WASHING OF FEET

John 13:1-15

 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.
And supper being ended, 

the devil having already put it 

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 had come from God and was going to God,
rose from supper and laid aside His garments, 

took a towel and girded Himself.
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.

 In times gone by, people travelled mostly on foot. When they arrived at their destination, The slave or servant would wash their feet before the host welcomed them into his house or before they had a meal. Outside the door of every house would be placed a basin of water and a towel.

 After the last supper, before His trial and crucifixion, the LORD JESUS took a basin of water and a towel and washed the feet of His disciples!

Then He came to Simon Peter. 

And Peter said to Him, 

"Lord, are You washing my feet?"
Jesus answered and said to him, 

"What I am doing you do not understand now, 

but you will know after this."
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."

That is how the LORD JESUS welcomes us into His life. He showed Peter that he should be willing to have his feet washed by the LORD to enter into a spiritual relationship with His LORD!

Washing of feet is symbolic of intercession. When we are convicted of our sin and repent, JESUS washes them away and cleanses our soul with His blood.

I think for some, it would call for greater humility to have their feet washed by another, than to wash the feet of another!

 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, 

the firstborn from the dead, 

and the ruler over the kings of the earth. 

To Him who loved us 

and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 

Revelation 1:5

Although it is uncomfortable and humbling to have our feet washed by someone else, we need to yield our soul to be washed by the word of GOD through the Holy Spirit so that we may enter into and live in a close relationship with JESUS.

Simon Peter said to Him, 

"Lord, not my feet only, 

but also my hands and my head!"

Peter's reaction showed his desire to have a close relationship with the LORD.

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."
For He knew who would betray Him; 

therefore He said, "You are not all clean."

The LORD JESUS cleansed His followers with His words while He walked on this earth. He constantly spoke the word to them and taught them.

When we receive the words of our LORD and obey them, our life is pruned of the things that hinder our spiritual fruitfulness and our soul is cleansed.

 "I am the true vine, 

and My Father is the vinedresser.

Every branch in Me 

that does not bear fruit He takes away; 

and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, 

that it may bear more fruit.

You are already clean 

because of the word which I have spoken to you. 

  John 15:1-3

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?
You call me Teacher and Lord, 

and you say well, for so I am.

If I then, your Lord and Teacher, 

have washed your feet, 

you also ought to wash one another's feet.
For I have given you an example, 

that you should do as I have done to you. 

 Husbands, love your wives, 

just as Christ also loved the church 

and gave Himself for her,
that He might sanctify and cleanse her 

with the washing of water by the word,
that He might present her to Himself 

a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle

or any such thing, but that she should be holy 

and without blemish. 

Ephesians 5:25-27

Blemishes and wrinkles are signs of old age. As our body ages, old injuries, scars, pimples and so on remain as blemishes. Old hurts, bitterness and unforgiveness that are not dealt with, stay as blemishes in our soul. Although blemishes in the skin are difficult to remove, blemishes of the soul can be dealt with and removed by diligent study of the word of GOD and obedience to the Holy Spirit.

Wrinkles form on the skin when it loses its elasticity with age. It becomes stretched and sags. When it is dry, lacking skin oil, it also becomes brittle and cracked as it cannot stretch. 

So it will be with our soul when we mature spiritually and become set and stubborn in our ways! We must be diligent to keep ourselves humble, keep on growing, willing to learn even from people younger than us, and continue to be anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit!

 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, 

"Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, 

but Your disciples do not fast?"
And Jesus said to them, 

"Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn 

as long as the bridegroom is with them? 

But the days will come 

when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, 

and then they will fast.
No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; 

for the patch pulls away from the garment, 

and the tear is made worse.
Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, 

or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, 

and the wineskins are ruined. 

But they put new wine into new wineskins, 

and both are preserved." 

Matthew 9:14-17

The moment we stop growing, we start ageing! The LORD desires His bride to be clean, young and glorious! 

We must be willing to have our mind renewed constantly by the word through the revelation of the Holy spirit so that we may spiritually progress well. We must progress to the new covenant from the old, 

from legalism to grace, 

from love to greater love, 

from fear to faith, 

from faith to faith, 

from victory to victory and 

from glory to glory!

 And Jesus answered and said to him, 

"Simon, I have something to say to you." 

So he said, "Teacher, say it."
"There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. 

One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

And when they had nothing with which to repay, 

he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, 

which of them will love him more?"
Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one 

whom he forgave more." And He said to him, 

"You have rightly judged."
Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, 

"Do you see this woman? I entered your house; 

you gave Me no water for My feet, 

but she has washed My feet with her tears 

and wiped them with the hair of her head.
You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased 

to kiss My feet since the time I came in.

You did not anoint My head with oil, 

but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.

Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, 

are forgiven, for she loved much. 

But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."

Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

And those who sat at the table with Him 

began to say to themselves, 

"Who is this who even forgives sins?"

Then He said to the woman, 

"Your faith has saved you. Go in peace." 

Luke 7:40-50

Have you lovingly invited the LORD JESUS into your life? He does not need His feet washed or cleansed, but He is the One Who is able to cleanse you in preparation for eternity in Heaven! He is the Only One Who took the punishment for all your sins and is able to wash away your sins.

 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. 

If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, 

I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 

Revelation 3:20


John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: 

Grace to you and peace from Him who is 

and who was and who is to come, 

and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, 

the firstborn from the dead, 

and the ruler over the kings of the earth. 

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins 

in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests 

to His God and Father, 

to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 

Revelation 1:4-6