John43 – washing someone else’s feet

The above took place on the evening which led into the day of crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth around AD 30 in Jerusalem. John, the first century eye-witness biographer of Jesus (who saw him die and knew him well after he rose again) recalling it all. See “John43 – the upper room”.

Jesus is their Teacher and the Lord. He was willingly allowing himself to be executed by his enemies in order to receive upon himself the judgment his enemies deserved. Having taken that judgment on himself, he would then be able to forgive those evildoers freely for all their evil deeds. 

Not only all that, he is – here - the one who loves-in-action others to the end of time and to the utmost of his own self-abasement. He is the washer of feet. He is the one who by his whole being and by his every action makes known the cleansing forgiveness he has purchased for others at the cross. 

 

They ought to do these things because they are not greater than Jesus. Those who actually “discern” this are indeed blessed – if they actually do what’s pictured by this foot-washing.

That may be AOK but have you seen a big problem with it? The problem is that Jesus had just washed also the feet of Judas Iscariot. Was he included among those who would himself be blessed by doing foot-washing to others?

Jesus excluded one of his disciples from his statement of the blessedness of those who, discerning the real Jesus, actually do the foot-washing. He knew his chosen. He knew also the one who only purported to be one of his disciples, the one who even consumed “his bread”. 

Jesus was not referring to this man when he said to his disciples: “If you discern these things, you are blessed if you do them.” But this man did have his feet washed by Jesus. Jesus had made known to him the love of God. 

 

Jesus knew all the way along that, in choosing his disciples, he had chosen who would give him away to death. He knew the one who would reject him as Teacher and Lord whilst pretending otherwise. 

He wanted all his other disciples to know that he knew this – and to know that he, their Lord and their Teacher, had washed that person’s feet. He wanted his true disciples to do likewise. Why? 

When a true disciple of Jesus, in Jesus’ name, washes the feet of others (including those who secretly give Jesus away to death), he or she will have been appointed by Jesus so to do - appointed to make Jesus known, however personally humiliating and costly that may be. And the foot-washing recipient receiving such a disciple will, wonderfully, be receiving Jesus. And a receiver of Jesus is a receiver of the Father above.