Gospel of John: Foot Washing

Christ washed his disciples' feet that he might give a proof of that great love wherewith he loved them. Christ washed his disciple's feet that he might signify to them spiritual washing, and the cleansing of the soul from the pollutions of sin. Christ washed his disciple's feet that he might give an instance of his own wonderful humility, and show how lowly and condescending he was, and let all the world know how low he could stoop in love to his own. Christ washed his disciple's feet to set before us an example. Foot washing was commonplace in Greco-Roman and the first-century Jewish culture and appears as a ritual of daily cleansing, as a religious act, or as a token of hospitality when someone first entered a home. This was a world where the roads were dusty and sandals were worn daily. In Luke 7:36-50 Simon the Pharisee's failure to wash Jesus' feet was correctly interpreted as a gesture of hostility. In Timothy 5:10 washing the feet of the saints may be a metaphor for humble service. "Actions speak louder than words." This expression is not always true, but it is sometimes true. And in some instances it is the only actions that speak at all. Sometimes a gesture or an object lesson gets the point across faster and better than any number of words. We know these things. So we are not surprised to learn that on His last full night with His disciples just before His crucifixion, when He wanted to teach them many things, Jesus began His teaching, not with words which might have been missed by them, but with the two significant actions. The first action was the washing of the disciples feet, recorded in John 13:2-11. The second action, which I will not talk much about, was the giving of the sop to Judas, recorded in John 13:21-30. In each case the action is followed by important teaching. Many wonder why Jesus did these actions. The disciples were preoccupied. They disciples were terrified of the Jewish leaders; they suspected that Jesus was