Washing of Your Feet
The Word
Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.”John 13:10
Exegesis
I wanted to expand on the devotional from Tuesday as John 13:10 is an important verse in and of itself. What is the difference between washing your feet versus washing your entire body?
Let’s understand first the significance of being washed clean by the body. The following verses discuss these things in more detail.
25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.Ezekiel 36:25-26
If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin…If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.1 John 1:7,9
Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.Hebrews 10:22
Once we profess our belief in God and that Jesus is our Lord and Savior through our mouth and in our hearts (Romans 10:9), we will be saved. We will become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and the old will be gone. The Holy Spirit will come to reside and make His home in us. We will be transformed by the power of the blood of Jesus.
This transformation is a one time thing. We cannot be saved more than once. Once we are saved, no one, not even angels or demons can separate us from God and His love (Romans 8:38-39). Jesus, in John 13:10 wants to remind us of this very thing. We only have to be washed clean once, and this is done so through the blood of the Lamb, which is Jesus himself.
So why do we have to wash our feet? As Pastor Ji Yun put it, it is our feet that connects us to this earth. Our feet become dirty because we live in a fallen world that is corrupted by sin. We will be tempted every which way and fail to serve God fully. We will miss the mark. Though, we will be continually sanctified, that is, grow closer to Jesus each and every day. As Hebrews 10:14 says,
For by one sacrifice [Jesus] has made perfect forever those who are being made Holy.
We are being made holy each and every day. Yet, we are already seen as perfect by God through the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. We are a workmanship of Christ Jesus our Lord. We are being changed every day. How amazing is that?
So, in this process, we are to grow in faith and learn to be more like Jesus in every way. This requires us to serve others, to wash each others feet, to show who God is to those around us. We are to serve those in this world, just like Jesus served us. We are the kingdom of Heaven on this earth and the light to the world.
Washing the feet of others is a symbol of this. We do not need to be washed clean again, but only to be encouraged and exhorted to continually build our relationship with Jesus and in serving others.