Jesus told us to wash each other’s feet in the body of Christ. He said we should follow his example when he washed the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper (John 13:12-16).
In those days, when people ate together, they lay down and ate. This is why the Bible often talks about people “reclining” when they ate. In this position of reclining, their feet were at the same level as their heads, hands, and food.
Their feet were often quite dirty. This is because they wore sandals, the roads were dusty, and they walked a lot. So before meals, they washed their feet.Having clean feet was important to have a pleasant meal.
Usually the lowest slave would wash people’s feet. In a Jewish home, Jewish slaves would not wash the feet of the guests, but a Gentile slave would wash them.
At the Last Supper, Jesus’ disciples were all sitting around with dirty feet and had started to eat. None of the disciples were willing to wash anyone’s feet; they didn’t even wash their own feet.
They were too busy arguing about who would be the greatest (Luke 22:24-27). Their dirty feet seemed to be a reflection of their pride.
For many people, smelly and dirty feet are naturally repulsive. And in those days, being near someone’s feet was particularly difficult because being under someone’s feet was a sign of being below them.
At the Last Supper, the disciples’ dirty feet were spoiling the fellowship. Their feet were ruining the meal and making it unpleasant.
No one was willing to rectify the problem of the dirty feet except Jesus. So he got a towel and water basin and began washing everyone’s feet.
Jesus said that we need to follow his example.We need to wash each other’s feet in the body of Christ. Jesus does not command us to wash the feet of non-Christians, but to wash the feet of Christians (John 13:14).
What does this mean for us today?
Today our feet are often already clean. Our feet don’t need to be washed before meals. We wear shoes and socks, not sandals, and we walk on pavement and ride in cars. When we eat we sit on chairs with our feet tucked unobtrusively under the table.
Sometimes Christians engage in a ritual of literally washing each others’ feet. This can be a blessing. But this ritual often does not fulfilling a real need. The feet being washed are often alreadyclean, and the feet are not a hindrance to fellowship (particularly if the feet have already been prepped for the foot washing ceremony).
Foot washing points to something more.
Washing feet points to doing a humbling and necessary act of service within the body of Christ. Someone humbles himself and does something for someone else that no one else is willing to do.
These humble acts of service within the body of Christ can take many forms. The Holy Spirit must lead us to know how to minister to the body of Christ.
Such humble acts of service require many ingredients in order to happen. Some of these ingredients are:
- Community and relationships. We must know people if we are to wash their feet. We must meet them and spend time with them. Church is where this begins.
- Compassion. We need to sympathize with others in order to recognize their needs.
- Creativity. We need to be creative in knowing how to best meet a need.
- Sacrifice. It will take effort, time, energy, and money to meet needs.
Sometimes meeting the need of one person in the body can bless the entire body. When we give more honor to the parts of the body that lack, we prevent schism in the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:22-26).
As we submit to fellowship in the body of Christ and humble ourselves, we will be cleansed, and other people will be cleansed.
As we minister to the least of Jesus’ brothers and sisters, we minister to him.
Taking the low place solves the problem that is created by the other person’s pride. While the disciples were jostling about greatness and who would sit next to him, Jesus jumped to the lowest place. He was saying, in effect, “if you want to sit next to me, then you’ll have to take this low place too.”Washing feet can be hard and unpleasant. It is humbling. We need the Holy Spirit to help us to do this.
It becomes possible to wash the disciples’ feet when we know who we truly are.
Jesus knew he came from God and was going to God, so was able to wash feet (John 13:3-4).
When we know who God says we are, then we will be willing to humble ourselves and help others. When we know that we are God’s children, that we have the Holy Spirit inside us, that we are part of Christ’s body, and that we are called to be kings and priests, then we are truly secure because our security has come from God. When we know what God says about us, we don’t need to prove anything to anyone. We rest in the word of God. This realization will enable us to wash others’ feet.
According to Jesus, washing the feet of the disciples will lead to blessedness and happiness (John 13:17). He instructs us to do this not only so we can be blessed and happy, but also so other believers can be blessed, fellowship can be restored, and the body of Christ can be built.
Lincoln House Churches 