You only need to wash your feet

It was just the hour before the Passover and Jesus knew that his hour had come. The hour where he was to be crucified, to be hanged on a tree, to be mocked and tortured had come. Jesus knowing this set aside his disciples and knowing who He was, which is the Son of God, the eternal Word made flesh, wrapped a tower around his waist, poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples feet. He said to Simon Peter, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not everyone of you”. Jesus explained the meaning of this duty that his disciples should do as He has done for them and that no servant is greater than his master, nor a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Then Jesus says something interesting which shows that active obedience is required of his disciples. Jesus said ‘Now that you know these things, you will be blessed when you do them’.

This blog is not an exposition so the focus is not in exegesis but rather to draw out a Christian principle of why as Christians we only need to wash our feet. The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church in the sixth chapter of the 1st epistle to the Corinthians saying ‘…and that is what some of you were. But you where washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God’, vs11.

If you call yourself a Christian today, you have been washed, you have been sanctified, you have been justified and these are immutable, unchanging and unalterable. You will remain washed until the day of redemption and thus you have no need to fear hell or to be laden with guilt to such an extreme that you dear to disbelieve this promise. This brings us to the saying of Christ when he tells his disciples, ‘those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean’. Have you not had a baptismal bath in Christ my fellow believer? If affirmative then your whole body is clean and you have only need to wash your feet. By this we mean for you to continually wash off the sins that remains in you, the sin which dirties your feet but can by no method destroy your heavenly assurance. But we implore you for the sake of your pilgrim joy to continually wash your feet from the stains it has acquired from this world so that like a soldier you are fully employed to your masters bidding rather than entangling yourself in civilian duties.

Is your feet stained with pride, lust, anger, impurity, self-indulgence, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, fits of rage, selfish ambition, rebellion, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like. Is your feet stained with these and more and have you not found it an hindering to your heavenly progress. Has these not at times suffocate your happiness and have you not to your own detriment been reluctant to wash your feet. Suffer yourself no more but come to the fount where Christ as He did with the disciples will also do with you. But how you may say ? Hear the words of the apostle Paul in Romans 13:14, ‘rather put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires’. And this putting on of Christ is to be done daily and in doing so you will continually have clean feet and the stains will be no more.

You may say but how do I put on Christ so that I may have clean feet? The answer to this question is best given in the way of application. If you are bored, lonely, tempted and have an urge to sin, do not sit on your bed and fantasize, or seek relieve from alcohol or drugs which brings you into further darkness but in these moments put on Christ and you will not make provision for the flesh to gratify your sinful desires. To put on Christ in your moment of trial means to turn to Him, to gaze upon his wonderful face in prayer, in His words (the bible), in meditation of his works, in praise and worship and in fellowship with those who bear his image. And you will see temptation flee from you as the night flees at the entrance of the sun. Next time you are tempted, wash your feet by putting on the Lord Jesus Christ who is forever blessed. Amen

K.Oni