August 19, 2023

Washing The Reveals Dirt

“Simon Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.’ Jesus said to him, ‘He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.’ For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’” John 13:9-11 (NASB)

            I played in the mud as a child. It was fun. Once I finished, my mom would spray us with the hose. We got clean (to the extent we didn’t bring mud in the house), but we still tracked in grass from our feet. Even though we were hosed off, we still had something that needed to be cleaned after. We still had to walk across the grass into the house. We needed to get them clean again once inside.   

            “Simon Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” Peter thought he understood Jesus. He didn’t. His response tells us a lot about Peter’s willingness to be part of the Lord’s kingdom. “Lord, wash all of me.” Unfortunately, he still didn’t understand Jesus’ entire context. From his point of view, he thought in order to be with Jesus, he had to let Jesus wash his feet. Peter (a man of extremes at times) said, “If you want me to be a part of you Jesus, then wash all of me.” “I’m all in Lord.” Even though he was “all in,” it would take daily cleansing as well. “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean;” “You are clean Peter…” The custom of the day was, “when one had bathed and then walked to another’s house, he only needed his feet washed in order to be clean. As justified believers, the disciples did not need a radical new cleansing, but rather a daily cleansing from the contaminating effects of sin. Jesus went on to finish washing their feet, and when he had finished, he rose again, put on his garments, and again reclined at the table. Similarly, “After he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3).”[1] Justification comes when a person places their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Christian life however still has issues. It’s called sin. As one walks with Christ each day- justified, they still encounter sin. This is why there is need for daily washing of the feet. Wherever we travel, we leave the dirt of the world upon our feet (spiritually traveling). Each day requires cleansing which frees us from the dirt (sin) of this world. “What is here spoken of is not the forgiveness of sins, but the renewal, by which Christ, by gradual and uninterrupted succession, delivers his followers entirely from the sinful desires of the flesh.”[2] But there was still one remaining who had not been washed clean. “He said, ‘Not all of you are one of you are clean.” Jesus teaching said he would make the whole body clean; He declared not every one of His disciples was clean (John 13:10). No ritual act, though performed by the Lord himself, had power in itself to cleanse the one who had given himself over to the cause of darkness.”[3] Judas, by now had already allowed Satan to put it in his heart to betray Him (13:2).

            My mom made us bathe after playing, and then bathing the next day. Jesus cleanses us (positionally) in the Father’s eyes, but we need constant cleaning from a world of sin each day. Stay clean by confession and repentance each day. It feels good to be clean in both aspects.

[1] Hughes, R. K. (1999). John: that you may believe (p. 315). Crossway Books.

[2] Calvin, J., & Pringle, W. (2010). Commentary on the Gospel according to John (Vol. 2, p. 59). Logos Bible Software.

[3] Dongell, J. (1997). John: a Bible commentary in the Wesleyan tradition (p. 167). Wesleyan Publishing House.