Foot Washing and a New Commandment

Jesus not only loved us until the last moment of his life; he loved us in the most complete way possible.

By GEORGE BOOKER

Read Time: 9 minutes

The Son of Man was about to begin a great journey. In his own words, he was going to the Father. In fulfilling the Passover symbolism of his last mortal days, he was about to achieve his “exodus” (departure) at Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). He would depart out of the world of sin and death, in his obedient sacrifice as the “Lamb of God” to take away the sins of that world (John 1:29). Associated with this “journey” was the thought of love, a divine love, an agape. Jesus loved his brethren “unto the end” (KJV), or “to the very end” (NET); that is, he continued to love them right up to the last breath of his mortal life.

Jesus not only loved us until the last moment of his life; he loved us in the most complete way possible. The Greek word telos allows for both meanings. His love was a love that never faltered or failed (1 Corinthians 13:8). The washing of the disciples’ feet showed the same absolute love that would sustain him only hours later in his trial and crucifixion. The self-sacrifice, the disposition of a servant, the devotion to others in passionate concern—they can be seen in the simple task of foot washing, just as they would be seen only a little later in his last great work on the cross.

 The KJV tells us this incident happened when supper had “ended” (v. 2), but the next dozen verses suggest that it may have happened at or near the beginning of the meal. The RSV says it took place “during supper,” while the NIV says it happened while “the evening meal was being served.”

Laying aside his garments was a preview of his coming crucifixion, when the Roman soldiers would strip his garments from him (John 19:23, 24). The earlier incident here shows his willingness to deny himself and give up all that he possessed, including his dignity and even his modesty, in a fullness of loving service to others.

What prompted this act of a servant? I think our Lord’s actions arose from the silly contentions of the apostles as to which of them was the greatest. Perhaps the seating arrangements at this special meal brought to the surface once again their more-or-less hidden rivalries and jealou­sies. In total disregard of Jesus’ parable about taking the higher or the lower seats (Luke 14:7-11), they jostled for position while their Master watched them sadly.

His immediate rebuke of their pretensions was so effective because at first no word was spoken. Jesus rose up from his posi­tion at the table and, taking up what he needed for the chore, began to wash the feet of each disciple in turn.

Why had this not been attended to already? Did Jesus make sure that no ser­vant would provide this service simply to give the twelve a chance to show what they had learned from him? If so, then they failed completely since no one at all thought of performing this task.

In the parallel passage in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus gives them an exhortation. At this very time, in the Upper Room, with the bread and wine on the table, we read this:

How foolish they appear to us now! The more they maneuvered and schemed to win his attention, the more they lowered themselves in his eyes. The more successful they were in achiev­ing a superficial priority over others, the less they impressed the one who could read their hearts. And the simplest task that would have won from him a real appreciation never entered their minds.

But if we stop and think for a bit, we may all think of times when we could have done some little thing that would have helped someone else, and we didn’t bother.

They all sought honor from Jesus. Yet none of the men seems to have realized how great an honor it would have been for them to have washed his feet. It took a woman at another time to do that and to wipe his feet with her hair (Luke 7:37-50).

Jesus replied:

Further along, it would all become plain to them, as would so many other things, when they saw the big picture. Still, Peter continued to protest, drawing a further rebuke from the Lord: “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” (v. 8). “Part” is a word that means inheritance, or that which is shared. It was crucial that the disciples “share” this experience with Jesus.

So now Peter swung drastically to the other extreme. “Then, Lord… not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” (v. 9). But again, Jesus explains, “A person who has been washed needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean.” (v. 10). Peter does not understand. In his baptism, he had been washed already, and now he only needed to have his feet washed.

Jesus refers to the custom of washing guests’ feet who visit one’s home. This was necessary because open sandals were common footwear, and even a short walk on unpaved roads or streets would leave the traveler’s feet dusty and dirty. This, plus the fact that people often ate in a semi-reclining position, with their feet close to others gathered around the low table, meant that those who were otherwise quite clean would need to have their feet washed before settling down to a meal.

The disciples had been washed from their sins in baptism and had risen to newness of life. They wore robes of righteousness, having been cleansed from their past sins. But their walk along the “way” would leave their feet dirty, figuratively speaking. They did not need to be re-baptized on that account, but they did need to have their feet washed. Christ could do this for them, and it was so necessary that if they omitted this cleansing, they could have no “part,” or sharing of fellowship, with him. Here, in this little scene, is our Lord’s exhortation to humility, his rebuke to pride, and his serious emphasis on what characteristics are truly important for a disciple.

John understood the lesson since he wrote years later:

In our daily “walk,” we will not be without sin, but if we confess our sins, Jesus will see they are forgiven. What could be more important than this fact?

A Commandment?

Jesus finished his chore and then returned to his place at the table:

Sometimes, these words are used to prove literal foot washing is a commandment, just like the Breaking of Bread itself. But this is not true for several different reasons:

1. Concerning the Lord’s supper, Jesus clearly commanded, “Do this.” But concerning the washing of feet, Jesus says, “I have given you an example (i.e., a pattern), that you should do as I have done.” In other words, not exactly what I did, but the spirit in which I did it.
2. As in Acts 2:42, 46, the Breaking of Bread was the very center and focus of all worship from the earliest days. On the other hand, the foot-washing ritual did not appear for more than 300 years later.
3. Peter seems to remember this incident when he writes, “Be subject to one another, and be clothed with humility.” (1 Peter 5:5 KJV). Probably, he is recalling this scene: Jesus putting off his special garments and wrapping a towel around his waist—like a servant (John 13:4). In other words, Peter emphasizes the servant aspect of humility and service, not the foot washing aspect.

Judas Too

Let us, for a moment, imagine another part of this scene: the picture of Jesus kneeling to wash Judas’s feet. Here are the best and the worst together—the perfect love of the Lord and the hateful bitterness of the traitor at the same table. Shortly after this, Philip said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father” (John 14:8), only to receive the answer: “He who has seen me has seen the Father.” (v. 9).

In asking to see the Father, maybe the disciples thought Jesus would show them another vision of blinding lights and the majesty and glory of Almighty God, as some had seen at the Transfiguration. But instead, Jesus showed them the simplest, most ordinary thing: a man kneeling in their midst with a basin of water and a towel.

All the Father’s love was manifested in him: His goodness, His patience, His kindness even to the sinner and the ungodly. We realize, then, how necessary it was for Jesus to perform this service for all, even Judas. Had Jesus passed him by or waited until he left, then all later disciples could have said: “You see, it’s all right to restrict our acts of kindness just to our friends. And it’s perfectly okay to judge others as unworthy of kindness.”

But the love revealed by Jesus leaves us no such excuse. He who died for those who were sinners calls us to follow his example and to love those who are not loveable at all! We cannot pretend it is an easy choice; it isn’t. But Jesus chose to love all of us, especially the most difficult to love.

We can say: “What a wonderful idea!” in principle, but then do nothing about it in practice. We talk idealistically about “love,” but then we back away from it at the slightest provocation. Let me pose a mental exercise:

1. First, think about an instance in your life when you hesitated to show kindness in some practical way toward someone else who needed it.
2. Now, think about why you decided to turn away or walk around that person.
3. Finally, ask yourself: Have I ever done anything that, if it were known, might cause others to turn away from me?
4. And if the answer is “Yes,” then ask yourself one final question: “Did Jesus turn away from me?” 

This incident teaches us something else too. As Jesus has done, so ought we to do. If he can forgive sins, how much more should we do the same? Our Lord Jesus Christ said, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:17).

We may feel as reluctant to forgive a brother’s sin as we would to wash his feet, especially if we consider him inferior to ourselves. But our Savior’s example means that we must forgive, especially in the context of the Breaking of Bread, where “forgiveness” is the primary subject.

A New Commandment?

How was this a new commandment? Loving one another had in fact been a part of the Law of Moses. It had also been the most prominent theme of all of Christ’s ministry. Both the greatest commandment and the second greatest, involved love—love for God and love for our neighbor.

This commandment was “new” only in the sense that it was now being given the perfect interpretation in the life of Jesus. As John put it in John 13:1, “He showed them the full extent of his love.”

People ask, “Considering all the religions in the world, what is so special about Christianity?” I believe the answer is that of all possible religions, true Christianity is the only one that offers one particular thing. For the first time in human history, and the only time, a man stood before his fellowmen as the absolutely complete and total embodiment of the Divine ideal of agape—a self-sacrificing love:

What is our greatest challenge these last days? What do you think?

Just before his death, Jesus, knowing he was about to die, gave his disciples one great commandment—simple but profound: “Love each other as I have loved you.”

There may be many things we think about these last days. Some are personal, some are ecclesial, some are political. Some we can change for the better; some we cannot change. But, of all the challenges that face us in these last days, surely this is the greatest challenge set before us: to show Christ’s love in all we do and speak.

The bread and the wine on the table remind us of Christ’s love for us. Let the same bread and wine also exhort us to love one another as our Savior has loved us. He has, in fact, shown us the full extent of his love.

George Booker,
Austin Leander Ecclesia, TX