The Foot-Washing: When Jesus Kneels Down for You

Introduction

Who wants to be loved? Everyone. It's human. But it goes deeper than that. Who could honestly say they're loved enough? Every human being, in one way or another, one day or another (maybe every day), feels they aren't loved enough. We don't just need to be loved: we need to be loved a lot. And even when life is going well, there's still that inner whisper: "I'm not loved enough." Edouard Nelson tells of a psychological study done in the U.S. Army on flattery. The goal was to find the limits of flattering speech. Does the impact stop at the 25th pleasant sentence? The answer was very simple: there is no limit. The human heart, dear friend, is a bottomless well. Another example: the singer Robbie Williams, in a stadium of tens of thousands, endlessly asking the crowd, "Applaud me. Tell me you love me." Twenty thousand people once, twice, three times, what are the limits of the human heart's need for love? We need to be loved with a love that has no limits. If only there were someone able to answer that. If only there were someone able to go to the very extreme of love for you. John 13 tells exactly that story: Jesus loves his disciples supremely. And he explains it with a shocking act.

Outline of the message

1. John 13:1: "he loved them to the end"

"Now before the feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his hour had come that he would depart from this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end."

The Greek word behind "to the end," telos, is very rich. It means at once: maturity, perfection, the finish, fulfillment, the end, the ultimate purpose. Jesus loves his disciples to his purpose, to his fulfillment. And the way he tells this extreme love is through the act of a slave.

2. A gesture literally unthinkable in the ancient world

Two thousand years ago, if you had a large household, you had slaves. And among all the slaves, washing feet was the lowest task. Some first-century Jewish writers claimed that if you had a Jewish slave and Gentile slaves, you should never ask the Jewish slave to wash feet: that task was reserved for Gentile slaves, it was so degrading.

Edouard Nelson cites the scholar Christoph Thomas, who combed through thousands of Greek and Latin texts from around Jesus' time. He never found a single example of someone of higher status washing the feet of someone lower. It was unthinkable. Remember the roads of that time: packed dirt, trampled all day by dogs, donkeys, horses, chickens. Coming home with clean feet was impossible. So for a master to bend down and wash that off is deeply shocking.

3. The master who becomes a slave (John 13:2-5)

"During supper, the devil having already put 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 came from God, and was going to God, arose from supper, and laid aside his outer garments. He took a towel, and wrapped a towel around his waist. Then he poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet."

Look closely at who does this act. This isn't a wise philosopher. This isn't some thought-leader. This is the one to whom the Father has given all things into his hands. The one who comes from God and is going back to God. This is God the Son. This is the Master of the universe, and he is the one who comes to serve.

The text also says the devil had already put betrayal into Judas' heart. You could imagine a scenario where Jesus, to whom the Father has given everything, gets up and says to Judas, "Enough now, I'm casting you out," and destroys evil with strength and courage. But no. He dresses as a slave. He starts washing feet. And the text doesn't say he skips even one: Judas' feet were washed too.

If you were watching a boxing match and the boxer, instead of throwing punches, threw flower petals, you'd be surprised. That's nothing compared to what Jesus does here. Instead of destroying evil, he washes the feet of the one who will betray him, and of everyone else. This is supreme love.

4. A parable acted out: the cross is happening right here

Theologians call this an enacted parable: a story told through actions. What matters isn't so much the gesture itself, it's the story it tells. What story is Jesus telling with this moment? The story of the cross.

Three clues in the text:

• "Now before the feast of the Passover" (v.1). Passover is the moment when animals are killed to purify the people.
• "His hour had come" (v.1). In the Gospel of John, "the hour" refers to the hour of Jesus' death. In chapter 2, he tells his mother, "My hour has not yet come." In chapter 12, the hour arrives. And here, it has come.
• "What I do you don't know now, but you will understand later" (v.7). Jesus warns the disciples: this demonstration of love from a master who becomes a slave, as shocking as it is, is almost nothing compared to what's about to happen at the cross.

Remember John 12:24: "Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit." Jesus' death is like that buried grain that bears fruit. The washing of feet is preparing your eyes to see the cross.

5. What Donald Carson helps you see

The commentator Donald Carson says this: what Jesus does at the foot-washing is far less shocking than the idea of a Messiah, the promised King and Savior of God, dying crucified, a hideous and shameful death, literally the death of the condemned. The King of the world, the one to whom the Father has given everything, will be despised, abandoned, humiliated. And the result is that others are restored, cleansed.

Crucifixion was carried out in complete humiliation: the condemned were stripped, exposed, mocked. This total humiliation, according to the Gospel of John, accomplishes a purification. Just like the foot-washing: here is someone who humbles himself so that the disciple may be washed clean.

6. What have you walked through this week?

The question becomes personal. What have you been dragging your feet through this week? Selfishness? Lies, big or small? Laziness? Unjustified anger? Impatience, jealousy, dishonesty, quarrels, coarse talk? Or maybe the good you should have done but didn't?

You can see the grime on your feet. But the dirt in your heart, you don't always see. And if you had to wash your own heart, with what? A little soap? You're way over your head with that problem. You need the death of Jesus Christ. You need someone who humbles himself to take away your shame. You need someone who goes to the very depths of love to bless you. And by his Spirit today, he takes your dirty heart in his hands, takes a towel and clean water, scrubs, and all the dirt is removed by him, by his death.

7. The dialogue with Peter (John 13:6-10): the logic of grace

Peter protests: "You will never wash my feet!" Jesus replies, "If I don't wash you, you have no part with me." So Peter swings to the opposite extreme: "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" Jesus corrects him: "Someone who has bathed only needs to have his feet washed, but is completely clean."

There's a fine, freeing distinction here. The disciples have chosen to follow Jesus, they are clean. But they still need their feet washed, because dirt comes back. It's like someone who has taken a bath but still needs their feet washed when they get home.

Translation for you: choosing to follow Jesus, you do once and for all, and you are washed clean. And the daily practice of repenting, turning away from wrong, having your feet washed regularly, that doesn't change your standing in Christ, but it's necessary, because the dirt comes back. You need to persevere in repentance and stay attached to Christ.

8. The dream too good to be made up

Someone might object: "This story is exactly what the human heart dreams of. A love that goes all the way. It's too perfect, it smells like fiction." But think about it: if we had to invent a god, we wouldn't have invented the cross. We wouldn't have invented the ugly, humiliating side of it. We wouldn't have invented the fact that our Lord and Savior has to be tortured to save us. It's humiliating when you think about it.

And Jesus purifies all his disciples. You could be the apostle Peter or Mother Teresa. You could be the worst kind of crook, a hated banker, someone who has scammed and profited off others their whole life. The Bible says the same thing to everyone: you need to be washed, purified, forgiven. You could be the apostle Paul or a corrupt politician, you need forgiveness.

9. Augustine of Hippo and the bottomless well

In the 4th century, Augustine of Hippo, one of the greatest theologians in history, wrote while speaking to his God: "You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you."

This bottomless well you carry in your heart (this longing for love that never fades) can only be filled by the Spirit of Christ. Here is the Servant King who loved you to the very end, and who alone can fill a human heart.

10. Why a local church, why a community

John 13:17: "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them." Jesus wants you to put this into practice. Simple service toward one another is the direct fruit of the gospel welcomed into your heart.

Why a local church? You can go on YouTube, listen to a sermon, sing worship songs, pray, read the Bible alone at home. But the one thing you can't do alone is put John 13 into practice. At the end of the chapter, verse 35, Jesus says: "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

The purpose of a local church is to give you the chance to obey Jesus. It exists for your good, for your happiness: "Blessed are you if you do them." That could mean coming to church when it costs you something. Taking time to listen to someone going through a hard season. Caring for children in the nursery. Helping with the sound system. Or simply the small exchanges, the helping hands, the love and prayers for one another.

11. The Hall of Mirrors: reflecting the Sun of righteousness

If you've never visited the Palace of Versailles, you should. Three Michelin stars, worth the trip. At the heart of the palace is the Hall of Mirrors. In the days of Louis XIV, a large mirror cost a fortune. Having so many of them was extraordinary.

Imagine taking one of those large mirrors and cutting it into small squares. If you take a small piece of mirror and turn it around, the dull side facing the sun, it reflects almost nothing. But if you turn the shiny side toward a bright ray of sunlight, that small piece can dazzle someone quite powerfully.

What we want to do is turn toward Jesus. He is our Sun of righteousness (Malachi 4:2), one of his titles in the Bible. You may be nothing but a small piece of mirror. And yet, turned toward him, you can magnificently reflect that extraordinary light, a light so strong it fills your heart completely, reaches deep inside you, and goes out to do good to others, to bring others joy.

Key takeaways

1. Jesus loves you telos. To the very end, to fulfillment, to perfection. The foot-washing is an enacted parable pointing toward the cross.
2. The foot-washing is almost nothing compared to the cross. A master who makes himself a slave was unthinkable. A crucified Messiah was even more scandalous. And that is where God washes you deeply clean.
3. Your heart is a bottomless well. No flattering word, no human love will ever fill it. Only the Spirit of Christ can.
4. You are completely clean if you belong to Christ. But you need your feet washed every day. Daily repentance doesn't put your salvation at risk, it keeps your communion with him alive.
5. The local church exists so you can put this into practice. This is where John 13:35 becomes real: by love for one another, you will be known as a disciple.

Personal application

1. Where are you trying to be "loved a little more": parents, friends, spouse, children, pleasures, coworkers? Are you expecting from them what only Christ can give you?
2. What have you walked through this week that you'd like to bring to Jesus so he can wash your feet: selfishness, lying, anger, jealousy, laziness, impatience, or a good deed you should have done?
3. Are you more like the first version of Peter ("No, you will never wash my feet," the pride that refuses grace) or the second version ("Then wash all of me!", who hasn't yet grasped that you're already completely clean in Christ)?
4. Who, this week, could you concretely "wash the feet" of, in the sense of a simple, humble act of service that costs you a bit of your time or your pride?
5. Is your church life a place where you put John 13:35 into practice, or a place where you just consume? What can you change this Sunday?

Verses cited

• John 13:1-17 · The foot-washing
• John 12:23-24 · The grain of wheat that dies
• John 12:31 · The prince of this world cast out
• John 13:35 · By this everyone will know you are my disciples
• Malachi 4:2 · The Sun of righteousness

FAQ

Why does Jesus wash Judas' feet too?

The text makes no exception. Judas has already decided to betray him. And yet Jesus kneels before him too. This detail says everything about the nature of his love: he loves "to the end," including those who will reject him. It forces you to see grace as an undeserved gift, never as a reward.

What does "someone who has bathed only needs to have his feet washed" mean?

Edouard Nelson sees this as the distinction between your position in Christ (already completely clean, once and for all) and your daily practice (feet that get dirty every day and need washing through repentance). You don't need to be saved twice. But you're called to persevere in repentance and stay attached to Christ.

How do you put John 13 into practice concretely?

Two movements. First, let yourself be washed: come to Jesus as you are, with today's dirt, and confess. Then, serve simply. It doesn't require anything heroic: coming to church when it costs you something, listening to someone who's suffering, helping in the nursery, praying for a brother or sister. It's the small piece of mirror reflecting the Sun.