The imagery plays well in our minds.

Jesus.

The upper room. 

His disciples. 

A meal eaten. 

A quiet, peaceful moment between Jesus and His friends. 

Then something remarkable happens!

Something different and special.

Scripture reads:
  
“He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. 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.” (John 13:4-5)

Peter questions:

“Lord, dost thou wash my feet?”

Jesus answers:

“What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.”

Peter proudly proclaims:

“Thou shalt never wash my feet!”

Jesus answers him:

“If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.”

Peter then boldly retorts:

“Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.”

Let’s pause here for a moment.

We can relate to the disciples’ hesitation perhaps, that their Master wanted to kneel down and wash their dirty feet. A lowly servant’s job. And their feet were dirty. Open-toed sandals. Dirt roads. You get the picture.

Knowing the account, we can see the symbolism. Foreshadowing the cross. A physical cleansing pointing ahead to a spiritual cleansing.

Once Peter and the other disciples understand the cross, this will all make more sense to them.

Let’s continue the account…

Jesus washes the disciples’ feet. He sits back down and says:

“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.” (John 13:12-17)

For those of us who are baptized, who have been cleansed from all of our sins, every whit, why do we have this need to wash feet?

We’re already pretty clean, right?

You might quickly think, “Well, Jesus told us to!”

But why?

Could it be for the purpose of reminding us to humble ourselves? Absolutely! The posture alone of kneeling in front of someone denotes humility. We are called to serve one another. In order to serve, humility is a must. 

Jesus hanging on the cross was surely the greatest act of love and humility!

So once we are baptized, we are made clean by the blood of Jesus. And after? Do we pick up some “dirt” on our feet as we walk through this journey of life? This type of “dirt” is synonymous with sin, weakness, faults, fears, doubts, pride, unforgiveness, etc. 

We are all nodding our heads, “yes,” on this one.

If we perhaps get a stain on our shirt, we wash it with soap and water. 

If we have stains of another origin, from sin, we need to have humility before God in order for the stain to be removed.

I once heard a teacher expound on the importance of feet washing, and the conclusion he made was the most profound thing he said. He concluded that washing feet is really a need to have our heart washed by the Lord. 

Because don’t we all need a good heart cleansing?

One particular feet-washing Sunday, many years ago, I was a newly married woman, and I desired to start a family with my husband. During the feet washing, while the sister was kneeling and praying before me, she had a vision. She saw Jesus kneeling in front of me, and He was the one washing my feet. But not just my feet; my entire body was washed. And what a cleansing it was! Not only was this one of my most treasured experiences, but because of this cleansing the Lord performed, about eight weeks later, I found out that I was expecting my first baby! Praise God!

Every feet-washing service is an opportunity for the Lord to cleanse us. From our head to our heart, down to the soles of our feet! Jesus is inviting us to place what is ugly, broken, hurt, and rejected into His loving hands so He can purify it.

Can we also offer vulnerability with one another? Can we use humility to share our burdens, insecurities, and failures with our brothers and sisters in order to create a more loving unity between us? Are there parts of our heart that we hide from one another? We should invite Jesus into those parts of our heart that might be hidden in shame or fear. 

If we become too proud, we might say, “I am capable of washing my own feet, thank you very much!” Similar sentiments to Peter’s. Or how often are we too proud to admit we are in need of a healing? We say things like, “I can do it by myself,” “I’ll figure things out on my own,” “Nobody understands me,” “What would they think of me if they really knew?” 

If we’re ever hesitant to participate in this ordinance, we should ask what is preventing us from receiving an outpouring of God’s love in this way. When we place ourselves in Christ’s loving hands and allow Him to wash us through and through, we will be ready to then extend ourselves with willingness and humility to our brother or sister through feet washing.

Clean feet.

Clean heart.

And always remember, as a promise from the Lord, “HAPPY are ye if ye do them.”

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)