Wash One Another's Feet! John 13:12-17 Before reading the passage: Jesus knew that His time had come. His death on the cross was less than 24 hours away. He would humble Himself and submit to his Father's will and die on the cross for the sins of mankind. -While Jesus was in his attitude of humiliation, His disciples were arguing over which of them would be the greatest in His kingdom. What a contrast! Our Lord gives a living example of servanthood when He washes His disciple's feet, and they in their pride, seek to exalt themselves! Without a word, Jesus gets up from His reclining position at the table, takes off His outer garment, girds a towel around Him like a servant, takes a basin of water, and begins to wash and dry the feet of His disciples. -After He has washed every disciple's feet, including the feet of Judas even though He knew that he was going to betray Him into the enemy's hand's that night, went back to His place at the table, sat down and asked them an important question. Read the passage: Jesus asked, Do you know what I have done to you or for you? They didn't have a clue. They knew WHAT He had done, but they didn't know WHY he had done it. Have you ever tried to wash somebody's feet at the end of a long, hard, hot day? How about washing somebody's feet that's covered with grime? Have you ever put your face down next to an ingrown toenail? It's not as much fun as you think it is. Some feet really stink! -There are some churches, the Freewill Baptist are among them, that will have foot washings as a part of their regular practice. Some churches even call it a third ordinance Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and the washing of feet. -They will say, On Thursday night we're going to have a foot washing ceremony. So everybody come out on Thursday night. Only what do they do before they come to church? They wash their feet. Why? Because you don't want anybody touching your dirty feet! But that misses the point. The only feet that need washing are dirty feet. Just to have someone messing around with your feet is embarrassing. Jesus never meant for this to become an ordinance. He did not say, Do WHAT I do ; He said, Do AS I do. Jesus was not saying, Copy me; but, Let this mind be in you. Have a servant spirit. I. Jesus Gave Us An Example 13:15 The Leader Goes First. -Jesus would never ask us to do anything that He would not do. That's what a leader does. First, he does it himself. Then, he explains it. Then, you do it. But always, the leader goes first. 187 -Lest we misunderstand, He spells it out for us 13:16. I did it for you. And if I did it for you, you can do it for someone else. In that one verse you have the key to the Christian life: DO AS Jesus did!
Peter said, Lord, you are not going to wash my feet. What you are doing is demeaning. That's slaves' work. That's not your job. That's beneath you. -What bothered them was not WHAT He was doing, but that HE was doing it. -Foot washing was OK as long as a person of lower class did it. Remember what the disciples were arguing about? Who was the greatest. Well, Jesus was the Greatest Matt. 23:11-12 Two lessons Jesus wanted to teach His disciples: A. The Lesson of Humility There are many paradoxes in the Christian life: The way to life is through death. The way to get is to give. The way to greatness is by becoming a servant to others. The way to greatness is through humility. Being a servant doesn't start with what you do, being a servant starts with the attitude of the heart. It's not an action, it's an attitude. -The same action can be the action of a servant or the action of a proud person. You can visit a nursing home with a servant's heart or you can do it out of a sense of obligation. You can bake bread because you want to serve somebody, or you can do it because you want to win favor and have them praise you. You can give money because you really want to serve, or you can give money in order to gain favor with someone. -What makes the difference is the motivation inside the human heart. -Gal. 5:13 By love serve one another. Humility is one part of the lesson the Lord wants us to learn. -If the only-begotten Son of God, the King of Kings, did not think it beneath Him to do the humblest work of a servant, there is nothing which His disciples should think themselves too good to do. -No sin is so offensive to God as pride. I Peter 5:5 Be clothed with humility. Luke 18:14 Everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. -Big shots refuse to humble themselves. They think certain task and certain people are beneath them. They think they are too good to do some things. That's why real humility is so rare. 188 1.It is the humble who are most willing to serve. Of course, the proud will serve if the applause is loud enough. They will serve if they get the proper recognition. They will serve if the task is not beneath them. But the humble will serve unconditionally. 2.The humble remembers that what he does for others, he does for his Lord. Inasmuch as you
have done it unto one of the least of these...you have done it unto ME. B. The Lesson of Love The other lesson is to manifest love. We ought to love others so much that we delight in doing kindnesses to others, even in little things. We ought to count it a pleasure to lessen someone's sorrow and multiply their joy, even if it means self-sacrifice and self-denial for us. A really great man is one who makes others feel great. II. Jesus Gave Us An Exhortation 13:15 Do as I have done unto you. Remember that when our Lord washes our feet, it is for cleansing. We often get dirty in this dirty world and sometimes the Lord uses other Christians to confront a brother about sin in their life. -Gal. 6:1-2 Did you notice that Jesus didn't give a lecture on dirty feet? He simply got down on His hands and knees and washed them. -If you are willing to wash feet, then keep your mouth closed when you see dirty feet. When I see dirty feet, I can either talk about the dirty feet, which is called judging, or I can involve myself in that person's life by tending the situation on my knees in humility through intercession. Jesus didn't simply point out the dirt on the feet of the disciples, He did something about it. When we wash our brother's feet : 1.Make sure the water is not too hot It's painful to be confronted with our sin. Don't add to the discomfort by being judgmental or holier than thou. It should be done in love and a spirit of meekness. ALWAYS SEEK TO BE REDEMPTIVE. 2.Make sure your own feet are clean. Take the beam out of your eye before trying to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Again, Always SEEK TO BE REDEMPTIVE. 3.Be ready to submit your own feet to the washing process. None of us are infallible. We all fall. Use kindness when you wash your brother's feet and he will be more likely to use kindness when he washes your feet. -We may fall into spiritual snares and not be aware of it until some kind brother opens our eyes 189 to it. What a blessing to have someone who cares for us enough to wash our feet. -Proverbs 27:17 How did Jesus do it? 1.He saw a need and moved to meet it. 2.He took the initiative and didn't wait for an invitation. 3.He took off His uniform of greatness and got down on his knees.
4.He didn't announce what he was going to do. He didn't stand up and say, Well, men, I'm Jesus and now I'm going to wash your feet. You are about to see love in action. Watch me. Take notes. A few photos will be allowed. No, he just quietly got up and washed feet. It wasn't something for all Jerusalem to see. He kept it within their small circle. 5.He didn't just serve the ones he preferred. It might have been easy to wash John's feet. After all, John was the Beloved Disciple. Yet, John and his brother James were known as the Sons of Thunder. And what about Simon Peter? He would deny Him three times before the sun came up good. Then there was Thomas. He would doubt the word of others and refuse to believe in the resurrection of Jesus. Then there was Judas who sold the Lord to the enemies for 30 pieces of silver. He treated them all the same. 6.He didn't wait for a thank you and didn't get one either. That's what a servant does. He sees a need and moves to meet it. Remember, it all starts with the heart. III. Jesus Gave Us an Expectation 13:17 Happy or Blessed if you now these things AND DO THEM. -If we follow the example of our Lord, we will always be blessed. By the same token, if we do not follow His example when we should, we will experience the opposite results. Bottom Line: If you've never been washed by Christ, you're dirty. No matter how pleasant you may look on the outside, you need a complete washing in the blood of the Lord Jesus. Judas was there that day and Jesus washed his feet, but it did no good because his heart had never been washed. Have you ever had a spiritual bath? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb of God? Wash One Another's Feet! John 13:12-17 Before reading the passage: Jesus knew that His time had come. His death on the cross was less than 24 hours away. He would humble Himself and submit to his Father's will and die on the cross for the sins of mankind. -While Jesus was in his attitude of humiliation, His disciples were arguing over which of them would be the greatest in His kingdom. What a contrast! Our Lord gives a living example of servanthood when He washes His disciple's feet, and they in their pride, seek to exalt themselves! Without a word, Jesus gets up from His reclining position at the table, takes off His outer garment, girds a towel around Him like a servant, takes a basin of water, and begins to wash and dry the feet of His disciples. -After He has washed every disciple's feet, including the feet of Judas even though He knew
that he was going to betray Him into the enemy's hand's that night, went back to His place at the table, sat down and asked them an important question. Read the passage: Jesus asked, Do you know what I have done to you or for you? They didn't have a clue. They knew WHAT He had done, but they didn't know WHY he had done it. Have you ever tried to wash somebody's feet at the end of a long, hard, hot day? How about washing somebody's feet that's covered with grime? Have you ever put your face down next to an ingrown toenail? It's not as much fun as you think it is. Some feet really stink! -There are some churches, the Freewill Baptist are among them, that will have foot washings as a part of their regular practice. Some churches even call it a third ordinance Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and the washing of feet. -They will say, On Thursday night we're going to have a foot washing ceremony. So everybody come out on Thursday night. Only what do they do before they come to church? They wash their feet. Why? Because you don't want anybody touching your dirty feet! But that misses the point. The only feet that need washing are dirty feet. Just to have someone messing around with your feet is embarrassing. Jesus never meant for this to become an ordinance. He did not say, Do WHAT I do ; He said, Do AS I do. Jesus was not saying, Copy me; but, Let this mind be in you. Have a servant spirit. I. Jesus Gave Us An Example 13:15 The Leader Goes First. -Jesus would never ask us to do anything that He would not do. That's what a leader does. First, he does it himself. Then, he explains it. Then, you do it. But always, the leader goes first. 187 -Lest we misunderstand, He spells it out for us 13:16. I did it for you. And if I did it for you, you can do it for someone else. In that one verse you have the key to the Christian life: DO AS Jesus did! Peter said, Lord, you are not going to wash my feet. What you are doing is demeaning. That's slaves' work. That's not your job. That's beneath you. -What bothered them was not WHAT He was doing, but that HE was doing it. -Foot washing was OK as long as a person of lower class did it. Remember what the disciples were arguing about? Who was the greatest. Well, Jesus was the Greatest Matt. 23:11-12 Two lessons Jesus wanted to teach His disciples: A. The Lesson of Humility There are many paradoxes in the Christian life: The way to life is through death. The way to get is to give. The way to greatness is by becoming a servant to others. The way to greatness is through humility.
Being a servant doesn't start with what you do, being a servant starts with the attitude of the heart. It's not an action, it's an attitude. -The same action can be the action of a servant or the action of a proud person. You can visit a nursing home with a servant's heart or you can do it out of a sense of obligation. You can bake bread because you want to serve somebody, or you can do it because you want to win favor and have them praise you. You can give money because you really want to serve, or you can give money in order to gain favor with someone. -What makes the difference is the motivation inside the human heart. -Gal. 5:13 By love serve one another. Humility is one part of the lesson the Lord wants us to learn. -If the only-begotten Son of God, the King of Kings, did not think it beneath Him to do the humblest work of a servant, there is nothing which His disciples should think themselves too good to do. -No sin is so offensive to God as pride. I Peter 5:5 Be clothed with humility. Luke 18:14 Everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. -Big shots refuse to humble themselves. They think certain task and certain people are beneath them. They think they are too good to do some things. That's why real humility is so rare. 188 1.It is the humble who are most willing to serve. Of course, the proud will serve if the applause is loud enough. They will serve if they get the proper recognition. They will serve if the task is not beneath them. But the humble will serve unconditionally. 2.The humble remembers that what he does for others, he does for his Lord. Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these...you have done it unto ME. B. The Lesson of Love The other lesson is to manifest love. We ought to love others so much that we delight in doing kindnesses to others, even in little things. We ought to count it a pleasure to lessen someone's sorrow and multiply their joy, even if it means self-sacrifice and self-denial for us. A really great man is one who makes others feel great. II. Jesus Gave Us An Exhortation 13:15 Do as I have done unto you. Remember that when our Lord washes our feet, it is for cleansing. We often get dirty in this dirty world and sometimes the Lord uses other Christians to confront a brother about sin in their life. -Gal. 6:1-2 Did you notice that Jesus didn't give a lecture on dirty feet? He simply got down on His hands and knees and washed them. -If you are willing to wash feet, then keep your mouth closed when you see dirty feet. When I
see dirty feet, I can either talk about the dirty feet, which is called judging, or I can involve myself in that person's life by tending the situation on my knees in humility through intercession. Jesus didn't simply point out the dirt on the feet of the disciples, He did something about it. When we wash our brother's feet : 1.Make sure the water is not too hot It's painful to be confronted with our sin. Don't add to the discomfort by being judgmental or holier than thou. It should be done in love and a spirit of meekness. ALWAYS SEEK TO BE REDEMPTIVE. 2.Make sure your own feet are clean. Take the beam out of your eye before trying to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Again, Always SEEK TO BE REDEMPTIVE. 3.Be ready to submit your own feet to the washing process. None of us are infallible. We all fall. Use kindness when you wash your brother's feet and he will be more likely to use kindness when he washes your feet. -We may fall into spiritual snares and not be aware of it until some kind brother opens our eyes 189 to it. What a blessing to have someone who cares for us enough to wash our feet. -Proverbs 27:17 How did Jesus do it? 1.He saw a need and moved to meet it. 2.He took the initiative and didn't wait for an invitation. 3.He took off His uniform of greatness and got down on his knees. 4.He didn't announce what he was going to do. He didn't stand up and say, Well, men, I'm Jesus and now I'm going to wash your feet. You are about to see love in action. Watch me. Take notes. A few photos will be allowed. No, he just quietly got up and washed feet. It wasn't something for all Jerusalem to see. He kept it within their small circle. 5.He didn't just serve the ones he preferred. It might have been easy to wash John's feet. After all, John was the Beloved Disciple. Yet, John and his brother James were known as the Sons of Thunder. And what about Simon Peter? He would deny Him three times before the sun came up good. Then there was Thomas. He would doubt the word of others and refuse to believe in the resurrection of Jesus. Then there was Judas who sold the Lord to the enemies for 30 pieces of silver. He treated them all the same. 6.He didn't wait for a thank you and didn't get one either. That's what a servant does. He sees a need and moves to meet it. Remember, it all starts with the heart.
III. Jesus Gave Us an Expectation 13:17 Happy or Blessed if you now these things AND DO THEM. -If we follow the example of our Lord, we will always be blessed. By the same token, if we do not follow His example when we should, we will experience the opposite results. Bottom Line: If you've never been washed by Christ, you're dirty. No matter how pleasant you may look on the outside, you need a complete washing in the blood of the Lord Jesus. Judas was there that day and Jesus washed his feet, but it did no good because his heart had never been washed. Have you ever had a spiritual bath? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb of God? Wash One Another's Feet! John 13:12-17 Before reading the passage: Jesus knew that His time had come. His death on the cross was less than 24 hours away. He would humble Himself and submit to his Father's will and die on the cross for the sins of mankind. -While Jesus was in his attitude of humiliation, His disciples were arguing over which of them would be the greatest in His kingdom. What a contrast! Our Lord gives a living example of servanthood when He washes His disciple's feet, and they in their pride, seek to exalt themselves! Without a word, Jesus gets up from His reclining position at the table, takes off His outer garment, girds a towel around Him like a servant, takes a basin of water, and begins to wash and dry the feet of His disciples. -After He has washed every disciple's feet, including the feet of Judas even though He knew that he was going to betray Him into the enemy's hand's that night, went back to His place at the table, sat down and asked them an important question. Read the passage: Jesus asked, Do you know what I have done to you or for you? They didn't have a clue. They knew WHAT He had done, but they didn't know WHY he had done it. Have you ever tried to wash somebody's feet at the end of a long, hard, hot day? How about washing somebody's feet that's covered with grime? Have you ever put your face down next to an ingrown toenail? It's not as much fun as you think it is. Some feet really stink! -There are some churches, the Freewill Baptist are among them, that will have foot washings as a part of their regular practice. Some churches even call it a third ordinance Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and the washing of feet. -They will say, On Thursday night we're going to have a foot washing ceremony. So everybody come out on Thursday night. Only what do they do before they come to church? They wash their feet. Why? Because you don't want anybody touching your dirty feet! But that misses the point. The only feet that need washing are dirty feet. Just to have someone messing around with your feet is embarrassing.
Jesus never meant for this to become an ordinance. He did not say, Do WHAT I do ; He said, Do AS I do. Jesus was not saying, Copy me; but, Let this mind be in you. Have a servant spirit. I. Jesus Gave Us An Example 13:15 The Leader Goes First. -Jesus would never ask us to do anything that He would not do. That's what a leader does. First, he does it himself. Then, he explains it. Then, you do it. But always, the leader goes first. 187 -Lest we misunderstand, He spells it out for us 13:16. I did it for you. And if I did it for you, you can do it for someone else. In that one verse you have the key to the Christian life: DO AS Jesus did! Peter said, Lord, you are not going to wash my feet. What you are doing is demeaning. That's slaves' work. That's not your job. That's beneath you. -What bothered them was not WHAT He was doing, but that HE was doing it. -Foot washing was OK as long as a person of lower class did it. Remember what the disciples were arguing about? Who was the greatest. Well, Jesus was the Greatest Matt. 23:11-12 Two lessons Jesus wanted to teach His disciples: A. The Lesson of Humility There are many paradoxes in the Christian life: The way to life is through death. The way to get is to give. The way to greatness is by becoming a servant to others. The way to greatness is through humility. Being a servant doesn't start with what you do, being a servant starts with the attitude of the heart. It's not an action, it's an attitude. -The same action can be the action of a servant or the action of a proud person. You can visit a nursing home with a servant's heart or you can do it out of a sense of obligation. You can bake bread because you want to serve somebody, or you can do it because you want to win favor and have them praise you. You can give money because you really want to serve, or you can give money in order to gain favor with someone. -What makes the difference is the motivation inside the human heart. -Gal. 5:13 By love serve one another. Humility is one part of the lesson the Lord wants us to learn. -If the only-begotten Son of God, the King of Kings, did not think it beneath Him to do the humblest work of a servant, there is nothing which His disciples should think themselves too good to do. -No sin is so offensive to God as pride. I Peter 5:5 Be clothed with humility.
Luke 18:14 Everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. -Big shots refuse to humble themselves. They think certain task and certain people are beneath them. They think they are too good to do some things. That's why real humility is so rare. 188 1.It is the humble who are most willing to serve. Of course, the proud will serve if the applause is loud enough. They will serve if they get the proper recognition. They will serve if the task is not beneath them. But the humble will serve unconditionally. 2.The humble remembers that what he does for others, he does for his Lord. Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these...you have done it unto ME. B. The Lesson of Love The other lesson is to manifest love. We ought to love others so much that we delight in doing kindnesses to others, even in little things. We ought to count it a pleasure to lessen someone's sorrow and multiply their joy, even if it means self-sacrifice and self-denial for us. A really great man is one who makes others feel great. II. Jesus Gave Us An Exhortation 13:15 Do as I have done unto you. Remember that when our Lord washes our feet, it is for cleansing. We often get dirty in this dirty world and sometimes the Lord uses other Christians to confront a brother about sin in their life. -Gal. 6:1-2 Did you notice that Jesus didn't give a lecture on dirty feet? He simply got down on His hands and knees and washed them. -If you are willing to wash feet, then keep your mouth closed when you see dirty feet. When I see dirty feet, I can either talk about the dirty feet, which is called judging, or I can involve myself in that person's life by tending the situation on my knees in humility through intercession. Jesus didn't simply point out the dirt on the feet of the disciples, He did something about it. When we wash our brother's feet : 1.Make sure the water is not too hot It's painful to be confronted with our sin. Don't add to the discomfort by being judgmental or holier than thou. It should be done in love and a spirit of meekness. ALWAYS SEEK TO BE REDEMPTIVE. 2.Make sure your own feet are clean. Take the beam out of your eye before trying to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Again, Always SEEK TO BE REDEMPTIVE. 3.Be ready to submit your own feet to the washing process. None of us are infallible. We all fall. Use kindness when you wash your brother's feet and he will
be more likely to use kindness when he washes your feet. -We may fall into spiritual snares and not be aware of it until some kind brother opens our eyes 189 to it. What a blessing to have someone who cares for us enough to wash our feet. -Proverbs 27:17 How did Jesus do it? 1.He saw a need and moved to meet it. 2.He took the initiative and didn't wait for an invitation. 3.He took off His uniform of greatness and got down on his knees. 4.He didn't announce what he was going to do. He didn't stand up and say, Well, men, I'm Jesus and now I'm going to wash your feet. You are about to see love in action. Watch me. Take notes. A few photos will be allowed. No, he just quietly got up and washed feet. It wasn't something for all Jerusalem to see. He kept it within their small circle. 5.He didn't just serve the ones he preferred. It might have been easy to wash John's feet. After all, John was the Beloved Disciple. Yet, John and his brother James were known as the Sons of Thunder. And what about Simon Peter? He would deny Him three times before the sun came up good. Then there was Thomas. He would doubt the word of others and refuse to believe in the resurrection of Jesus. Then there was Judas who sold the Lord to the enemies for 30 pieces of silver. He treated them all the same. 6.He didn't wait for a thank you and didn't get one either. That's what a servant does. He sees a need and moves to meet it. Remember, it all starts with the heart. III. Jesus Gave Us an Expectation 13:17 Happy or Blessed if you now these things AND DO THEM. -If we follow the example of our Lord, we will always be blessed. By the same token, if we do not follow His example when we should, we will experience the opposite results. Bottom Line: If you've never been washed by Christ, you're dirty. No matter how pleasant you may look on the outside, you need a complete washing in the blood of the Lord Jesus. Judas was there that day and Jesus washed his feet, but it did no good because his heart had never been washed. Have you ever had a spiritual bath? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb of God?