Imagine yourself seated at a table with Jesus and his disciples preparing to eat the Passover meal—what an honor! And then, unexpectedly, Jesus stands up, takes a basin of water and a towel and kneels in front of you, takes your dusty feet in his hands and gives them a rinse. How do you feel?
I can tell you how I would feel. First, I would have been embarrassed that Jesus, my teacher, was humbling himself in front of me. I should have been washing his feet! And I would have felt awkward, that none of us disciples took the basin and towel to wash each other’s feet before Jesus did. Foot washing was normally a dirty task given to servants, or to children, or to women. But in this story, Jesus, the guest of honor, humbled himself to serve his followers!
If we had been there, would we have agreed with Simon Peter who exclaimed, “No, Lord. You shall never wash my feet.” And how would we feel if Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me”?
This is one of the most famous stories from the gospels. Jesus’ act of washing his disciples’ feet was teaching two important lessons, and it gave him an opportunity to give them a new commandment.
The first lesson was about true greatness—and humility. In almost every society, people think of greatness and humility as opposites. If you are great, you don’t have to be humble! That is the way of the world. But Jesus showed a different way. True greatness is seen in humility (Proverbs 29:23)!
When my wife and I were guest teachers at a Christian seminary in the country of Bangladesh, we ate our meals in the cafeteria with the students. After the meal everyone would take their own plate to the kitchen to wash it so that it would be ready for the next meal. Jean and I repeatedly tried to take our plates to the kitchen but our students would never let us do this. They insisted on washing our plates for us. It was their way of honoring us. While I appreciated their honor, I would rather have washed my own plate and theirs as well. Honor is best seen in service!
When Jesus came to Simon Peter, he objected, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus said, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” Peter then over-reacted, “Not just my feet but my head and hands as well.” To which Jesus replied, “Those who have had a bath only need to wash their feet. Their whole body is already clean.”
The second lesson Jesus taught was on forgiveness. Throughout the Bible, forgiveness is often symbolized by washing. Jesus told Peter that a person who already had a bath, meaning is already forgiven, only needs foot washing. This is similar to hand washing in our culture. We take a shower and are clean but we still wash our hands before we eat, in case we have touched something dirty in the meantime. Salvation is like a bath: total forgiveness. But if through the day we get our hands dirty, perhaps by a sinful thought or word, we can confess it and Jesus will clean us again.
Only Jesus can forgive sins. Therefore, as he told Peter, to be his disciple we need to allow him to give us a foot wash—a daily cleansing. (John 13:6-10) This scenario is not meant to be imaginary. Jesus told his disciples, and he tells us: “You call me Teacher and Lord and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you should also wash one another’s feet. I have set an example that you should do as I have done for you.” (John 13:13-15). As Jesus forgives us, we are to forgive each other.
But Jesus had one more important thing to say, he gave his disciples a new commandment: “Love one another.” And he added, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35) Perhaps we are surprised that “Love one another” was ever a new commandment. If we have grown up in churches, we have heard this all our life. But it doesn’t sound new because Jesus’ disciples took it from the Upper Room, and everywhere they went, as they talked about Jesus, they shared this new commandment. As a Christian chorus said, “They will know we are Christians by our love!”
Jesus laid down his life for us, so we should lay down our lives for one another. And if anyone has this world’s goods and sees someone in need but does not show compassion for him— where is his love? (1 John 3:1617). Love requires that, if we can, we should help those needing food or shelter or care!
Jesus loved us enough to die for us. That is our standard. We may never have to actually die for others—though that could happen— but, as John said, we can give sacrificially to help those in need. That is love.
The mark of a disciple of Jesus is humility, serving, forgiving, sacrificial giving, and loving.
Greg Giles is a published author, who, along with his wife Jean, has embraced the call to serve and teach around the globe. Their life together has included missionary work in Liberia, Bangladesh, teaching in China, and raising a family in Bemidji, Minnesota. Between global travels and local commitments, including serving as superintendent of Corn Bible Academy and their current parttime roles at Corn Heritage Village, the Gileses have found “home” in many places; yet, they now happily reside in retirement in Cordell.