washed

Have you ever wondered about the significance of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet? You always hear about how amazing it is, but why? Jesus took it upon himself to take the form of a servant. In this act of humility, toward the end of his life, he became the servant of all. Jesus “knew that his hour had come” (John 13:1). He knew before long he would be nailed to a cross. Yet he still took the time to do what a servant would normally do and wash the feet of his disciples. 

Jesus washing the feet of his disciples shows the fervency of his love, the wisdom of his choice, the value of his purchase, and the excellency of his holiness. What a powerful statement!! The simple act of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples emulates something so much deeper. Jesus saw that our greatest misery was that we were unclean by sin. However, his love for us inclined him to not loathe us but to seek our good. 

The act of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, washing them clean, illustrates his love for us so deeply. Not long after, he would be tortured, beaten, and nailed to a cross to forgive us of our sins BECAUSE he loves us so much. 

John 13:1 says “...having loved his own who were in the world…” Jesus has a fervent love for all people, and then he has a love for his own. This doesn’t necessarily mean that his love is different, but the dynamic of it is. The love Jesus has for his own is greater because it has a response and love answers to love. These disciples were his own because he chose them and they yielded themselves to them. 

John 13:1 ends by saying “...he loved them to the end.” Jesus loved his disciples till the end of his earthly life. He loved them to the fullest extent, until his last breath. It doesn’t mean that Jesus continued to love his disciples only up to the end, but that his love had no limits. “To the end” means a love that will never end. His love isn’t a love that comes and goes, it's a persistent love. Jesus poured out his cup of love to the bottom for us. 

So when Peter tried to object to Jesus washing his feet, Peter was objecting to the love that Jesus had for him. If we do not accept the humble service of Jesus to cleanse us, we have no part in him. That gives me chills. So many times I’ve refused help from God because I thought I knew what was best. So I’ve tried to do it my way. Which is basically saying “I don’t need you”. But that isn't how it works. We need to be bathed by our trust in Jesus and what He did for us on the cross; there’s a sense in which that is done once and for all. But afterward, we have to continually have our feet washed in an ongoing relationship with and trust in Jesus.