John 13:9-12

9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”

10 Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”

11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”

12 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?

“Lord, Not My Feet Only…”

Jesus rebuked Peter and told him he would have no part with him if he wouldn’t let Him wash his feet. When Peter heard that, he changed his tone immediately and said, paraphrasing, “Lord, in that case, don’t wash only my feet, but wash my hands and my head also.” Peter never wanted to be separated from Jesus. Whatever it took to stay with Jesus, Peter would do it. He sometimes misunderstood Jesus and tried to overstep his position, but he was always willing to humble himself when he was rebuked. Am I willing to recognize when I am in the wrong, humble myself, and allow Jesus, through His Word, to rebuke me and change me when I need it?

In verse 10, Jesus says, paraphrasing, “A person who is fully bathed only needs to wash his feet to be completely clean; and you, Peter, are already clean, but not all of you are clean.” When a person came to another person’s home, he would normally be clean other than his feet. He would wash his feet so he would be clean to go into the house. This symbolizes our spiritual cleansing. When we repent and are baptized, we are fully cleansed of our sins, but we must still be cleansed of sin daily because we are not perfect. We get our feet dirty with sin each day. We must spiritually cleanse ourselves daily by praying for forgiveness of any sins we might have committed that day. We use His Word to renew our minds each day and keep ourselves on track. Praying and keeping our minds renewed with the Word is a spiritual metaphor for washing feet after the whole body is bathed. Our mind/spirit must be cleansed every day as we live in this sinful world. Yes. We are cleansed of our sins, but we do get our feet dirty in the world. This is a wonderful comparison. We are not “once cleansed, always cleansed” or “once saved, always saved”.

Jesus also told Peter that he was spiritually clean with only a foot washing. Peter had been cleansed and was keeping himself spiritually clean. However, one of them was not clean at all. Verse 11 says that Jesus knew who would betray Him. We know that it was Judas. Judas was the one who was not clean. He was plotting against Jesus. Do you ever wonder how Judas could have done what he did? He walked with Jesus just like Peter and the other apostles. He saw all that Jesus did. Jesus washed Judas’ feet just as He did all the other disciples’. He washed His betrayer’s feet! Can you imagine knowing that someone was going to help have you killed, yet performing an act of servitude for the person? Wow. Jesus’ heart was like no other.

Let’s not forget that we have all betrayed Him at one point or another, yet He still gave His life for us. “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) The Savior washing the disciples’ feet is a shadow of what He was about to do for all of us. Jesus didn’t have to wash the disciples’ feet, just like He didn’t have to die for our sins so that we could have salvation. Then Jesus asked the disciples a question in verse 12, “Do you understand what I have done to you?” The disciples might have thought, “Of course, you washed our feet.” But it was about so much more than just washing their feet. Fast forward to the Holy Spirit’s inspired words through the apostle Paul in Philippians 2:3-8: “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” These verses say it all. We should have Christ’s mindset about serving God and others. Do I esteem others better than myself? Do I look out for the best interests of others as much as I do my own? Let’s never forget that we have “the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). How do we have the mind of Christ? Through the Holy Spirit-inspired Word of God, we have the mind of Christ. The account of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet gives us a beautiful glimpse of His loving, caring, humble mindset. Amazing!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan God has outlined in His Word for humankind to receive His grace, which leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible.

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17)

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16)

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32)

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19)

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we must remain faithful until death or until Jesus returns, whichever comes first. (Rev. 2:10)

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about being saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves… and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t, or if you’re not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are… believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out.

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better… to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat, wondering what will happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you, Father, for the wonderful gift of Your Word!