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Jesus Washes the Disciples Feet, Part I, John 13:1-7
We continue today in the Gospel of John, a short 2 or 3 lesson series from Chapter 13 where the account is given wherein Jesus Christ washes the feet of his disciples.
This account is unique to the Gospel of John which in itself is unique from the other Gospel accounts by not being included in what is called the Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke.
The word, synoptic is of Greek origin, which when broken apart into syn s-y-n and optic will provide its meaning.
Syn- means same (as in synchronize, same time, chronometer, chronicle), and optic of course refers to sight.
A synonym is a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language.
The first three Gospels are syn-optic because they see alike; they basically tell the same story as each other, covering many of the same events.
The Gospel of John, on the other hand, focuses on many different events than the other Gospel authors, and therefore has a very high percentage of unique content.
When the first three gospels are compared — Matthew, Mark, and Luke—it is obvious that the accounts are very similar to one another in content and expression.
As a result, Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to as the “synoptic gospels.”
So the word “synoptic” basically means “to see together with a common view.” So please turn to John 13:1-17 where we find our great Master, our Lord, on his knees, with basin, water, and towel, washing the feet of his disciples, Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him; Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. We are at the scene of the last supper of our Lord in the upper room before he willingly goes to the cross for our infinite benefit. He has in the previous ten chapters of this Gospel conducted various forms of public ministry where his purpose among other things was to reveal himself to the world. But now in Chapter 13 the focus shifts to an intimate setting, where we find Jesus teaching and providing his own example of servanthood to his disciples. In closing out his public ministry John tells us in John 12:36 that Jesus departed, and did hide himself from them.
His own, that is, them, the nation of Israel, received him not.
But his ministry to his disciples was not finished therefore the supper was more than a time of fellowship, it was a time for instruction.
Even knowing that his hour had come, indeed this was the very week, Jesus Christ continued to love those whom the Father had given him.
Here in John 13, Jesus Christ demonstrates to his disciples and to all believers what he said in:
Matthew 20:27,28, And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Jesus Christ is chief among us yet he came to seek and to save, he came as a servant and demonstrated that service by doing.
He is the Word but he is also a doer of the Word.
So the perfect example of servant hood is demonstrated in this passage.
John 13:1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
We are told that this event happened before the feast of the Passover.
Jesus knew that his hour was come.
This was the eve before he was to die.
But he had instruction for his own, loving them unto the end.
Note that in spite of being rejected by national Israel John tells us that he had a small band that he called "his own."
His own, an example of the remnant.
We are not our own, but we are his own.
His own, bought with a price, the precious blood of Christ.
We see Jesus Christ whose hour had come when he was to face the hatred of man.
But the same hour would bring his return unto the Father and through it all he loved them unto the end.
This end is not in terms of time but it means to the furthest extent, to the uttermost.
John 13:2, And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;
But not all were there to be instructed.
Not all were his own.
The devil had claimed one who had walked with Jesus Christ and had witnessed the same glory that the others had witnessed.
But instead of receiving Jesus Christ as Lord he had received Satan as his Lord.
These are the options of life, choose Christ or remain with the Devil.
Satan had found and conquered one who remained, Judas, of the twelve.
Continuing in John 13:3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;
So Jesus, in full consciousness of his deity, his divine origin and destiny, fully knowing that he was come from God and he would go to God chose to become a bond slave of his own.
He made himself of no reputation and humbled himself to wash the feet of his disciples.
He chose humility in a world that despised it as a sign of weakness.
He taught servanthood to disciples who vied for positions as their Master’s favorite.
Who will sit on thy right hand and on thy left?
It is no wonder that Peter so opposed this humble act by Jesus for it flew in the face of everything Peter understood about authority and power.
But in so doing we are instructed by Christ himself in what must occur if we desire to be in fellowship with our Master. So in John 13:4,5 we read, He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. There had been no one to wash the feet of Jesus and the disciples before they came to the room to dine.
Most likely there was no slave to perform this usual function.
Dinner would be enjoyed in the semi-prone position so feet were prominent in a setting like we see here in this passage. It was customary at Passover to recline at the table on their sides, heads supported by one hand with the other hand within distance of the dishes on the table in front of them. It was important that feet were attended to so they would not offend and therefore it was common for people to wash their feet before dinner as feet in sandals would get dusty and dirty on the unpaved roads of Israel. It was customary hospitality for hosts to make provision for guests to wash themselves or to have a servant to wash the guest’s feet but it was unheard of for the host himself to wash the guest’s feet. It was not right or polite to fellowship together in such close arrangements with unclean feet. And fellowship with Jesus Christ certainly requires clean feet as we will learn from Jesus in later verses.
Twelve disciples plus Jesus Christ at the supper table.
All knew of the need for clean feet.
Each one wondered, who is going to get up and wash our feet?
Each one had the opportunity to serve each of the others and their Master by taking the position of servant and washing their feet.
But none moved to satisfy this important need.
Peter wash the feet of John? Can anyone see Peter do that?
Andrew wash the feet of Phillip? Unthinkable!
Who will wash the feet of Judas?
They had their pride, didn't they?
They certainly were not inferior to any of the other disciples were they?
What was the precedence?
Who was first among them?
Only Jesus Christ moved.
And by so doing he teaches his own a most beautiful and necessary lesson.
Jesus Christ is deliberate in his service.
He does all things decently and in order.
He removes, his outer garments, generally taken off to work and also used as a cover for sleep.
Girding himself with a towel handy for wiping dry the feet of his disciples, he fills a basin with water and begins to wash the feet of the disciples.
24 dirty feet to wash.
No speeches, no discussions, just service to those who are supposed to be serving him.
We are given to see in this passage the Lord of Glory.
The Lord whom angels adore.
The Lord whom angels fall in worship and praise.
This same Lord who left the glories of heaven we now see on his knees, with basin of water, a towel covering his nakedness and wiping the wet but clean feet of twelve men.
He loves his own to the uttermost.
He teaches them that to have uninterrupted fellowship with him he must wash their feet to remove the dirt and grime that the feet gather as his disciples take their daily walk.
This is a picture of Jesus Christ's washing of sin by the word of God for symbolically the dirt on the feet is the sin of the world and Jesus is the word of God, the cleansing power.
To have fellowship with Jesus Christ there must be a spiritual washing by the word of God.
And he teaches the principle of service without pride of one’s position or power.
He teaches that his disciples are to serve one another in humility and love.
But Peter does not understand the significance of the principles that Jesus Christ is teaching as we see in:
John 13:6 where Peter is pictured as defiant, Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
Peter has watched his Lord washing the feet of his fellow disciples.
They have accepted his service in silence and without opposing Jesus Christ's service.
But this was not to be with Peter.
He was not going to let his Master stoop so low on his behalf.
No! not Peter!
Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
Peter's question is a normal question from a worldly point of view.
It shows his worldly mindset.
The world says that serving is low.
But Christ is high.
Therefore a person of Jesus Christ's high and lifted up position should not lower himself to serve, according to Peter!
But that is a worldly position, Peter.
That is not a Christian position.
That is not the mind of God!
The Christian position is that service is high.
The Christian's position is that servant hood is the highest position in God's order of things.
To hinder someone from service is to indicate that service is of low value.
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