Washed to be Made Clean

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

WASHED TO BE MADE CLEAN

John 13:1-17

13:1 It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.  

2 The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" 7 Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."  8 "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."  9 "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" 10 Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you."  11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. 12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 13 "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

NIV

We are a little unsettled regarding this idea this translation gives saying that Jesus now showed them the full extent of his love. Other translations say he loved them to the end, and that seems to be how the Greek voices it. Although this translation has a footnote expressing it could be said, until the end, and the other translations have footnotes that it could be, he showed them the full extent of his ultimate love. The Greek word translated as the end or full extent can mean either or both of those meanings. What is unsettling is that we do not understand how there could ever be an end to the love of Jesus for his own that are in the world. What would have been the end that those translations mean? The end of his earthly life? It was not quite at an end yet while he was washing their feet. The end would not come until he was on the cross, but that act would have been a demonstration of his ultimate love for us. Then how could washing the feet of his disciples be an expression of his love to the end or the full extent of his love? Examining the wholeness of this text, the complete dialogue between Jesus and Peter, we are thinking Jesus is showing something of what is to come. By washing their feet, which was normally done by a servant in the household, before the dinner was served, he was demonstrating two truths. First, as his concluding remarks, we are to serve one another. That is to say, we should not think of ourselves above others, or greater than others, but be willing to wash their feet, so to speak. We could expand on that truth, looking at how that should apply to our daily lives, but that might take far more than we have space for in this type of expression of our thoughts. The second truth we also notice is when Jesus tells Peter, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me”. We have to believe it was not about washing his feet with water, but about washing him with his blood. The words of Jesus were in that sense prophetic. Peter was not wanting Jesus to wash his feet. He was offended that the person he esteemed as the Christ, the Master, and the Teacher would stoop so low as to act like a servant. What is interesting is this is coming from a fisherman, not someone of noble birth. Yet, in another sense, Peter, as a believer, as someone who is born again, is actually now of noble birth. This would also mean that we too are of noble birth at this point in our lives and as such we are to act as the servant to others. Jesus was the Noble of nobles, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, and he was being the servant. His ultimate act of service was, of course, the cross, and that is the act in which he washes us with his blood. That is this act of love which makes us clean, as he told Peter he was clean, although not every one of them. Judas had already yielded to the prompting of Satan, and was not clean, for he was about to betray Jesus. It is interesting people who are not born again, who in that sense are betraying Jesus are not clean, they have not been washed in his blood. Although he shed his blood for the whole world, for every person, each one must come to the point of allowing Jesus to wash them. Just as Peter was not wanting Jesus to wash his feet, people have the choice to refuse being washed in the blood of Jesus. If anyone wants to be a part of Jesus, they must be washed, and then they, as we, will be clean.