Sermon: Footwashing: An Attitude of Service and Forgiveness

#1807B
Ted E. Bowling
Given 08-Mar-25; 31 minutes 2025-03-08

As we have been saying so many times already, in five weeks, as members of the body of Christ, once again we will partake of the Passover as we are commanded. And we will follow the example that Jesus gave to us as He established it the night before His death. In John 13:3, it states that the Father had handed all things over to Him.

So that last Passover evening with His disciples, Jesus Christ instituted the Passover ceremony which begins with the foot washing, then the taking of the bread which represents His broken body, and then the wine representing His shed blood. It is important as we prepare to work to get closer to God during these days, to examine ourselves, to study and meditate on the great gift, the great sacrifice that He has given to us.

And as we prepare for this very solemn service that we will take part of, now, today, I want to go through (I am not going to go through all the symbols of that night), but I am going to focus on the foot washing. Why did Christ incorporate foot washing into the New Covenant Passover symbols? Well, the short answer is that He wanted to teach us an example and have an attitude of forgiveness, humility, and service.

The concept of humility and meekness is not often seen in the world today. It is considered a real weakness. They do not see humility as a positive characteristic. But instead, if you want to get ahead in the world today, it is often done through arrogance, being unapologetic, and through intimidation in some cases. And that is because of man's carnal nature that motivates them to do things this way, and to work and do things the way the world does.

And I will tell you, the church is not immune to this, and we will see that in the Scriptures. Because it is our natural tendency to look for ways to make others serve us. God's way, on the other hand, is to be unpretentious, giving, and willing to serve others at all times. There are a few places in the Gospels, especially where I am most focused today, where there has been rivalries between the disciples on who would be the greatest. I want you to turn to Mark 10, please. Here we have an example of one of those such rivalries, and then how Jesus Christ addressed it. In verse 35, we see how the sons of Zebedee were asking Jesus for special positions of authority in His Kingdom.

Mark 10:41-45 And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whosoever desires to be great among you shall be your servant. And whosoever desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

So here we see how the disciples were grumbling between themselves. And Christ was telling them, "Listen, you're looking at this thing backwards. You're looking at this way, this thing, the way the world thinks about it. It's not about the giving and being in charge and having power, but it's about service." And He is telling them if you want to be a part of the Kingdom then you must have the mind of God. You must first be willing to serve, be a slave, because that is what God is like, and that is the mind of God.

Now, please turn over to John 13, verses 1 through 17. I want to go through the account of the foot washing. I find it interesting that the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke mention only the establishment of the bread and the wine at the Passover, but nothing regarding the foot washing. But on the other hand, in John's account, he entirely omits the bread and wine but he only focuses on the foot washing. Now that may be because John wrote this gospel about 25 years after the other gospels were written. But I think it is more that John would focus on Christ's character and love and the way He conducted His life when He walked the earth.

So on the night before Christ's death, He introduced a custom that would teach His disciples a crucial lesson. Jesus taught His disciples a lesson in humility, service, sacrifice, and forgiveness through this simple act of foot washing. And this is a lesson relevant for us today. So let us go to chapter 13, and I am sure that we will be reading this on Passover evening.

John 13:1-5 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. And supper being ended [by the way, a better translation of this would be as the evening meal was in progress], the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 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.

In verse 4 it says that Jesus laid aside His garments. He removed His robe and replaced it with a towel. You know, the towel he is talking about is like an apron, and it was used to protect the servant from splashing water and getting dirt on themselves. But here we have some beautiful imagery. Because we see, here, Jesus divesting Himself of His role as Lord and Master and becoming a servant. Christ was taking on the role of a servant because that was His purpose for coming to the earth for the first time. He came to serve all of mankind.

But taking this responsibility, He did make Himself vulnerable. You see, foot washing requires one to lower themselves to kneel before another. It is a subservient position and it truly represents an act of humility and service. And that is always the way Jesus conducted His life from the first day to His last. And this again was His desire to teach His disciples to practice as He lived His life. Christ knew that He was going to die within 24 hours. He knew that this was His last few hours as a human man, in this form, and He wanted to teach His disciples one more vital lesson that they would never forget.

And I am sure there is no doubt that the disciples were stunned by what was happening. To understand this a little bit better, we need to take ourselves back to the first century and think the way they think. You see, this concept of foot washing is pretty foreign to us today. We wear shoes and socks on our feet. We even powder our feet. We have comfortable insoles. We have no need to walk everywhere. We have our cars, our trucks, even bicycles. And for the most part, our streets and sidewalks are paved. But in the first century in Judea, people wore open sandals rather than shoes because actually the climate was great, was quite warmer there, and that was the normal footwear that they had.

But also they walked everywhere. Usually on dusty paths, dirty roads, and in Jesus' day, those roads were shared with sheep, oxen, horses, donkeys, and all other animals. And so, along with the dust and the dirt there is probably some other disgusting things mixed in with it. And when it rained, they were walking through mud. So you can see how unpleasant their feet could be, even if they were walking a very short distance.

So in that day, when someone went to someone's home, it was common courtesy that the host would provide water for them to wash their feet. Now if it was a home of someone that had servants, then that task of washing the guest's feet fell to the lowest servant in that household, and actually it would normally be done by a Gentile servant or slave because the Jews felt it extremely demeaning to wash feet. Even today, if you look at Eastern cultures, it is actually considered an insult to show the bottom of your foot.

You know, as I was thinking about this the other day, about what this was like, it reminded me of when I was a young boy. I do not know if Jackie remembers this, but there were times when my father would come home from working at the factory. My dad had diabetes, and so he had bad feet and had bad toes, and so he wore compression socks. And if he had a bad day, and he was in pain, he would have us help him take his socks off. And I remember that, first of all, it did not smell good at all. Again, he had been sweating, working in a factory all day long. But the one I remembered the most that brought this back to my memory is that as I pulled that sock off, at the end there would be a poof of dust that would go up. And again, it did not smell good, it did not look good. But he appreciated it.

Now, I did not have to wash his feet but I think I understand a little bit about how unpleasant this duty was. And here in Jesus' time, Christ was choosing to wash the dirtiest, smelliest part of them. So, I am sure when Peter was watching Christ wash his feet, he was saying to himself, "This isn't right. This isn't good. I'm unworthy of this."

John 13:6-8 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, "Lord, are you washing my feet?" Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this." Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!"

You know, I have read where folks have said, you know, Peter was really acting out of rebellion here. I do not think that is it at all. You see, I think it was more out of concern for Christ because of the cultural implications of a master washing the feet of His servants. They had probably never seen this before in all their years, or probably even heard of it, of a master washing the feet of a servant. They had no reference point to go by for what they were seeing. Remember, the Jews consider this a demeaning act to wash another person's foot. And that is why this duty went to the lowest servant in the household. Moreover, a Gentile servant. So, I am sure Peter was saying to himself now, "I'm not worthy of this. I'm just not worthy of this. This is impossible. I should be washing Your feet."

Now place yourself there. Can you imagine your Creator kneeling before you to wash your feet? Can you imagine your Creator being so humble and willing to do the most hated and menial task for you?

John 13:8 "You shall never wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part of Me."

I believe that Christ was telling Peter, "You better let Me do this because I'm teaching you how to be like Me, how to live your life as I live mine. And if you want to be a part My Kingdom, you have to let Me do this. You have to learn the lesson that I'm putting here before you."

And that is the important aspect of foot washing at the Passover. Because if you want to be a part of God's Kingdom, then you must be willing to humble yourselves and be willing to serve others. So, is foot washing important? It sure is.

John 13:9-17 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" Jesus said to him, "He who bathes needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you." For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean." 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? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them."

Christ is the Lord and Master. He was teaching them a wonderful lesson. Christ was showing us that a willingness to submit ourselves to others is a part of our calling. That is what He has called us to do, to serve others and, brethren, foot washing is not just for that evening. Foot washing is an everyday attitude that we should have day in and day out.

I came across a quote from a man named John Fable. Now, Mr. Fable was a 17th century Puritan minister and he wrote this, "They who know God will be humble, and they that know themselves cannot be proud." So that is why it is so important for us to take an honest look at ourselves, to see and to search for the pride that is within us. Because when we see ourselves as we are, we have nothing to be proud of. And that is what Christ was emphasizing here. Because taking on the role of a servant, this lowly position has nothing to do with pride. He does not own anything. He does not run anything in his life. He does the will and bidding of his master. This is powerful.

You see, the Son of God came and behaved as if He was nobody and served to the point of giving His life. You see, service always involves self-sacrifice. And self-sacrifice always involves a measure of self-denial or there is no sacrifice. When we serve others the way Christ served, it does not impose conditions or rewards. Nothing like that is expected. Real service involves giving up your time, giving up your desires at times, giving up resources, giving up your energy for the service to God and to others because the servant is not greater than his master.

Again, our Creator came down to serve us, willing to wash our feet. And you know what? I think He is still washing our feet. He still serves us every day. If we want to be like Christ, serve others. Grow in humility. You see, this ceremony is not just a ritual but it should be a way of life. To sum up this section, I want to read a quote from Richard Ritenbaugh. He wrote in an article from 1995, titled "Foot Washing." And I really like the way he puts this all together.

The attitude Jesus showed in washing His disciples' feet is the same attitude that enabled Him to give up the power and the glory of being like God and become a man. Here we see our Creator, the Almighty God, first and foremost, a servant. He is willing to serve His own servants. When we come to the point that we are able to do everything in an attitude of service and humility, we are truly following Jesus Christ.

I really like that.

Now, also at the beginning of the sermonette, I said foot washing was a lesson in humility, service, and forgiveness. As we prepare for the Passover and the foot washing, we examine ourselves, asking God to forgive us of our sins that we have committed against Him. And we seek mercy and forgiveness for our sins and our weaknesses because we want to take the Passover in a worthy manner. And as we are forgiven, we must also be willing to forgive.

Matthew 6:14-15 [in the Model Prayer] "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

We must be willing to forgive others as our God forgives us. When we kneel down to wash our brother's feet, are you doing it without hurt, resentment in your heart? Brethren, if there is someone in your life that you are struggling to forgive, I encourage you to take it to God. If there is somebody that you are not getting along with, I implore you, take it to God. And ask yourself, "Am I willing to wash his feet?" Or if you know that you are holding a grudge against someone, are you willing to wash their feet?

Now, if anyone had a right to hold a grudge, it was Jesus Christ. But He never did. If we go back to John 13, the other thing I want to draw from this story is that as Christ shared this meal with His disciples and washed their feet, John reminds us that Judas was in the room. And in verse 2, it says, "The devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him." Also Jesus while washing Peter's feet, He tells Peter, "You are clean, but not all of you," in verse 10. And John, maybe looking back on this scene years later, adds the other part of the statement, "For [Jesus] knew who would betray Him." That is why He says not all of you are clean.

Have you ever wondered what was going through the mind of Judas as Jesus Christ knelt before him and washed his feet as a lowly slave? There is something that I find really interesting. Please go back to Exodus chapter 21, verse 32. Interesting statement here.

Exodus 21:32 If the ox gores a male or female servant, he shall give to the master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

In the law, the price of a slave was 30 pieces of silver which is the same amount of money that Judas received for betraying Jesus. How symbolic this is, how Jesus was sold out for the price of a slave, then to go on to give the ultimate sacrifice by giving up His life for humanity. It is amazing.

We do not know the mind of Judas at that moment as Christ washed his feet. But I wonder if at any moment that their eyes met and then Judas walks away.

Now, Jesus forgave him. I mean, He did so when He was on the cross, on the stake. He forgave those who crucified Him. Even though He knew how much He would suffer and eventually die a horrible, horrible death on the stake, He still willingly washed the feet of this man. He knelt in front of Judas and washed him in the same way, in the same care, in the same thoughtfulness, as He did those other disciples.

And by the way, probably not long after the foot washing Judas left the meal, which was only proper because after that Christ instituted the breaking of the bread and taking of the wine in the New Covenant Passover ceremony. For me, this is maybe the most compelling part of the story. In washing Judas' feet, Jesus left us no excuse, no boundaries for humility, for love, and forgiveness for our brothers. Nothing. I do not think there is any doubt that Jesus forgave Judas for sinning against Him. Foot washing is a ceremony of faith, of forgiveness, of humility.

Let us turn to Luke chapter 6.

Luke 6:35 "But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil."

So we see our God, His willingness to forgive. Truly forgive. And so we are learning humility, we are learning servitude, and we are also learning forgiveness. David says it very well in Psalm 86, verse 5. Here David describes perfectly what God is like and how much He loves us. It says,

Psalm 86:5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

He is ready, He is prepared, He is on the edge of His seat, waiting for us, to forgive us, to help us, to strengthen us. And if we are not ready to forgive, then bitterness will paralyze our ability to grow spiritually. And it will affect you emotionally and physically. And it will affect your witness for Jesus Christ.

When we participate in the foot washing ceremony, we are reminded of the covenant that was made at baptism to surrender our lives to God and His law and His work. An act of foot washing is more than just washing another person's feet. It is much more than that. It is a change of mind. It is a change of heart. Jesus told Peter, "What I am doing you do not understand now. But you will after this." And Peter did. We read it in,

I Peter 5:5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility.

Jesus took a towel—a servant's towel—and clothed Himself in humility, both physically and spiritually. You see, Christ was serving His disciples as He does for us every single day that we live.

And finally in John chapter 15 it says,

John 15:12-14 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you."

Brethren, as we prepare, let us work to have a foot washing attitude of forgiveness, of sacrifice, and service all day, all year long.

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