1 Now before the feast of the passover,
when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world
unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them
unto the end. 2 And supper being ended, the
devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray
him; 3 Jesus knowing that the Father
had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to
God; 4 He riseth from supper, and laid
aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. 5 After that he poureth water into
a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel
wherewith he was girded. 6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter:
and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? 7 Jesus answered and said unto
him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt
know hereafter. 8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt
never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash
thee not, thou hast no part with me. 9 Simon Peter saith unto
him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. 10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but
is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. 11 For he knew who should betray
him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.
12 So after he had washed their feet,
and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? 13 Ye call me Master
and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. 14 If I then, your
Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's
feet. 15 For I have given
you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. 16 Verily, verily, I
say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent
greater than he that sent him. 17 If ye know these
things, happy are ye if ye do them. (John
13:1-17)
This is a very difficult passage to comment on owing to the strong emotion
provoked by its tenderness. The text itself is its own witness, and what can a
simple mortal add to its dimensions of unmitigated beauty and immeasurable
grace?
Now before the feast of the
passover..... To which Passover does this refer? Does it make reference to
that bloody first Passover in Egypt at which an innocent and spotless lamb
without blemish was sacrificed as a sin-covering for the Children of Israel?
Does it refer to those same animal sacrifices that have pertained to every
intervening sacrifice since that day? No, this Passover will be different for
it is the True Passover to which all of those foreshadowing's in Egypt, the
Wilderness Church, and the Temple since have mirrored. It is truly the Lord's
Passover at last! This is the Passover at which the spotless and unblemished
Lamb of God will be offered up precisely at the hour of the Temple sacrifice in
Jerusalem. Just as the unleavened bread of the ancient Passover typified the
Body of Christ, so, too, does the unleavened Bread of Holy Communion represent
that whole loaf and Body of Christ. Purge out therefore the old leaven, that
ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is
sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven,
neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread
of sincerity and truth. (1
Cor 5:7-8)
Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world
unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them
unto the end. Real and divine love will not be a temporary love, but a love
that will see you through to the very end. Note that it was His own which
were in the world that Jesus loved until the end. The end of the
unrighteous is without love or the benefits of grace. The tenderness of this
expression is beyond embellishment!
And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas
Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him. What a horror that a man and close
confidante of the Son of God would betray Him! Christ knew the heart Judas from
the beginning. He knew that Judas was an inalterable reprobate when He called
him. Of Judas, our Lord had made reference much earlier: Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?
(John 6:70)
I remind the reader devils are beyond salvation by the nature of their
character. This will be the last night on earth for Judas - he will never
glimpse another sunrise, for this night, his wretched soul was so overburdened
by unrepented guilt that he hanged himself.
Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that
he was come from God, and went to God. How pregnant with meaning is this
verse! The coming of the Son of God as a tiny baby in Bethlehem was an occasion
of parental rejoicing. And the return of our Lord to His Father will, likewise,
be an occasion of rejoicing. But please do not overlook the momentous event
that intercedes those two events. Our Lord knew that the victory had been
granted Him by the Father already, yet the most terrible and bloody battle of
that victory must be endured beginning this very night!
He riseth from supper, and laid
aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. Please observe
with what humility Christ begins this last act of servitude to the disciples.
His only garment becomes a towel. It must have seemed odd to the disciples. We
must be prepared to serve Christ with only that towel of humility with which He
has washed us. We must likewise gird ourselves in humility if we are to be
servants to the Body of Christ. Sorry, Romanizing Anglo-Catholics - miters and
fine silk robes will not suffice! After that he poureth water into a bason,
and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel
wherewith he was girded. Because of the dusty roads and the footwear of
sandals, a person's feet were soiled more than any other part. It was a symbol
of honor to the visitor to have their feet washed. But that honor fell to the
lowliest servant of the household. That is what Christ became for us - not to
be exalted, but to save us.
Poor old obstinate Peter could not believe our Lord would wash HIS feet. It
seemed unimaginable to Peter! Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith
unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Peter knew of his total
unworthiness to have his feet washed by Jesus; but that was the whole point. In
fact, Peter was not worthy; and neither are you and I. It is out of an
unfathomable love and a work of Grace that our Lord does so. On this night, our
Lord washed the feet of every Christian - past, present, and future! Jesus
answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest
not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. The will of God sometimes
seems strange to us, but we must trust Him, nonetheless, for every act of Providence
is founded on wisdom. We may not understand presently, but we shall understand
in time or eternity! If we reject the washing of the Lord, we have no part in
His Kingdom. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my
hands and my head. Peter knows that the Lord speaks out of a mysterious and
presently hidden meaning. He now would have his whole body washed; but the
foot-washing was symbolic of the whole just as baptism represents the same. No
need to drown the baptized - it is the washing of the soul and conscience that
is the paramount symbol.
Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth
not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not
all. For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. Herein lies further
unassailable evidence that Judas was damned. Though he had participated in the
ceremony, his heart was still full of wickedness - that part had not been
washed!
So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set
down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have
done to you? That washing was not done by the will of those in
attendance, but by our Lord. He did it 'TO' them - not WITH them! Do you fully
understand the sense and meaning of servitude? Do you understand how our Lord
can cleanse such reprobates as we naturally are and make us even whiter than
snow? (see Psalm 51:7) Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say
well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and
Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.
Can you grasp the magnitude in importance of this point? The closer to God in
faith and wisdom we draw, the greater the responsibility to demonstrate
humility and servitude to others. For I have
given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
Servants are like our Lord in this example. They do not groom themselves in
finery and luxury - a towel may be their only apparel.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is
not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent
him. If our Lord makes such a profound demonstration of humility,
how great is the compulsion that we should do likewise! If Christ has sent you
as a witness to others, or as a minister of His Word, do you believe that you
should wear vestments that, if sold, would feed one thousand hungry children in
one day? Should you be constantly seeking to better your neighbor in outward
wealth and appearance, and disregard the great need of Christians for simple
rags to cover their nakedness?
Mechanically following a ritual will not suffice. We must understand and love
those values the symbols represent. An unworthy partaking of the Lord's Supper
may impress others, but it redounds to our dismal guilt of the body and
blood of the Lord. (1 Cor 11:27) The inward spiritual grace must
be reflected in the outward form.
If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do
them. Are you happy? If not, learn of Him and serve both our Lord
and His Body - the Church, and be happy!
