Foot Washing

Have you ever been to one of those churches where they wash each other's feet?

How gross.

I mean, I can appreciate the sentiment... taking Jesus' words from John 13:14 literally and baring our toes for those who would willingly wash one of the top 5 nastiest parts of our bodies. But really, we need to dig a little more into what Jesus did before we lose our socks.

The job of washing feet was the job of a slave, and Jews were barred from doing so at all for each other. Simply put, the lowest member of society washed feet, no one else. Jesus does this for His disciples as an illustration of the cross. He's going to serve as a slave and hang as a criminal though he is truly neither... for us.

In washing their feet He is illustrating the cleansing work His death will accomplish for them. That is why He rebukes Peter (something a slave could not do) with the statement: John 13:8 (ESV) “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”

The washing of water and blood is what Jesus performed for us at the cross, letting Him cleanse you of your sins is the only way to have true fellowship with Him. Later John would write so in 1 John 1:7 (ESV) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

The point of this moment was not to tell all future generations to wash each others physical feet (there is no record of this happening in the Early Church at all). For all contexts, this illustration was to commend Christ's followers to love each other so much we seek purity in the lives of each other and forgive each other's sins so that we can walk in true fellowship.

Let's be honest, as much as our feet our nasty, there are far nastier parts of us that have nothing to do with our anatomy. Jesus said you need to wash that out in each other because He's taken care of it in the cross for all who come to Him. For if God forgives completely, who am I to re-judge you?

As much as we tend to forget this, none of us are a better judge than Jesus.

This of course is much harder than physically washing someone's feet. For feet have no emotional component, but hurts and harmful words do. Yet in Christ we must let His cleansing work be affected in our relationships and attitudes toward one another. We are built for community. Our hearts long to be in relationship with others. Yet no community can truly exists without dealing compassionately toward one another's greatest weaknesses.

Everyone has dirt.

But Christ-followers refuse to dig it up since Jesus washed it away.

PRAYER:
Father, help me to wash other people's feet. Help me to live in forgiveness and grace. Empower me to serve the people in my life with humility and kindness. For you have washed me clean and continue to do so every day. I ask for the power to live in the light of YOUR grace so that I may share it with others as well.