Humility and Servanthood of Jesus

John 13:1–17 (NKJV)

Christ Washes the Disciples’ Feet

¹ Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

² And supper being ended, the devil having already put it 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 had come from God and was going to God, ⁴ rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. ⁵ After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. ⁶ Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”

⁷ Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”

⁸ Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!”

Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”

⁹ Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”

¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” ¹¹ For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”

¹² So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? ¹³ You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. ¹⁴ If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. ¹⁶ Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. ¹⁷ If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Message

See v1-5

¹ Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

² And supper being ended, the devil having already put it 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 had come from God and was going to God, ⁴ rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. ⁵ After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.

Jesus started to wash His disciples’ feet and to wipe them with a towel. The reason is found in the following verses. See v6-11.

⁶ Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”

⁷ Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”

⁸ Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!”

Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”

⁹ Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”

¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” ¹¹ For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”

Reborn Christians are considered ‘bathed’. They need only to wash their feet. The meaning of the foot washing will be known to the disciples not now but after the washing. After the washing Jesus said v14 that they ought to wash one another’s feet. That teaches them to love, forgive and pray for each other. Even though they were reborn, they could make mistakes, have faults, or be affected by the sinful people when they lived in this world. We can consider such occasions as their feet being dirted even though the whole body is clean. We know the feet are the most dirty part of our body and may have an awful odour. So, everyone dislikes to touch or smell others’ feet. Cleaning others’ feet is the work of the servants for their masters. We know it is more convenient if someone cleans my feet than cleaning them by myself. For example, I may pray for a fellow disciple who often becomes unclean so that he/she may repent his/her sins, resist temptations and maintain good spiritual condition. The unclean feet of other disciples may represent their weaknesses, some ugly sides, etc. This foot washing reminds me of Mary’s anointing and wiping the feet of Jesus in John 12:3. Judas Iscariot was likely not reborn (= ’bathed’) and so he was not clean. See v12-17.

¹² So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? ¹³ You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. ¹⁴ If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. ¹⁶ Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. ¹⁷ If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Jesus is the Lord and Teacher but He served His disciples. This means we as His disciples should serve our juniors and fellow disciples. This requires humility and servanthood. In particular, we are to wash their feet, which is ‘cleaning their uncleanness’. It should be a spiritual activity such as ‘praying for them, shedding our tears’.