Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had
come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own
who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 And supper being ended,
the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son,
to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into
His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid
aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured
water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them
with the towel with which He was girded. 6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, "Lord, are You washing my feet?" 7 Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this."8 Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." 9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" 10 Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you." 11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean." 12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. 18 "I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 'He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.' 19 Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He. 20 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me."
Devotional
If God put all things in your hands; all authority and all power, how would you respond? That question thankfully is unanswerable, because He hasn't, nor will he (though some people try to live like He has). Nonetheless let us lay aside our weak attempts at humor and return to the text and see what was in the heart and mind of Jesus when God did just that. As verse one states it, these events took place before the Passover; the finial meal the disciples will eat with Jesus before His Crucifixion; where He will usher in the New Covenant, and where He will also give the piece of bread that He dipped (signifying His mortal body) into the hands of Judas Iscariot, who will then go out; having already agreed to betray Jesus to the chief priests; and gather together all those who will arrest Jesus in Gethsemane. And so Jesus' knowing that His hour had come (that the time of His betrayal and arrest, leading to His Crucifixion death for everyone who believes in Him had come), "...that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself." vs. 1-4
Now there is quite a bit there in verses 1-4 so I'll take them one at a time:
1) "that Jesus should depart from this world to the Father" vs. 1
Jesus' Mission if you like was never to be brought into this world and then remain in this world. He came into this world by the Holy Spirit; being born through the virgin Marry as a Man; but God's redemption plans were never that Jesus should remain the Son of Man on earth then immediately rule from that position. For Jesus had to become a Man first to take the place of Adam; the first man created, and who sinned, and by whom sin entered the world. Thus Jesus became a Man, the Son of Man, to become the feudal head of all mankind, so that by His atoning death on the cross for all our sins remission, both their atonement and His Righteousness could be applied to everyone who believes in Him (Rom 5:17; 2 Cor 5:21). For the Scriptures states that: just as sin came through one man (i.e. Adam) resulting in the condemnation of all mankind, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift of God came to all mankind resulting in justification to life (See Rom 5:18-19). Thus Jesus' coming to earth as the Son of Man was first to purchase our redemption from sin and death by His own Crucifixion death and shed blood (John 3:16; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Heb 9:22). That then being accomplished, Jesus had to return to the Father (again in fulfillment of Scripture, and thus God's plans) waiting until all His enemies are made His footstool (Psalm 110:1; Mark 12:35-37). Thus we have Jesus' Resurrection from the dead, for His, and our victory over death. For since in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. Thus Jesus having risen from the dead, having ascended back to the Father after forty days of Resurrection life on earth with the Apostles, did so too wait until all His enemies are made His footstool (see 1 Cor 15:20-28; Heb 10:12-14). The interim bringing in His Promise of the Holy Spirit's outpouring into the world, by which God convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:5-11); but more specifically for us who believe in Jesus, it is the Holy Spirit who brings us to life, and baptizes us into Christ's Body the moment we believe in Jesus, and thus it is He who brings new and everlasting life with Christ into us all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor 5:17). Therefore it is critically important that our faith and hope always be rooted and grounded in God's Righteousness through Jesus Christ's Finished Work alone (Rom 3:21-28, vs. 26; 4:4-5; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-7 etc.).
2) "having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end" vs.1
That Jesus loved His own, that He loved them to the end" should be of great consolation for us all. For if you believe in, and thus belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, you can be assured that His love for you is not conditional. Consider if you will, in the Gospel Jesus' disciples were anything but perfect; neither their motives, nor their words and behavior could be described as "perfect". Indeed if it were not for Jesus' oversight, intercession, and correction, the disciples (like us, individually and collectively) in of themselves would be a much maligned group for their conduct. Yet through it all we do not find Jesus forsaking or abandoning them. Instead we often find Him using their failures to teach great spiritual truths to them and to us all (consider Matt 10:35-45; 16:21-28). Now you could say that Holy Spirit was not yet given and they were still unregenerate men; that is still natural men, not yet born of the Holy Spirit, and thus not yet empowered by God. True, but even after Pentecost and the Holy Spirit's outpouring into their lives, there are failures in their lives, just as their are (and will be) in mine and yours (consider 1 John 1:6-10). Now the point I'm trying to make is simply that once God the Father has set His love in you, because you have come to believe and trust in His Son Jesus, neither the Lord Jesus Christ, nor God the Father will ever withdraw His love from you. The proof being that God seals us all who believe with His Spirit, whose first fruit is love, for the day of redemption (2 Cor 1:21-22; 5:5; Eph 4:30). Thus we can love God in all our circumstances of life, because it is He who first loved us; and continues to do so throughout our lives; as we learn to live by faith and in obedience towards Him (consider Rom 8:31-39; 1 John 4:17-19).
Vs. 6-11 Now Peter's initial resistance to Jesus washing his feet is commendable because Peter held the Lord in very high regard, and thus in no way wanted his Master to stoop too what seemed to him a position far beneath His Privileged Person. A natural response, yes, but not in accord with either the Lord Jesus Christ's Person or His Gospel. Since Jesus specifically came forth from God as God's Servant; to bear our sins on the cross (see Isaiah 53). But also to lead and guide us in our new lives, as His servant minded and oriented people (consider Mark 10:42-45; Phil. 2:5-11). And that is what Jesus is emphasizing here, both our need for our persons, to first be wholly washed by His Person, that is our sins washed away by His shed blood, which happens the moment we believe in Him, we are washed by His blood, regenerated by His Spirit, cloaked in His Righteousness, and thus we can confidently say with every other believer that we have been made clean by Christ alone. Then that being done in us and for us, for us to follow Jesus as He has done and commands here, and go and wash each others feet. Now you can take that literally, as if we are to literally wash each others feet; which I know of some Assemblies that do that, and that is fine as they are following Scripture, as long as they don't make that into their own form righteousness; that is by doing so they are more right in the sight of God than any other Assembly or believer who does not follow suite (consider Rom 10:3-4). For again there maybe times where such circumstances of life require that our feet need to be washed by another. My grandmother for years had to care for and often wash and bandage my grandfathers ailing and infected toe to try to preserve it. Not a pretty duty, but she did it with great dignity, care and love. So I see Jesus' Words here not just as a command to "wash" each others feet, (as a sort of ritual obedience to Him) rather to serve one another through love (Gal 5:13). For that is where Jesus says His blessing rests; not on those who seek to be served, but on those who serve others in His Name (consider Mark 10:45). For that is the heart of Christ that bleeds through this passage of the Scriptures, that as He has done in His love for His own, willing serving them, so should we serve each other. Therefore we should not see ourselves as so exalted or privileged as to be above any duty that would benefit another believer. This maybe foot washing if you live in Africa where I'm sure dusty feet are the norm, or it maybe something as simple as washing dishes after dinner to give your wife or parents a break if you don't own a dishwasher. For I don't want to limit the scope of Jesus' Words and their implications and blessing here for us. Rather I want us all to learn to gain the heart of a servant towards each other, to see each other as equal brethren, and to manifest our love towards each other in innumerous tangible ways that will benefit one another. That is what Jesus is teaching here, through His example of foot washing, and it is His example that we as followers of Christ want to emulate in our own lives as well.
Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982
Devotional
If God put all things in your hands; all authority and all power, how would you respond? That question thankfully is unanswerable, because He hasn't, nor will he (though some people try to live like He has). Nonetheless let us lay aside our weak attempts at humor and return to the text and see what was in the heart and mind of Jesus when God did just that. As verse one states it, these events took place before the Passover; the finial meal the disciples will eat with Jesus before His Crucifixion; where He will usher in the New Covenant, and where He will also give the piece of bread that He dipped (signifying His mortal body) into the hands of Judas Iscariot, who will then go out; having already agreed to betray Jesus to the chief priests; and gather together all those who will arrest Jesus in Gethsemane. And so Jesus' knowing that His hour had come (that the time of His betrayal and arrest, leading to His Crucifixion death for everyone who believes in Him had come), "...that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself." vs. 1-4
Now there is quite a bit there in verses 1-4 so I'll take them one at a time:
1) "that Jesus should depart from this world to the Father" vs. 1
Jesus' Mission if you like was never to be brought into this world and then remain in this world. He came into this world by the Holy Spirit; being born through the virgin Marry as a Man; but God's redemption plans were never that Jesus should remain the Son of Man on earth then immediately rule from that position. For Jesus had to become a Man first to take the place of Adam; the first man created, and who sinned, and by whom sin entered the world. Thus Jesus became a Man, the Son of Man, to become the feudal head of all mankind, so that by His atoning death on the cross for all our sins remission, both their atonement and His Righteousness could be applied to everyone who believes in Him (Rom 5:17; 2 Cor 5:21). For the Scriptures states that: just as sin came through one man (i.e. Adam) resulting in the condemnation of all mankind, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift of God came to all mankind resulting in justification to life (See Rom 5:18-19). Thus Jesus' coming to earth as the Son of Man was first to purchase our redemption from sin and death by His own Crucifixion death and shed blood (John 3:16; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Heb 9:22). That then being accomplished, Jesus had to return to the Father (again in fulfillment of Scripture, and thus God's plans) waiting until all His enemies are made His footstool (Psalm 110:1; Mark 12:35-37). Thus we have Jesus' Resurrection from the dead, for His, and our victory over death. For since in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. Thus Jesus having risen from the dead, having ascended back to the Father after forty days of Resurrection life on earth with the Apostles, did so too wait until all His enemies are made His footstool (see 1 Cor 15:20-28; Heb 10:12-14). The interim bringing in His Promise of the Holy Spirit's outpouring into the world, by which God convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:5-11); but more specifically for us who believe in Jesus, it is the Holy Spirit who brings us to life, and baptizes us into Christ's Body the moment we believe in Jesus, and thus it is He who brings new and everlasting life with Christ into us all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor 5:17). Therefore it is critically important that our faith and hope always be rooted and grounded in God's Righteousness through Jesus Christ's Finished Work alone (Rom 3:21-28, vs. 26; 4:4-5; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-7 etc.).
3) " And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him" vs. 2
It was the devils' desire to destroy Jesus from the beginning. And so having failed to lure Jesus into disobedience to the Will of God through the Temptation of His Person (Luke 4:1-13); the devil then waits for an opportune time and seeks to use one of his own; not one of Christs; but one of his own, through whom he can hasten Christ's death (Luke 22:1-6). For Judas Iscariot though selected by Jesus Christ along with the twelve, was never of Christ, but rather he was selected by Christ because he was to fulfill the Scripture, as the one who would betray the Son of Man (John 13:18).
4) And so "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself." vs. 3-4
Now Jesus knowing then that God the Father had given all things into His hands (that is all things on earth and all things in heaven), will now give us a tangible example of what it means to follow Him, (that is service, not self serving ambition, and this on the eve of His own Crucifixion). Now in doing so Jesus will also teach us; through the Apostle Peter an important lesson on our needing to have our whole person's washed by Christ's Person, which only comes by faith in and obedience towards Jesus Christ's Person (1 Tim 1:5; 3:9; Titus 1:15-16; Heb 9:11-15; 10:21-22; 1 Peter 3:21). First then, that Jesus after the supper rose from His place and took a towel and girded Himself is by all estimations of culture norms then, and now, not what people of prestige and honor do, especially after being exalted to highest position in the presence of their subordinates. Yet that is precisely what Jesus did, having received all things from the Father. His first act is not too demand His exceedingly high and prestigious place amongst them, His first act as Ruler of All, amongst them all, is not to reach for the throne, but for a towel! And thus the Scripture says after Jesus poured water in a basin and girded Himself with the towel, He began the wash the disciples feet, one by one, and then dry them with the towel (vs. 5). Now what Jesus was doing was considered then the lowliest of all duties; something relegated to household servants, slaves, or sadly the wife in ancient times, and not something the master of a house would ever even contemplate doing. Nonetheless Jesus quite deliberately and methodically wash's the disciples feet and dries them with the towel, before coming to Peter. And it is when Jesus comes to Peter, that Peter says to Jesus: 6... "Lord, are You washing my feet?" 7 Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this." 8 Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." 9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" 10 Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you." 11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean." 12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. Vs. 6-11 Now Peter's initial resistance to Jesus washing his feet is commendable because Peter held the Lord in very high regard, and thus in no way wanted his Master to stoop too what seemed to him a position far beneath His Privileged Person. A natural response, yes, but not in accord with either the Lord Jesus Christ's Person or His Gospel. Since Jesus specifically came forth from God as God's Servant; to bear our sins on the cross (see Isaiah 53). But also to lead and guide us in our new lives, as His servant minded and oriented people (consider Mark 10:42-45; Phil. 2:5-11). And that is what Jesus is emphasizing here, both our need for our persons, to first be wholly washed by His Person, that is our sins washed away by His shed blood, which happens the moment we believe in Him, we are washed by His blood, regenerated by His Spirit, cloaked in His Righteousness, and thus we can confidently say with every other believer that we have been made clean by Christ alone. Then that being done in us and for us, for us to follow Jesus as He has done and commands here, and go and wash each others feet. Now you can take that literally, as if we are to literally wash each others feet; which I know of some Assemblies that do that, and that is fine as they are following Scripture, as long as they don't make that into their own form righteousness; that is by doing so they are more right in the sight of God than any other Assembly or believer who does not follow suite (consider Rom 10:3-4). For again there maybe times where such circumstances of life require that our feet need to be washed by another. My grandmother for years had to care for and often wash and bandage my grandfathers ailing and infected toe to try to preserve it. Not a pretty duty, but she did it with great dignity, care and love. So I see Jesus' Words here not just as a command to "wash" each others feet, (as a sort of ritual obedience to Him) rather to serve one another through love (Gal 5:13). For that is where Jesus says His blessing rests; not on those who seek to be served, but on those who serve others in His Name (consider Mark 10:45). For that is the heart of Christ that bleeds through this passage of the Scriptures, that as He has done in His love for His own, willing serving them, so should we serve each other. Therefore we should not see ourselves as so exalted or privileged as to be above any duty that would benefit another believer. This maybe foot washing if you live in Africa where I'm sure dusty feet are the norm, or it maybe something as simple as washing dishes after dinner to give your wife or parents a break if you don't own a dishwasher. For I don't want to limit the scope of Jesus' Words and their implications and blessing here for us. Rather I want us all to learn to gain the heart of a servant towards each other, to see each other as equal brethren, and to manifest our love towards each other in innumerous tangible ways that will benefit one another. That is what Jesus is teaching here, through His example of foot washing, and it is His example that we as followers of Christ want to emulate in our own lives as well.
Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982
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