all things used those hands to serve the disciples who would soon desert Him! No wonder the Scripture says that “He loved them to the end” - to the fullest possible extent (v1). This great love was demonstrated in the act of washing their feet.
But this was not only an act of love and concern and humility - it was also an act of teaching. All of our Lord's actions (His works) as recorded in Scripture portray or dramatize His teaching (His words). What is the teaching of foot-washing?
In that culture, washing the feet of guests was the job of household servants. People wore open sandals on dusty roads, so feet got dirty. But Jesus had much more in mind that just teaching his followers to perform the common courtesy of the day, as shown by the questions He asked. He intended His washing of their feet to be symbolic of another washing - the cleansing from sin (v8-11).
A little knowledge of the culture of that day helps us to understand exactly what Jesus was teaching. In those days only the very wealthy had anything like bathtubs in their homes. Average people went to the public baths to bathe. Between visits to the public baths, feet were washed to clean off the dirt picked up in daily travels. In verse 10 our Lord referred to these two types of washing - the bath and the foot-washing. In fact, different Greek words are used to distinguish between the two washings.
Salvation and Restoration.
A believer doesn’t need to take the "bath of salvation" every day. It’s done once and for all when a person receives Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. From that time onward he is "clean." Because of his identification with Christ, his sins are eternally forgiven, and he is no longer "dirty" in God's sight. This is the "washing of regeneration" (Titus 3:5). The Lord told Peter that he had already received the “bath of salvation” (v10). He was clean, and so were the rest of the believing disciples. Only unbelieving Judas was not clean (v11).
Frequent foot-washing pictures the daily cleansing we need to keep us in close fellowship with the Lord. Just because we are eternally forgiven for our sins doesn't mean we’ve stopped sinning. And we haven’t become immune to the present effects of sin. We need to examine our walk along the "dusty roads" of this world every day, and come to the Lord for foot-washing.
It’s so easy for our fellowship with Him to be broken as we pick up the dust and dirt that’s all around us. We’re so easily desensitized to sin! Within a world system that operates on the principles of pleasure, possessions, power and prestige (1 John 2:16), it’s essential to come to the Lord and place our soiled feet in His hands for washing - on a daily basis. He never turns us away! "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
King David was coming to God for foot-washing when he cried, "Search me, O God, and cleanse my heart; test me and know my thoughts; see if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way" (Psalm 139:23-24). We need to have David’s attitude. All too often we seem to have Peter's attitude of "Lord, just stay away from my feet! Right now I'm content to overlook the dust on my feet. They're not really very dirty. I'll wash them myself when I get around to it. Anyway, Lord, it's so humiliating for You (and for me, too!) if You have to stoop to care for my feet" (v6-8).
Union and Communion
The believer's permanent relationship to Christ is pictured in the bath. The believer's daily fellowship with Christ is pictured in the foot-washing. The bath is for union - “in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The foot-washing is for communion - “with Christ” Notice the "with" instead of "in" (v8). The link of union is so strong that nothing can break it (see John 10:27-29 and Romans 8:38-39). The link of fellowship is so fragile that an unholy walk will always break it (see 1 John 1:6).
How does the Lord wash the believer's feet? It is accomplished primarily by the frequent application of His Word to our lives. The Word of God is the means by which we get the bath and the foot-washing. (See Psalm 119:93, John 15:3, Romans 10:17, 1 Peter 1:23.)
David said, "How can a young man cleanse his way? By living according to Your Word" (Psalm 119:9). Our Lord said that those who believed in Him would be kept pure and set apart for God's use by God's Word (John 17:17, 20). Both our bath and our foot-washings are accomplished through the Word of God! "Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word" (Ephesians 5:26). How important it is for us to read the Bible every day!
His Ministry of Redemption
There’s something else in the record of the foot-washing that’s significant, and it should not be overlooked. The way in which our Lord went about washing His disciples' feet dramatizes, in capsule form, His whole ministry of redemption. The sequence of steps taken in the foot-washing emphasizes what was involved in God's work of cleansing us from sin. Read Philippians 2:5-11 in connection with the following steps:
He rose from supper (v4) - He rose from His heavenly throne and communion with the Father.
He laid aside His garments (v4) - He laid aside His glory.
He girded Himself with a towel (v4) - He became Man and took the form of a servant.
He began to wash the disciples' feet (v5) - He began His present ministry of cleansing us from sin. (1 John 1:9)
He took His garments again (v12) - He is now glorified.
He sat down (v12) - He is now seated at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 1:3).
How wonderful God's Word is - in every detail!
Practical Applications
1. Serving one another in love - Our Lord tells us that we are to follow His example, and wash one another's feet (v13-17). What is the proper way to carry out this command? Should we literally wash one another's feet with water? No, it doesn't appear that Christ was instituting an ordinance for the Church. Following His example involves several things. It certainly means that we are to serve one another in love. Washing the feet of a brother or sister means that we must set aside our pride and any personal agendas or grudges, and humbly stoop to minister to another person's needs. Would you take time to minister to a person if you knew he would betray you for money? Our Lord did, and we are not greater than our Master (v16).
2. Applying the Word to one another - In view of our Lord's teaching on this subject, washing each other's feet also means that we must lovingly apply the Word of God to one another. We keep each other clean by constant fellowship together over the Word of God. You wouldn't believe the amount of dirt that comes off our feet just by participating in Bible studies - by studying God's Word regularly with other Christians! Occasionally the Lord will use us as individuals to minister His Word to a fellow Christian who needs foot-washing. Sometimes this happens without our planning it or even realizing it - in a group study or in a causal conversation, for example.
3. Humbly - Of course we must be extremely careful when we speak to another believer about where he's walking, and the “dust” that’s accumulating on his feet. Remember, our Lord Jesus told us to be sure to take the log out of our own eye before we try to take the splinter out of our brother's eye, or we won't be able to see clearly (Matthew 7:3-5). It's all too easy to "preach the Word" about the dirt on our brother's feet - and not even notice the dirt that’s coating our own feet!
4. Thoughtfully - Furthermore, foot-washing is not fault-finding, nor is it judging of motives. And it’s not infringing on a fellow-believer's Christian liberty! Is what we think we see in our Christian friend’s lifestyle really out of line with God’s Word? Or is it just out of line by our own personal ideas, or likes and dislikes?! After making sure the "log" is out of our own eye, and checking the state of our own feet, we may quietly share Scripture with them. How much better to do this than to gossip about that person's dirty feet, or to sit back complacently, feeling pleased and proud about how much cleaner our feet are!
5. Lovingly - Let's not hand that fellow-believer a basin of scalding hot or icy cold water, with a command to go and clean up his or her own feet! Sharing the Word of God in foot-washing must always be done gently, in humility and in love, if we are to follow our Lord's example.
6. Mutually - Remember also that washing one another's feet is mutual. We must be willing to submit the dirt on our feet to washing by other believers! We are to submit without getting uptight, or switching churches, or quitting the study group! Foot-washing is not a one-way street!
It should be obvious that a lot of time and preparation and work goes into the giving of ourselves in foot-washing. This is more than mere surface Christian love and giving. This is a gift of love that brings lasting blessing - to ourselves and to others (v17).
- Dave Reid