John 13:5-19
Jesus Washed The Disciple's Feet
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, do You wash my feet? (7) Jesus answered and said to him, You do not know what I do now, but you shall know hereafter. (8) Peter said to Him, You shall never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me. (9) Simon Peter said to Him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and head. (10) Jesus said to him, He who is bathed has no need except to wash his feet, but is clean every whit. And you are clean, but not all. (11) For He knew who would betray Him. Therefore He said, You are not all clean. (12) So after He had washed their feet and had taken His garments and had reclined again, He said to them, Do you know what I have done to you? (13) You call Me the Teacher, and Lord, and you say well, for I AM. (14) If then I, the Lord and the 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) Truly, truly, I say to you, A servant is not greater than his master, neither is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. (17) If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. (18) I do not speak of you all; I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture might be fulfilled, "He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me." (19) From now I tell you before it comes, so that when it happens you may believe that I AM.
Judas, though washed, was not clean. “And you are clean, but not all. For He knew who would betray Him. Therefore He said, You are not all clean.”
Judas had no part in the Kingdom of God – despite being with Jesus. An unclean and treacherous heart has no place in Heaven.
Judas obeyed the law and cooperated with the authorities – especially the religious ones. He was a model citizen – in a police state, a paid informer. You see there are some things that are more important than “the rules” and one of them is the truth –and Jesus was the truth.
The terrible fate of Judas started by pilfering from the plate. It started with greed and dishonesty and wound up with betrayal, demon-possession and suicide. Judas let a little evil in – and it took him over completely. Sins such as greed, promiscuity, envy and pornography can consume people. They establish a foothold and make the person unclean – and eventually they become a dwelling place for Satan.
The solution is regular spiritual cleaning – washing the feet: “Jesus answered him, Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me. (9) Simon Peter said to Him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and head. (10) Jesus said to him, He who is bathed has no need except to wash his feet, but is clean every whit.”
“Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me” – unless Jesus personally cleanses us with His blood we cannot have fellowship with God. By corollary – we cannot cleanse ourselves and no other person can cleanse us. “unless I” means no other but Christ.
“He who has bathed” – the baptized born-again believer. “
“has no need except to wash his feet,” – just needs to deal with the “dust of the road” , the incidental sins, not with the major problem of being unregenerate.
“but is clean every whit” – is fully acceptable to the Father.
Christians are cleansed by four agents: the Spirit, the Word, baptism and the blood.
THE WASHING OF THE SPIRIT – renews our inner nature:
Titus 3:5-6 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, (6) whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you. But you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
THE WASHING WITH THE WORD – purifies us, especially for service in the Church:
Ephesians 5:26-27 that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, (27) that He might present it to Himself as the glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that it should be holy and without blemish.
John 15:3 Now you are clean through the Word which I have spoken to you.
THE WASHING OF BAPTISM – is conditional on repentance and faith and deals with the fundamental sin problem:
Hebrews 10:22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies having been washed with pure water.
Acts 22:16 And now what do you intend? Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”
1 Peter 3:21 which figure now also saves us, baptism; not a putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ;
THE WASHING BY THE BLOOD – continually cleanses us from all sin and enables us to have intimate fellowship with God:
Revelation 7:14 And I said to him, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are the ones who came out of the great tribulation and have washed their robes, and have whitened them in the blood of the Lamb.
1 John 1:7-9 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. (8) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Summary: Sin can enter in and defile us unless we seek cleansing from Christ – and Christ alone. Upon repentance and faith we experience the cleaning from sin that is baptism, that is the :him who bathed” of our passage. Then the Holy Spirit washes us from a vast range of inner defilements and sins (1 Corinthians 6:10,11) with the washing of regeneration. Then as we learn God’s Word we become the pure bride of Christ fitted for service as the disciples were (John 15:3) And finally the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin and brings us into full intimate communion and fellowship with God.
Blessings in Jesus,
John Edmiston
