Washing Feet
In John 13:1-11, we see Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. If you'll remember, Jesus had just had His feet anointed with spikenard and gratitude for the restoration of family at Lazarus' resurrection. Here, Jesus was with His disciples, knowing who was going to betray Him to the Jewish leaders, and either in the middle of supper or after He was finished with supper, Jesus elected to wash the feet of all of the disciples. He took the role of a servant in performing this action, knowing full well that He was destined to die and be reunited with God the Father in just a few days.
He laid aside His outer garments, got a towel, filled a basin with water, prepared Himself, and proceed to wash each disciple's feet, including Judas. Peter was offended that Jesus should be doing this and told Jesus that he would never allow Jesus to do such a thing. It isn't mentioned that Peter had offered to take Jesus place in washing the other disciples feet. You'd think if it was a big deal to Peter that Jesus was doing a particular thing, Peter would have taken it upon himself to offer to take over. Seems like a reasonable thing to have done. But it isn't recorded that Peter did so.
It also isn't recorded what happened at Judas' feet. I really think that it should have been Judas complaining since Judas was so concerned about the waste of the spikenard in the previous chapter. But he seemed to be okay with Jesus being a servant to him. Interesting contrasts between the two. For someone who had decided to betray Jesus, the foot washing probably seemed appropriate. If He's going to act like that, then he must not be the Messiah, I can almost hear Judas thinking. No one who is to be a king would ever stoop to wash feet? Right?
Contrast this with Peter. After Jesus tells Peter that Peter just doesn't understand the foot washing, but it will sink in later, and that Peter would have no part with Christ without undergoing the foot washing, Peter goes overboard and says my whole body needs washed. Jesus replies that if the body is clean, just the dirt that has accumulated on the feet needs to be washed away to be clean. And He makes another comment about not all of them having clean hearts.
I've wondered about this passage a bit through the years. I realize that there is a principle of Masters and Servants that is presented here (more on this later). But there is also a very good principle we need to see in John 13:8. Jesus says that if they didn't get washed, they would have no part in Him. What does this mean?
I think that in this context, Jesus is saying that if you are self-righteous, that is, you think you are clean and don't have anything that needs to be washed, you will die in your self-righteousness. He'd been dealing with the Pharisees for a long time. Both that group and the scribes had many people who exhibited characteristics of self-righteousness. They saw no need to come to Christ to be saved, because they had their religion that would meet all their "few" needs.
That is the same deception that is prevalent today. I'm good enough on my own. I don't need any salvation via some religion. I'm okay just the way I am. And if there is some afterlife, my life will have been good enough to get me into the good eternity instead of the bad eternity. If any of those things strike you as something you've thought recently, then maybe you need to read The Gospel Message and accept salvation while you have the chance.
But Peter's response also is a warning about lots of other problems that have arisen in the Christian faith over a couple thousand years. If you're going to wash my feet, then wash everything. Man and religious leaders have tended to add and add to what was originally pretty simple. Admit you need saved, accept Christ as Savior, and repent of your sin. That's it in a nutshell. The thief on the cross believed and was saved. The fate of the other isn't specified. But the thief that stood up for Christ was accepted just as he was. That thief didn't have to participate in water baptism. He wasn't filled with the Holy Spirit. But he was saved. We need to be careful that we keep things simple. There are lots of things that you can do to help your Christian walk. Water baptism isn't as big a sign to the world that you're saved as it was in the New Testament times, but it's still a good thing to do if you have the opportunity. Seeking the baptism of the Spirit is really important. Reading the Bible, attending church, witnessing about what God has done in your life, and turning your life over to God's direction are all awesome things to seek. But the basics of salvation haven't changed. It's still simple. It's still a free gift from God. Truth.
Masters and Servants
John 13:12-20 talks a bit more about an additional facet to the foot washing that was done. Jesus recognized that the disciples didn't understand what He had done. He explained that there was a true Master and common people relationship that they had, and that they rightly called him the title Master and treated Him as such. By washing their feet, Jesus upended the whole relationship. He performed a service for them that probably no other person of that day and age who thought of themselves as Master would have performed for a servant, no matter how favored, much less all of them and especially the one who He knew was going to betray them all.
Jesus did what He did because He wanted above all else to not have Christianity turn into what the Jewish religion had become. In it there were famous teachers, scribes, Pharisees, and the religious political leaders themselves making up most of the Sanhedrin. Many of their religious leaders had elevated themselves in their own minds so high above the people that they didn't even recognize God walking in their midst as Jesus was. Jesus instructed His disciples to do as He did, and become servants to all.
He said plainly that the servant wasn't greater than the lord nor the one sent greater than the one who sends, putting God in the place of the lord. Everyone else is at the same level. If we treat each other as servants to each other, and work together for the furtherance of His kingdom, all will go well and we will be happy. If we spend our time trying to look like we are the greatest servant instead of doing the work of a servant, ultimately, we will receive the residue of our works, which won't be much. We need to always keep in mind that the Holy Spirit is doing the work. While this website might get random clicks from time to time out of curiosity, the reality is that any good it might achieve will be done when someone is prompted to visit the site by the Holy Spirit. I don't play around with SEO. I don't mess with buying ads or keywords or anything else. If you're here reading this far down into my commentary on John, there's something somewhere on one of my sites that God wants you to read and understand or understand better. I don't know what that is, but God knows. All of these words are only worth something if it leads someone to become a Christian or become a better Christian, and that will be due to the work of the Holy Spirit on that person's heart at reading whatever it is they read. It won't be by my work.
But we are all servants. And we are all worker bees. Our Master is God. We need to keep that foremost in our mind's eye. Then we will be happy for time we have spent being servant, even if we won't know the results until we get to heaven.
Christ went on to say again that there was one with them who was planning to stand in opposition to Him. Jesus warned them before so that after it happened, they would believe in Christ, but also they would know that He went willingly to the destination God had chosen for Him. This section closes with the promise that receiving the words of those sent by God (if they're true to God) is the same as receiving the words from Christ himself. And receiving the words of Christ is the same as receiving if the words had come from God. The same holds true for relationships. Christians forming relationships with fellow Christians is the same as fellow-shipping with Jesus and by extension God.
Prophecy of Betrayal
John 13:21-30 tells what happened after Jesus plainly said that one of the disciples would betray Him in verse 21. Everybody probably looked around in shock. Judas must have been a good actor. Even after Jesus telling them that they could trust His words and a relationship with Him was like having a relationship with God, they didn't believe Him when He foretold his betrayal. Simon Peter got John to ask Him who it was. Jesus said He would give a sop that had been dipped in something to the one who would betray Him. He prepared the sop and gave it to Judas Iscariot.
Now what I have always been curious about is why none of the disciples tried to do something to stop Judas. I know that in verse 27, Jesus went on to command Judas to quickly do what he had decided in his heart to do. But what was wrong with the rest of them that there wasn't at least a furious discussion with Judas at that moment. I do understand that they were probably stunned at what Jesus said. But still, couldn't Peter have picked a moment to go off on a spout of righteous indignation at what Judas was planning? It would have been totally in character. Don't just wash my feet, wash my whole body! Instead, crickets.
Some of them who hadn't been paying enough attention thought Jesus was just telling Judas to go buy something or to give something to the poor right then. But there had to be at least John and Peter who knew what the sop meant, and they didn't apparently say anything about it. How weird!
Love and Promises not Kept
After Judas made his escape, Jesus talks a bit more about what is to come. From John 13:31-38, He lets the disciples know that for all that was about to happen, the Son would be glorified, and God would be glorified. While in just a short time, most of them would not understand how that could possibly be, and would in fact be hiding for their lives, after the resurrection they could once again see the glory of God and realize that everything had happened according to His purpose, regardless of whether or not it was what they expected or wanted.
He repeats that the disciples would not be able to directly follow in Jesus path, although most would indeed be martyred for the faith. Verse 36 tells of this reality for Peter. He would not follow Jesus immediately to death, but he would follow later and be martyred. Peter protested, feeling that he could follow Jesus immediately, and would gladly lay down his life in Jesus path. Jesus answered that before the cock would crow in the morning, Peter would have denied Christ three times.
That isn't the sort of statement of fact that any of us would like to hear about ourselves. Yet few Christians in America today face the kind of pressures that Peter would face that night and the next morning. Most of us live in a place where we can be assured of being safe overnight and through the course of the next day. For all of those individuals who haven't truly accepted Christ as savior, the rapture of the church of believers will be a big shock to the system. Some who were playing at being a Christian will discover that declaring your allegiance to Christ - once such easy words to say - now could get you killed. Then, you will discover whether or not you are like Peter.
But in the middle of this discourse, Jesus utters a new and beautiful commandment, consistent with every precept He had ever touched on or taught. It bears direct repeating:
That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
And that really sums up how we should be as Christians. Loving each other, accepting each other, challenging each other to do better or more, caring for each other, supporting each other... the command covers so many things. And we also need to remember that Jesus was just as interested that we love our neighbor, whoever that might be, and that we love our enemies - ouch! Love should be our touchstone.
If you read some of my commentary on my other sites, you'll know there are a great many things going on in the world and in the United States of which I'm not a fan. Many have been propagated by particular politicians. Many are launched by people claiming to be Christians. But for all my disgust at some political choices or court rulings, my prayer is that God will save each and every leader we have, whether in politics, court, professional groups, industry, or the arts. The people who the youth (and older folks) of this country look up to need to be Christian. The country would be a far better place if they were listening to God instead of themselves or Satan. And to be clear, most are just listening to themselves or others like them. They aren't under Satan's control any more than the society at large. None of my comments will save them. The only person who can save them is the Holy Spirit, and I pray He works speedily and broadly. It is possible to love the person and not like what they say and do. We are called to do that as Christians, no matter how hard it is.