MEET THE MASTER LESSONS OF THE TOWEL (JOHN 13:1-17) Throughout His personal ministry, Jesus was keenly aware of a heavenly timetable. When His mother asked Him to perform a miracle, He said, My hour has not yet come (John 2:4). During His ministry, it was noted several times that His enemies could not take Him because His hour had not yet come (John 7:30; 8:20). As we come to the last days of His personal ministry, it is stressed again and again that the hour had come: And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified (John 12:23; emphasis mine). Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He should depart out of this world to the Father,... (John 13:1; emphasis mine). These things Jesus spoke; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, Father, the hour has come;... (John 17:1; emphasis mine). Our present lesson is taken from John 13. Jesus was acutely aware that the shadow of the cross was growing longer and longer. Jesus had less than fifteen hours to live. Before that hour came, Jesus had much to share with His disciples. His public discourses were finished, but in the intimacy of the upper room Jesus wanted to meet with His disciples and discuss important truths with them. Matthew, Mark, and Luke gave many details regarding those private moments: the preparation for the Last Supper, the prediction of the betrayal of Jesus, the institution of the Lord s Supper. When John wrote later, he did not repeat this familiar information. (No doubt, these events were rehearsed each Sunday when brethren partook of the Lord s Supper.) Rather, John recorded Jesus great farewell discourse to His disciples (chapters 13 16), followed by Jesus touching prayer for His disciples (chapter 17). As this section opens, the apostles were in no state of mind to receive Jesus sobering words. Chapter 13, therefore, begins with the story of Jesus washing the disciples feet as He taught them lessons of the towel. 1 The disciples needed these lessons to be ready for the challenge Jesus would give them. You and I also need these lessons to be prepared for Jesus challenge for us today. THE LESSON OF HUMILITY (JOHN 13:1 5) Jesus Picked Up the Towel John 13 17 is centered on the theme of love. Thirty-one times in these chapters, love is mentioned. John 13:1 serves as an introduction for all of these chapters, as well as the introduction for the story of Jesus washing the disciples feet: Now before the Feast of the Passover [Jesus died during this feast], Jesus knowing that His 1
hour had come that He should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. (Emphasis mine.) If you love as Jesus was teaching us to love, you will do things which no one could pay you to do otherwise. 2 Verse 2 inserts a note that at the time of this supper the devil had already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him. Why is this detail given at this point in the narrative? In a few minutes Jesus would be washing all the disciples feet including the feet of Judas. When we see Jesus washing Judas feet, remember that He did so with a full knowledge of what Judas planned to do! Too many of us are standing in dignity, hands folded, when we should be kneeling in service, washing feet. Verse 3 says that Jesus did these things knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God. Jesus was able to be a servant because He knew where He had come from, who He was, and where He was going. In the Breechen-Faulkner Marriage Enrichment films, it is stressed that a man who is sure of himself and knows who he is can take out the garbage. On the other hand, those who are unsure of themselves think that they would demean themselves by doing such menial tasks. Jesus knew who He was, so He could be a servant. Jesus,... rose from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself about (vv. 3a, 4). Jesus and His disciples were not seated as portrayed in DaVinci s masterpiece, The Last Supper; they were not sitting in ladder-back chairs behind a long dining table. Rather, they lay on their left sides on a thin mat or rug, leaning on their left elbows, 3 eating with their right hands. 4 They broke off pieces of bread, dipped them into the dishes before them, and then popped the bread into their mouths. As you picture this scene in your mind, see Jesus and the twelve lying in a row, around a low table, their bodies close together, 5 with the feet of each man not far from the face of the man next to him! It is in that setting that Jesus rose from the table and prepared to wash the disciples feet. Washing feet was an essential part of the social scene in that day. When one was invited to dinner, normally he would bathe himself and start for the meal clean from head to toe. However, the paths of Palestine were dirty, filled with refuse (remember that animals also used the same paths). If it had rained, the roads were also muddy. Since all wore sandals, when the guest arrived at the host s house, he would still be clean from his head to below his knees, but his feet and ankles were generally filthy. A good host kept a large container of water at the entrance to his house; along with a jar, a basin, and towels. 6 When one entered the house, he took off his shoes, 7 and someone washed his feet. Normally, this was done by a slave, for it was considered the most degrading of tasks. It was so debasing that a Hebrew slave could not be forced to wash the feet of guests; only Gentile slaves could be commanded to do it. If there was no servant to wash the feet of his guests, a good host did this himself. If there was no host (as was the case in the upper room), the guests washed each other s feet. It was unthinkable to recline to eat with unclean feet. Why, then, were the disciples around the table with unwashed feet? Luke tells us that as they ate, there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest (Luke 22:24). Can t you hear them? Andrew says, I was called first! John says, I m the favorite! Judas says, I ve got the money bag! Peter says, I was given the keys to the kingdom! The room was filled with proud hearts and dirty feet. They were willing to fight for a throne, but not a towel. Thus, they lay there, everyone s face full of someone else s dirty feet! This is the background for these words: Jesus,... rose from supper, and laid aside His gar- 2
ments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself about (vv. 3a, 4). Jesus stood up and took off His outer garments, as we might take off our coats and roll up our sleeves to get ready to work. 8 Then He took a towel and girded Himself. This was a long towel that went around the waist, with an end hanging down to wipe the feet after they had been washed. 9 Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded (v. 5). Imagine Jesus as He kneels and begins to wash the disciples feet. 10 The argument about who is greatest stops; small talk dwindles; all voices are silenced. The only sounds are those made by Jesus washing of the feet: the sound of water being poured, the splashing of water on the feet, the rasp of the rough towel, the noise of dirty water being tossed out and fresh water being poured into the basin, the breathing of Jesus. I can imagine the disciples looking at each other in embarrassment, then lowering their eyes in shame. As Jesus went down the line of disciples, washing each pair of feet in turn, He was teaching His disciples to be servants. He was saying, If you would be My disciple, you must be willing to humble yourself! Jesus asked nothing of His disciples that He was unwilling to do. When Jesus came from heaven, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant,... And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself.... (Philippians 2:7, 8). Speaking of His mission, Jesus said, the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). When the disciples argued about who was the greatest, He said, I am among you as the one who serves (Luke 22:27). We Also Need To Pick Up the Towel Today, we give lip-service to the concept of humility; we know that the Bible teaches us to be humble. The fact is, however, that humility is not a virtue most of us admire or desire. The words humble and humiliation come from the same root. You have probably heard someone say, I was never so humiliated in my life! No one likes to be humiliated, shamed, or embarrassed; but understand this: Washing feet was a humiliating experience! Serving others can be humbling and humiliating. Most of us do not mind being called servants. We would be thrilled if we were known as great servants of the Lord. What we do not like is being treated as servants. In New Testament times, servants were abused and misused. Servants were not appreciated. After a servant finished a task, how often do you suppose the master praised him? Thank you, slave! You did a great job, and I really appreciate it! You know the answer: Never. Are we willing to be servants? Are we willing to humble ourselves to serve others? Are we willing to do the dirty tasks no one else wants to do? Are we willing to serve even if others do not support us, even if others do not do their parts? Are we willing to serve, not because others will appreciate it, but because it is the right thing to do? This kind of serving is hard. Someone has said that humility is the hardest course in the Christian curriculum. Nevertheless, Jesus would have us learn the lesson of humility. When Jesus condemned the pride of the Pharisees, He said, But the greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted (Matthew 23:11, 12). 11 The world seeks exaltation; the follower of Jesus seeks an opportunity to serve. THE LESSON OF HOLINESS (JOHN 13:6 11) We Need Spiritual Cleanness As Jesus continued down the line, washing the disciples feet, He came to a pair of 13Ds. 12 And so He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, Lord, do You wash my feet? (v. 6). Peter could not understand why Jesus was doing the humiliating work of a slave. Jesus answered and said to him, What I do you do not realize now, but you shall understand hereafter (v. 7). Jesus was explaining, After My death, resurrection, ascension, and the coming of the Spirit, you will understand. At the time, however, Peter did not understand. He said to Jesus, Never shall You wash my feet! (v. 8a). In the original language, this sentence contains a double negative. In English, 3
two negatives cancel each other out, but in Greek, they intensify the negative. Peter literally said, Never, never, never shall You wash my feet! Jesus answered him, If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me (v. 8b). If Peter did not submit to Jesus in this matter, the two of them could have no fellowship. Peter never did anything by halves. He answered, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head (v. 9). In other words, All right, Lord, give me a bath! If that is what it takes to have fellowship with You, wash me from head to foot! Jesus replied, He who has bathed 13 needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean (v. 10a). As noted earlier, guests normally bathed before starting for a dinner. Thus, they only needed to wash their feet to be completely clean. The only part of Peter s body that needed to be washed was his feet. Then Jesus added this cryptic statement: And you are clean, but not all of you (v. 10b). In the original text, Jesus had been using the singular word for you (v. 8), but in verse 10, He used the plural word. (We do not have a different plural form of you in the English, 14 but they did in the Greek). Thus, Jesus switched from talking to Peter only and began to speak to all of the disciples. All of you are clean, He said with a sweep of His arm, referring to their physical bodies. Then He switched to a spiritual emphasis and added with a touch of sadness in His voice, But not all of you. We do not have to guess at Jesus meaning, for the next verse explains: For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, Not all of you are clean (v. 11). Not all of you are clean referred to Judas. Perhaps this was Jesus last attempt to bring Judas to repentance. The truth I want to stress, however, is that as Jesus washed the disciples feet, He was not as concerned about physical cleanness as He was about spiritual cleanness. If we keep that in mind, Jesus statement in verse 8 takes on deeper meaning: If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me. Spiritually, that statement is also true of us. Unless we are washed in the blood of Jesus we have no fellowship with Him! Revelation 1:5 speaks of Jesus Christ,... who loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood. As alien sinners, we need to be baptized into Jesus so that He might wash us in His blood. Ananias told Saul, Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name (Acts 22:16; emphasis mine). Then, after we have been spiritually washed head to toe, we walk daily through the grime and grunge of life. As Christians, we need continual cleansing from the hand of Jesus. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 1:9 2:1). We Must Learn To Be Submissive We could talk about many aspects of allowing Jesus to cleanse our souls. In context, however, Jesus had something specific in mind as He spoke of washing Peter. That something specific was submission. If Peter was to be clean, he must submit to the will of the Lord even if he did not like it, even if he did not agree with it, even if he did not understand it. Peter struggled with his pride, as most of us do. Jesus said that Peter would later understand. Apparently, Peter ultimately did understand the lessons of the towel, for he later wrote: You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time (1 Peter 5:5, 6). If you and I would be constantly washed in the blood of Jesus, we must live the submissive lifestyle: If we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light [if we live as Jesus would have us live], we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son [continually] 15 cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). THE LESSON OF HAPPINESS (JOHN 13:12 17) We Must Learn To Wash Feet The last foot had been washed; the last toe, 4
dried. Jesus was ready to explain what He had done and make application to His disciples. And so when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments, and reclined at the table again (v. 12), He spoke to them. Jesus put away the basin and the jug, then put His outer garment back on. 16 Every eye was on Jesus; He had the disciples complete attention. After He had returned to His place at the table, He asked, Do you know what I have done to you? (v. 12b). They might have responded, What a strange question! Certainly we know what You have done to us. You have washed our feet! Jesus, however, meant, Do you really know what I have done? Do you understand what I have done and why I have done it? Jesus then began His application: You call Me Teacher 17 and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to (vv. 13, 14a). They might have expected Him to finish the sentence, You also ought to wash My feet. That would be fair. He had washed 24 dirty feet, 120 filthy toes, but His own feet were still dirty. It was only fair that they should now wash His. (Most of us would not mind washing Jesus feet; we would probably line up for that.) Instead, Jesus said, You also ought to wash one another s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you (vv. 14b, 15; emphasis mine). Does Jesus want us to wash feet? Maybe that would not be too bad. We could pick out a few of our friends, and we could wash each other s feet. Wait a minute. Jesus said, You also should do as I did. Judas was present with the other disciples. How do you suppose Jesus washed Judas feet? Remember that Jesus was already aware of Judas betraying Him. I would have been tempted to use scalding hot water or water filled with ice cubes! When I dried Judas feet, I might have tried to rub his skin off! Jesus, however, apparently used the same loving care with Judas feet as He did with all the rest. 18 Jesus example to me is to be ready to wash the feet of all, friend or foe. Jesus continued: Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master; neither is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him (v. 16). Jesus left us without excuse. If He could wash the feet of all, friends and enemies alike, so can we. Perhaps we should pause to ask, What did Jesus mean when He said that we should wash one another s feet? Did He mean that we should have foot-washing ceremonies as part of our worship services? Some religious groups do this. When they observe the Lord s Supper (quarterly, annually, or whenever 19 ), they have a footwashing ceremony. Those chosen to participate come with scrubbed feet in polished shoes, wearing socks with no holes in them. During the ceremony, those doing the washing go down the line washing perfectly clean feet. The original purpose washing dirty feet has been lost. Is this what Jesus was commanding? Check the rest of the New Testament. Check the writing of early Christians. That kind of ceremony was never observed in the worship of the early church. The only time you will find foot-washing mentioned in the epistles is in 1 Timothy 5:9, 10, where Paul gave the qualifications of widows who deserve to be supported by the church: Let a widow be put on the list only if she is not less than sixty years old, having been the wife of one man, having a reputation for good works; and if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints feet, if she has assisted those in distress, and if she has devoted herself to every good work. (Emphasis mine.) Several qualifications are given. If we have a worship ceremony related to one, we should have a worship ceremony related to all. No, this is not what Jesus meant. If Jesus was not referring to a special ceremony, what did He mean when He said that we should wash one another s feet? Preacher and writer Charles Hodge was right when he said, We may have won the debates on footwashing but we still have not learned to wash feet! Washing feet was the humiliating task of a servant in New Testament times. The twentiethcentury equivalent is being willing to serve others no matter who they are, no matter what the cost, no matter how unpleasant the task. Ruth Harms Calkin wrote a poem entitled I Wonder, in which she asked a question that each of us needs to ask: You know, Lord, how I serve You With great emotional fervor In the limelight. You know how eagerly I speak for You At a women s club. 5
You know how I effervesce when I promote A fellowship group. You know my genuine enthusiasm At a Bible study. But how would I react, I wonder, If You pointed to a basin of water And asked me to wash the calloused feet Of a bent and wrinkled old woman Day after day Month after month In a room where nobody saw And nobody knew? 20 Have we learned to serve? Have we learned to do menial tasks, tackle ugly jobs, accept dirty assignments, carry out unpleasant responsibilities often for people who will never say, Thank you, or perhaps will even try to hurt us? After Jesus washed Judas feet, Judas still left the upper room and betrayed Him. Nevertheless, Jesus has said to each of us, Wash one another s feet! The world asks, How many people work for you? The Lord asks, How many people do you work for? Too many of us are standing in dignity, hands folded, when we should be kneeling in service, washing feet. Washing Feet Is the Key to Happiness The skeptic wants to know, What s in it for me? Verse 17 tells what learning to serve will do for us. Jesus said to His disciples, If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. In verse 12 Jesus asked, Do you know what I have done to you? He assumed that they did know, and He said, in effect, You will be blessed if your knowledge becomes action. It is not enough merely to know that we should serve others; if God is to bless us, we must do it. The word I want to emphasize in this verse is the word blessed. This is the same word used in the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3ff.). The word in the Greek refers to inner happiness, joy, and peace that is not dependent on outward circumstances. I like the KJV translation: If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. (Emphasis mine.) The secret to deep, abiding happiness is learning to serve. The most miserable people are those who want to be served. They think that they have not been treated fairly, that they have not gotten what they deserve, that they do not have what they want. They are waiting for someone to give it to them, and they are miserable! The consistently happy people are those who are not concerned about whether they are happy or not, but rather are concerned about the happiness and welfare of others. This is one of the most important lessons of the towel. CONCLUSION Other lessons of the towel might be noted, but surely none are more important than these: the lessons of humility, holiness, and happiness. Each of us needs to ask some penetrating questions regarding servanthood: Am I serving the Lord? Am I serving my fellow man? Am I growing as a servant day by day? 21 We also need to ask some personal questions regarding submission: When the Lord commands, do we quickly obey or is it possible that, like Peter, we say, Never, Lord, never! We need to learn Peter s second response: Lord, do with me what You will. Wash me from head to foot! 22 God, help us to learn the lessons of the towel! NOTES 1 A one-page outline of this lesson appeared in a special issue of Truth for Today titled A Survey of the New Testament (July 1993), 10. 2 Personal illustrations may be added, such as caring for someone who is ill or caring for an aged parent. 3 Since I later demonstrate Jesus actions in washing the disciples feet, I note at this point: I considered demonstrating this position for you, but then I decided not to. I could probably get down, but I may not be able to get back up! On the other hand, a young and vigorous teacher or preacher may want to demonstrate how this reclining position looked. 4 They literally ate with their right hands, for they did not use eating utensils. 5 The disciple Jesus loved (John) is spoken of as reclining on Jesus breast (John 13:23). 6 We may assume that whoever lent the room to Jesus and the disciples furnished the usual amenities. Jesus told those who went ahead of Him to prepare for the supper, He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready (Mark 14:15; NIV; emphasis mine). 7 Many still observe this custom in parts of the Orient and Europe, as well as other places in the world. 8 I take off my coat and lay it to one side, then roll up my sleeves. 9 I do not have a towel long enough to go around my waist and still hang down!... so I just tuck the top of a towel inside the top of my trousers, with most of the towel hanging down. 10 I get down on one knee and begin to pantomime washing feet. 11 See also James 4:6. 12 In America, 13D is a very large size shoe. Since shoes 6
are sized differently in various areas of the world, a local equivalent may be substituted so that listeners will understand. 13 The KJV has washed, but the Greek word used here is different from the next word translated wash. Bathed indicates the extent of the washing involved. 14 In the southern U.S., I smile and add, Except in Texas (or wherever), where we have the plural form y all. Other places in the U.S. also have colloquial plural forms ( youse, etc.). Perhaps your area has its own idiomatic plural form of you. 15 In the original text, cleanses is in the present tense, which in the Greek indicates continual action. 16 At this point, I remove the towel from my waistband and put my coat back on. 17 The KJV has Master, an Old English word referring to a schoolmaster or teacher. 18 Remember that at that time the disciples had no idea that Judas was a traitor (cf. John 13:28). If Jesus had treated Judas differently, it would probably have been noticed. 19 The New Testament teaches every-sunday observance. 20 I took this poem from a lecture by Richard Rogers on The Challenge of Excellence, delivered March 4, 1994, at Harding University, Searcy, Arkansas. 21 In a sermon, I also ask, Are we becoming a serving congregation? 22 These words lead naturally into the invitation. Copyright, 1994, 1998 by Truth for Today ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 7