Home Forums Miscellaneous Topics Christ at the Campfire Honest Question from one with no answers.

Just reading John 13, and pondering the foot washing. Some think of it as an ordinance, others as an example, others as educational.

What's your take on it?

I have always read it like Jesus' other comments on being servants. It is about an attitude of self-giving that has nothing with being a doormat and everything about being a witness by our living to God.

Thanks, Brother.

I always saw it as an example of being humble/not holding yourself above anyone.

Why would you wash your own foot and not the foot of another? We are all one, I am him and he is me......

In otherwords, what Frank said.

Thanks to you two gents as well.

I'm not so crass that one would notice............

You sure do have your days, at times . . . . <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Guess we all do.

I have pondered the same question. It seems to be a commandment right there with communion but few today practice it.

Folks just need to figure out that the last person I take seriously is myself. I don't like to make road maps to that, makes the journey boring...........

Appreciate your comments on the foot washing thing. Like I said, I don't have the answer so I am looking for someone to spark up my mind. It all works out in the end.

Scott,

Could you give me the thoughts you have on the commandment part?

"thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife", that one?

John 13

Jesus Washes the Disciples� Feet

1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
2 And supper being ended,[a] the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon�s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples� feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, �Lord, are You washing my feet?�
7 Jesus answered and said to him, �What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.�
8 Peter said to Him, �You shall never wash my feet!�
Jesus answered him, �If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.�
9 Simon Peter said to Him, �Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!�
10 Jesus said to him, �He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.� 11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, �You are not all clean.�
12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, �Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another�s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

This is the Orthodox Christian interpetation of the above Scripture taken from the Orthodox Study Bible

" 13:5 The foot washing (vv. 3-17) is an act of love and humble service. That Jesus is God in the flesh renders His humility all the more profound. A hymn of Matins on the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee emphasizes this incident: 'The Savior and the Master, ever leading us to devine exaltation, in His actions revealed to us His humility that raises us on high. For with His own hands, He washed the feet of the diciples.'
13:8 The washing of feet was a common expression of hospitality in the ancient Middle East, but it was normally done by slaves or house servents. You shall never wash my feet! shows the Apostles are understandably shocked when their Lord stoops like a slave at their feet. If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me alludes to the cleansing power of Jesus' death and Resurrection. For the early Church, these words and the foot-washing took on sacramental significance, for in washing His diciples' feet, Jesus set forth a symbol of baptism.
13:9 Peter's response is a remarkable reversal of v.8. For as he hears the Lord's words. he says not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. In other words, 'If this is the way for me to be part of You, then wash all of me.' Significantly, the icon of the washing of the feet shows Peter pointing to his head.

13:10 In baptisim we enter into the death and Resurrection of Christ; in the Eucharist we have communion in the Body and Blood of our risen Lord---and we are made completely clean by the power of Christ's death and Resurrection. In ancient times, people bathed at a bath house, walked home and then bathed their feet again before stepping into their houses. As Christians, we are bathed and cleaned by Christ in Holy Baptisim, and have periodic 'foot washings' by Him in the sacrament of repentance or confession.
13:12-20 After the foot washing, Jesus explains its significance: As He Himself is a Servant of God and mankind, so we are to serve God and our fellowman. As Christ has made salvation available to the world, so the Apostles ('sent ones') are to carry the salvation to all nations. To be a leadr in the Church, one must be a humble servant-a reversal of the values of the world.
13:15 To this day, some Orthodox churches have preserved the ancient practice of foot-washing on Thursday of Holy Week, following the Lord's instructions literally."

A lengthy dissertation that I hope you find interesting.

God bless,

Dan

I see it as an act of humility. IIRC washing of feet was a common practice when a guest entered a house done by a servant of that house. It was necessary for a pleasant visit as the streets were often the sewers as well. Those were the same streets the disciples walked through, so when the Lord of Glory bent to was their feet, it would have been something most would protest. He is amazing.

Put it in the context of the day. Streets were absolutely filthy. There was a lot of animal manure in addition to human. People threw bedpans out in the street. In addition, people reclined in a circle at their meals which put their reeking feet near someone else's head.

The lowest ranking servant in a household was assigned the duty of washing the feet of those who came in the house.

Jesus was putting himself in the position of the lowest ranking servant. In this day of plumbing and cars, we don't have anything that approaches the debasing job of 1st century foot washing. Even washing toilets is sanitary compared to Jesus' day. The closest we can come is to look for a dirty, thankless job that needs doing and do it.

Dick

Thanks, Dan, Rick and Dick.

John 13:5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?

7 Jesus answered and said unto him, [color:"red"] What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. [/color]

8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, [color:"red"] If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. [/color]

9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

10 Jesus saith to him, [color:"red"] He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. [/color]

11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, [color:"red"] Ye are not all clean. [/color]

12 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, [color:"red"]
Know ye what I have done to you?

13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.

14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.

15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

16 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.

17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

18 I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.

19 Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.

20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. [/color]


When we look at the examples in the Bible of the two generally accepted church ordinances, baptism and the Lord's supper, there is a generally (though granted, not completely universal) accepted definitition of what those two actions are, and why they were commanded. In other words, the reason for the ordinances are clear and accepted.

No one questions why the disciples were eating, because everyone eats. It is the same, generally speaking, as today. The same can be said for baptism. We know and understand why John baptised. There is (as was evidensed by the long thread recently here) some disagreement about the application of baptism, but that it is significant is not disputed.

When the subject of footwashing comes up, however, this is not the case. There are churches that practice it religiously, if you'll parden the pun, and others that would never do it. Why is this?

As has been shown here, the purpose of footwashing is something that held much significance to the people of Jesus' day. It was a part of their everyday life. Christ used examples from the people's lives as analogies in His teaching to make the meaning clear. No one from that time and culture would misunderstand the meaning or reason for the action. It was something they saw and experienced many days of their lives.

The same could be said about many of the examples Christ used in His teaching. His examples of fishing, even after tolling all night, meant something to the fishing fellows He spoke to, as did the examples of sheep to the shepherds. Today we sometimes struggle with terms like "sheepgate", and even "flock", yet these would have been very familiar terms to those He spoke with at the time. Today, however, even for those in the cultures of the area He spoke in, footwashing does not have the meaning or significance as it did in those days.

It has been said by others that this was an example that He gave to us, and Christ Himself tells us this. Yet Christ never describes baptism or communion as an example. He tells us to be servants to our fellows, and that He has shown us an example. Yet there is nothing in an example that says "Do this and only this". What we do to follow His example should have the same effect on people. The meaning should be clear, and the reason for the action clear. There should be no doubt in the mind of those who recieve the action as to the value of the action, or the need of it.

The disciples had no doubt as to the value of what Christ did when He washed their feet. It was a normal part of their lives as they traveled about. They knew that it was important because of their living conditions and culture, and they knew the reason for it.

The disciples also knew who normally did the action, and it was not the lord of the house, but a servant. This explains what can be best described as their outrage that Christ would stoop to do the task that, while needed, was not for the master, but a servant. It was something they expected, something they needed, but did not expect it from Him. A following of Christ's command today would be something that would do the same thing in the minds of those who receive it. It should be something they want - even expect from someone, something they need, but never expected of you.

We can also see why Christdidn't wash all of them, head, arms and such. It would not have been something that was normally done, something they would have expected. Peter could have looked at a washing from Christ as some sort of spiritual cleansing (as some still insist on viewing it today) rather than as an act to serve others in an everyday activity.

Churches are free to practice anything they desire to in their services, as long as it is agreed to by the body, and is not used as an addition to the requirement for salvation. In other words, a church could decide that April 1st all the members will wear purple robes to show that they are priests and kings in Christ, but also pecular as His people. As long as it wasn't considered a requirement for salvation, and visitors were still welcome, there would be no biblical problem with this on the surface. However, as so often happens, if some decided that they could show how much holier they were than their fellows by the way they wore their robe, or the shade of purple they chose, then there would be issues. This wouldn't be an issue with the action, so to speak, but in the heart of the doer. The same can be said of footwashing. If a church decides to practice footwashing, they are free to do so, provided it is not considered something added to the sacrifice of Christ needed for salvation. However, what is the meaning of that footwashing to those receiving it? How about those who give it? We may not know what is in the heart of an individual as that is between God and that person, but most (in my experience) see it only as a way they can demonstrate how much more mature they are as a Christian, or see it as a portion of what they do as a church member. The receiver of the action has no earthly need of the action, and it is not in their daily lives, or the customs of their culture. It has no meaning or value to them except as a religious iconic symbol that has little resemblance to the example Christ gave.

There are many things that we can do today that would follow His command to do likewise, but footwashing is not one. Today there are many who could use a hand. I remember once having to pack up and move from Laurel, Maryland back to Indiana. I had no one to help me load up the truck, and honestly didn't expect anyone to come by but sure wanted somebody to. Totally unexpectedly, the pastor from Grace Baptist Church in the community came by and helped me. He was alone. No pastoral garments. No airs of being in charge. He came by like a hired servant would and helped me. There was no doubt in my mind of the need for the action he did, or the importance. There was also complete surprise that he would do it. This, in my heart, is following the example Christ gave when He told us to go and do likewise.

Thanks Brother Len. As always, a worthwhile reflection on the scriptures. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I'm thinking the " Frog " nailed it first and best .