Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist.Then he [Jesus] poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”
These few verses are the material for many sermons, I am sure, but allow me to point out just a few thoughts exegetically. Notice, firstly, the humility of our Savior--that which we ought all to emulate. This humility also emphasizes His true humanity. He gets up and takes off His outer garments and ties a towel around His waist. He's personal, comfortable, and loving towards His disciples. He proceeds to washing their feet, a sign of humility. In that culture, washing feet was a sign of hospitality that hosts would provide for their guests, but never would a king or anyone noble do the actual dirty work. We see Peter recognize this fact by his refusal to be washed. He was saying, "Whoa now! You're clearly the better man here!" Jesus, eternal God and future king of the universe, wasn't too good to wash the feet of His friends. In another narrative of this event Jesus explains that His purpose was to demonstrate that the heart of leadership is service. He who would be exalted the highest must stoop the lowest. Leaders are born in the trenches. Those who have an easy road paved for them to leadership are not good leaders. This is a universal principle. Good leaders understand the work that those they are leading have to accomplish. They sympathize. Christ told His disciples to bear their crosses, but first He showed them how it was done! As Philippians 2:5-10 says, "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Secondly, Jesus notes the symbolism when He warns Peter that if he isn't cleansed by Jesus, he has no part in Him. This symbolism is reflective of the symbolism of baptism. In Matthew 3:11, John the Baptizer tells us that Jesus will come and baptize with fire and with the Holy Spirit--true baptism. If we are not cleansed by Christ, we are not a part of Him. If we have not received the cleansing work of God as represented in baptism, we are not a part of Him. Christ however makes it clear that this feet washing was supplemental to baptism. In verse 9 he says that one who has been bathed does not need to be entirely bathed again, but only needs to have his feet washed. This feet washing was an anointing of sorts. It was a calling to the ministry. It was specific to the Apostles as they would be the pillars of the Church that Christ was about to build. However, we also need this continual cleansing of Christ as we go through our lives. We need to heed His Word and to be chastened thereby. We need to seek to imitate His humilty and holiness as we go through our daily lives. We must seek to involve ourselves in the means of grace that have been provided for this cleansing--baptism, the Lord's Table, the preaching and teaching of the Word, fellowship, and community love.
Verse 3 tells us that Christ did this because He knew that God had given Him all things. Well, Romans 8:32 asks us that "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" Many people read Romans 8:32 and other passages that speak about our reigning with Christ and tell us to consider that fact long and hard and act like we're reigning with Christ. That is true. I'll be the first to encourage you to pursue Dominion Theology. But Jesus' reaction to this glorious fact is to get His hands dirty. Glorious, dominion living is not acting like Christians are above the world and better than everyone. It's serving. It's imitating our Savior.
These few verses are the material for many sermons, I am sure, but allow me to point out just a few thoughts exegetically. Notice, firstly, the humility of our Savior--that which we ought all to emulate. This humility also emphasizes His true humanity. He gets up and takes off His outer garments and ties a towel around His waist. He's personal, comfortable, and loving towards His disciples. He proceeds to washing their feet, a sign of humility. In that culture, washing feet was a sign of hospitality that hosts would provide for their guests, but never would a king or anyone noble do the actual dirty work. We see Peter recognize this fact by his refusal to be washed. He was saying, "Whoa now! You're clearly the better man here!" Jesus, eternal God and future king of the universe, wasn't too good to wash the feet of His friends. In another narrative of this event Jesus explains that His purpose was to demonstrate that the heart of leadership is service. He who would be exalted the highest must stoop the lowest. Leaders are born in the trenches. Those who have an easy road paved for them to leadership are not good leaders. This is a universal principle. Good leaders understand the work that those they are leading have to accomplish. They sympathize. Christ told His disciples to bear their crosses, but first He showed them how it was done! As Philippians 2:5-10 says, "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Secondly, Jesus notes the symbolism when He warns Peter that if he isn't cleansed by Jesus, he has no part in Him. This symbolism is reflective of the symbolism of baptism. In Matthew 3:11, John the Baptizer tells us that Jesus will come and baptize with fire and with the Holy Spirit--true baptism. If we are not cleansed by Christ, we are not a part of Him. If we have not received the cleansing work of God as represented in baptism, we are not a part of Him. Christ however makes it clear that this feet washing was supplemental to baptism. In verse 9 he says that one who has been bathed does not need to be entirely bathed again, but only needs to have his feet washed. This feet washing was an anointing of sorts. It was a calling to the ministry. It was specific to the Apostles as they would be the pillars of the Church that Christ was about to build. However, we also need this continual cleansing of Christ as we go through our lives. We need to heed His Word and to be chastened thereby. We need to seek to imitate His humilty and holiness as we go through our daily lives. We must seek to involve ourselves in the means of grace that have been provided for this cleansing--baptism, the Lord's Table, the preaching and teaching of the Word, fellowship, and community love.
Verse 3 tells us that Christ did this because He knew that God had given Him all things. Well, Romans 8:32 asks us that "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" Many people read Romans 8:32 and other passages that speak about our reigning with Christ and tell us to consider that fact long and hard and act like we're reigning with Christ. That is true. I'll be the first to encourage you to pursue Dominion Theology. But Jesus' reaction to this glorious fact is to get His hands dirty. Glorious, dominion living is not acting like Christians are above the world and better than everyone. It's serving. It's imitating our Savior.
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