A Look at Foot Washing

By Paul W Hoffmaster

The subject of foot washing and its relevance today has sparked countless numbers of articles written to help shed light on yet another area of Christian speculation. Jesus used the foot washing as an illustration of humility and servitude. For many months, the Apostles had been boasting about their personal attributes and self-promoted qualities. Each one thought he was a cut above his coworkers. Jesus was pointing out that greatness was not achieved by self- elevation, but rather by the servant's posture of service.

Shortly after Peter went fishing for a "fish bank" that held a Roman coin in its mouth (Matthew 17:27), Jesus was confronted by His band of loyalists who asked Him who was the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Without hesitation, Jesus called a little girl from the crowd to join Him. As she sat on His lap, He told them if they would be as humble as that child, they would be in the category of one of the greatest in the Kingdom. (Matthew 18:1-4) Near the city of Capernaum, His Apostles had been debating who would be the greatest. He asked them outright what they were arguing about, but no one spoke up. Jesus understood what was going on and simply told them if any one wanted to be first, he needed to be "last of all, and a servant of all." (Mark 9:33-35) Just prior to one of Jesus' last trips to Jerusalem, Jesus put it right on the line by saying if anyone of His Apostles wanted to be great, he would be a servant to the others. (Matthew 23:11) In the Upper Room on the night of His betrayal, Jesus shared that one of them would betray Him. They were shocked and began to seek out which one of them was the traitor. What this did was lead to the displaying of their credentials of achievement. Each one was boasting about his abilities. Jesus interrupts them and shares that the one who is more like a child, and the one who is more like a servant than a "chief," will be the greatest among them. (Luke 22:26)

After the supper was over, Jesus took off His clothes and tied a towel around His waist and, with a bowel of water, He knelt down and washed the feet of His men. He removed His towel and dried their feet. When He finished He put his clothes back on and sat down and simply told them, "If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; you also ought to wash one another's feet." (John 13:4-17) Jesus was illustrating what He had been sharing for months: being the greatest is not a position of authority, but a position of servitude.

The Galilean and Judean walkways were dusty and dirty. Whenever a person would enter another's house, there would be a basin of water near the door so his feet could be cleaned. Either the homeowner or his servant would wash the feet of the guest. (Luke 7:44, I Timothy 5:10) The issue of foot washing is not so much about the method, but the displaying of a servant's heart. If today we had dirt paths and no socks, I can see foot washing as a common practice, but void of those surroundings, we need to find other ways to express ourselves as servants. One of the greatest joys in life is serving. I believe if there was a Biblical want ad, it would go something like this: "Wanted: Someone willing to center on the needs of others. Must have a humble spirit, preferring others before himself, willing to put in long hours with the possibility of no acknowledgement from others. The applicant's service will be recorded in Heaven, where he will be rewarded for his service at a later date. He will also receive the eternal thanks of God Himself. Those with prideful spirits need not apply." The greatest attribute of a spiritual leader is not how many followers he has or how many horizontal achievements he has achieved, but rather is he a servant!

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