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Foot (Feet Washing)

 

God forbid that I should offend my brother in Christ in refusing to wash his feet. God forbid that I should sin in refusing to believe and acknowledge what this represented, when the Lord washed the disciples feet, "showing the deeper significance of true humility and servitude (slavery) in ministering to others." Many people miss the spiritual meaning Jesus was teaching.

I will use some excerpts from Dr. J. Vernon McGee writings.

He stated, "Some people say that this is a sacrament and that we should practice foot washing. I see nothing wrong with practicing this if the spiritual meaning is not lost. Others say that this is a lesson in humility and is an example to us. There is nothing wrong with that interpretation, but I don't think it goes deep enough. Peter certainly could not see this was an example of humility; yet the Lord said, "What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter."

JESUS WASHES THE FEET OF THE DISCIPLES

We come now to a most unusual incident. We hear it so often that we lose the wonder of it. Jesus Christ leaves glory and comes down to this earth and He takes the place of a slave and washes feet! In the preceding chapter, you will remember, we saw that the feet of Jesus were anointed. Here, the feet of the disciples are washed. What a difference! As the Savior passed through this sinful world, He contacted no defilement whatsoever. He was holy, harmless, and undefiled. The feet speak of the walk of a person, and the anointing of Jesus' feet with spikenard tells of the sweet savor of the walk of our Lord.

"Peter saith unto Him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me."(John 13:8)....What did our Lord mean by that? He meant that without this washing there can be no fellowship with Him. This is the Passover Feast which speaks of His death. He arose from the Passover Feast which speaks of His rising in resurrection and going back to heaven. He is girded with the towel of service and He is saying to us, "If I don't wash you, you'll have no part with Me. You cannot have fellowship with Him, service with Him, without the washing. How does Christ wash us today? "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word" (Ps. 119:9). Now are ye clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you" (John 15:3). "......even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it; That He might sanctify and cleanse it the washing of water by the Word" (Eph. 5:25-26). It is the Word of God that will keep the believer clean. And when we sin, how are cleansed? "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Too many people treat sin as a light matter. My friend, may I say unto you, the feet speak of the walk, and when you and I become disobedient, we are not walking in His way. That is sin, and that needs to be confessed.

"Jesus said to him (Peter), He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all"  (John 13:10). (Not all were clean, speaking of Judas). Our Lord is teaching that when we came to the cross, when we came to Jesus, we were washed all over. When we walk through this world, we are defiled and dirty. In order to have our feet washed by the Lord, we must confess our sin to Him. If you are going to have your feet washed, you must put them into the hands of the Savior. That is obedience..................................Excerpts from one of Dr. J. Vernon McGee's Commentaries.

Question: "What does the Bible say about foot-washing?"

Answer: The dusty and dirty conditions of the region necessitated the need for foot-washing. Although the disciples most likely would have been happy to wash Jesus' feet, they could not conceive of washing each other's feet. This was because in the society of the time foot-washing was reserved for the lowliest of menial servants. Peers did not wash one another's feet, except very rarely and as a mark of great love. Luke points out (22:24) that they were arguing about who was the greatest of them, so that none was willing to stoop to wash feet. When Jesus moved to wash their feet, they were shocked. His actions serve also as symbolic of spiritual cleansing (vs. 6-9) and a model of Christian humility (vs. 12-17). Through this action Jesus taught the lesson of selfless service that was supremely exemplified by His death on the cross.

The foot-washing was an example, a pattern. Many groups throughout church history have practiced literal foot-washing as a church ordinance. However, present culture in many lands does not call for the need to wash dust from the feet of one's guests. Whereas the Lord's Supper was practiced by the early church, it apparently did not practice foot-washing as an ordinance in church gatherings. This passage emphasizes inner humility, not a physical rite. A Christian widow's practice of "washing the feet of the saints" (I Tim. 5:10) speaks not of her involvement in a church ordinance but of her humble slave-like service to other believers. Not to follow the example of Jesus is to exalt oneself above Him and to live in pride. “No servant is greater than his master” (cf. John 12:26).

 

 

 

(1) We "need one another" 1 Cor 12:18-22. (2) We must "love one another" Jn 13:34, 35. (3) We must "forgive one another" Eph 4:32. (4) We need to "pray for one another" James 5:16. (5) "Exhort one another daily" Heb. 3:13. (6) "teaching and admonishing one another" Col. 3:16. (7) provoke one another unto love and good works" Heb. 10:24.(8) "By love serve one another" Gal. 5:13. "And be ye kind one to another" Eph. 4:32.

Be kind
"Kindness" in the Greek means just what we mean in English, "good, pleasant, gracious." "Love is kind" 1 Cor. 13:4. "The fruit of the Spirit is gentleness" kind, the same word Gal. 5:22. It certainly is not the "works of the flesh" Gal 5:19. The flesh is selfish, angry, and unkind. I have heard people say, "That is just not my nature to be kind." They hit the nail on the head. It is no one's natural nature.

Christians must be different
We have a new nature 2 Peter 1:4, a new nationality, we are in the kingdom of God, His children and we must act like it. It is essential to "be filled with the Spirit" Eph 5:18 and "walk in the Spirit" Gal. 5:16 so we do not fulfill the desires of the flesh.

Set goals
"If you aim at nothing you will hit it every time." Make it a goal to be kind to people. God says, "Put on kindness" Col. 3:12. Work at it. We must deliberately do it. Oh, my, what fun it is to be kind to someone on purpose. How warm and wonderful when someone is kind to us. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Make sense? God is kind, see Luke 6:35 and Titus 3:4.

Father, You are so good, so kind to us. May we learn to be kind one to another like You are to us. In Jesus name.

 

                                                    Dr. Sumner Wemp

 

 


 

Footwashing, pictured in the Tabernacle--Dr. Sumner Wemp

The laver, explains "footwashing"-vital-A must for priests. You are all priests today.

"Thou shalt also make a laver of brass and his foot also of brass to wash withal" Ex 30:18. DON'T MISS THIS. It is one of my favorites in all the Bible. It will explain "foot washing" in John 13. WOW

The people of the laver
It was only for the priests who were going inside the Holy Place, the place of worship. Today every believer is a priest, "But ye are a royal priesthood" 1 Peter 2:9. I am tingling all over right now as I write this. What a spiritual privilege we, as priests, have today to come boldly to the throne of Grace to find help in the time of need" Heb 4:16. WOW

The place of the laver
The laver was "between the tabernacle of the congregation (the covered part, the holy place and the holy of holies) and the altar" Ex 30:18. The brazen altar, where the Lamb was slain and the blood was shed, established a permanent relationship with God. It is the picture of salvation. The laver preserves the fellowship with God.

The procedure at the laver
"For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: when they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, (to pray, to feed on the food of the priests, the shewbread and to worship God) they shall wash with water, that they die not." It is so important that God repeats it, "So shall they was their hands and their feet that they die not and it shall be a statue forever to them" Ex 30 20, 21.

Our feet get dirty
In that very short distance between the brazen altar and the house of God where God said "there will I meet with thee" the priest would get their hands and feet dirty and MUST wash before entering, "lest they die." Here is the picture of confession of sin after one becomes a born again child of God. "If we will judge ourselves we will not be judged" 1 Cor 11:31. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" 1 Jn 1:8. But praise the dear Lord, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 Jn 1:9.

It is amazing how many born again Christians, never witness, never win a soul to Christ, do not tithe, pray very little, hardly ever read the Bible and yet seldom go to the laver and wash their feet, confess their sins, before entering the house of God. O dear people it is so essential to do this to get your prayers answered, your life blessed and for you be used of God

Go to the laver, wash your feet, confess that sin that is bugging you. Read how David did it in Ps. 51 and get the victory.

Father, bless Your child reading this who needs to wash their feet today. In Jesus name. GOD LOVES YOU and so do I, ABC, sumner

All new material at www.sumnerwemp.com read a be blessed, send referrals and I will be blessed. Send to friends and they will be blessed.

"Lovest thou me?" Jn 21:15. Dear Lord, "I love You. You are so wonderful." SAY IT.

No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care, even God!