John 13: 14: “f I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” This was the Lord’s discourse with the disciples when He washed their feet.
In verse 12 of John chapter 13, our Lord Jesus asked the disciples: “Do you understand what I have done to you.” He later enjoined them to wash one another’s feet, just as He left them a command to do the communion often in remembrance of Him. This means that washing of feet should be a community of practice among believers to remind them of being set apart unto God. Washing of feet is important call for believers to continue in, it is therefore more than a tradition.
First of all we must understand that there is a connection between the heart and our feet. The feet will run to do what is in the heart. In verse 27 of chapter 13 of John, the Lord said to Judas after He had washed his feet along with the other disciples: “What you are about to do, do quickly.” The book of Proverbs in chapter 6 verse 18 speaks: “a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil”, this pinpoints the connection between the heart and the feet. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” (Isaiah 52:7). The beautiful feet merely reflects the heart. This further accentuate the relationship between the heart and the feet. As a man thinks in his heart so is he, it is the devices in the heart that the feet runs swiftly to perform. This was what we see in the life of Judas. The washing of his feet by our Lord Jesus who is, the Word made flesh, merely uncovered his heart hence the Lord said, “what you are about to do, do quickly”.
Hebrews 12 verse 13 says: “and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.” John the Baptist when he was calling the people to repentance, the first call was for the people to make straight path for the LORD. Luke 3: 4: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.” It is about a people turning aside to the LORD, just like Moses turned aside unto the LORD when he saw the burning bush that did not burn. It is our duty to wash our feet, turn aside and prepare to follow the LORD. As we do this for ourselves, we are enjoined to do also for one another, turning people aside to the wisdom of the Just as it is written in Luke 1:17: “to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” Washing of feet is preparing and making a people ready for the LORD. It is reminding each other of our sanctified lives, a people that has a part in the LORD. What our Lord Jesus did was to initiate the believers into the spirit and the power of Elijah and turn hearts of men to God. This is the essence of washing of feet.
Psalm 103 verse 7 reveals: “He made known his ways unto Moses.” We see a parallel here to the washing of the disciples feet by the Lord. Our life is about our walk with the LORD. The LORD made Moses turn aside, He make known His path to him. The LORD as it were washed the feet of Moses (Exodus 3:5), to prepare him for a walk with Him. It is left to us to yield to washing of our feet, the uncovering of our feet, the turning of our hearts to the wisdom of the Just which is crucial to the salvation of our soul and that of others. Two cannot walk together except they be agreed (Amos 3:3). Our life is essential about our walk with God. This is why we need to continually wash our feet with the washing of the water by the word (Ephesians 5: 26). We uncover our feet with the word of truth to get understanding of God’s character, to get understanding of God’s will. It is essential that as believers we pray the prayer of Paul, to be filled with the knowledge of the will of God in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
The first instrument in the tabernacle is the basin laver containing water for the priest to wash their hands and feet with. It is a reminder that our righteousness is like a filthy rag before God and as we look into the word, which the basin laver symbolically represents, we cleanse ourselves from every filthiness of flesh and the spirit continually in our service unto God.
The story of Ruth and Boaz exemplifies the washing or uncovering of each other’s feet. In Ruth chapter 3 from verse 7, we read Ruth uncover the feet of Boaz. Ruth was a truth that stared Boaz in the face, which was the redeeming action that Boaz and his other kinsman ought to perform. Boaz and the other kinsman knew that they were to be the “guardian-redeemer” of the family (Naomi’s husband and his three sons that died in the land of the Moabites). Boaz knew what had happened in his heart, he knew about Ruth and Naomi, but Ruth, representing the open truth uncovered his feet. Hitherto he has not taken any action but the uncovering of his feet by Ruth hastened his action. It is not sufficient to read and know the word of truth, we must allow the word of truth uncover our feet, move us to a decision, a choice to make our path straight. The word in our heart must consciously become propelled to become a light unto our path and a lamp unto our feet ( Psalm 119: 105). Boaz did what was right, he redeemed Ruth and married her and became the guardian-redeemer of the family.This is the essence of washing of feet.
Our Lord Jesus washed the feet of the Apostles. On the one hand, the Word, (for Christ is the Word made flesh), uncovered their feet, including that of Judas. The heart of Judas was set to betray the Lord Jesus and we saw his feet ran swiftly to carry out this mischief. But for the rest of the disciples, the washing of their feet by the Lord bonded them to the Lord in holy sanctification and they turned aside to follow the Lord Jesus after His resurrection and like Him, they gave themselves continually to the ministry of prayer and the word. They set themselves apart, made straight path for their feet continually by their choice thus laying an example for believers that will follow after them.
One of the critical issues for most believers is not living true to what they know. The word of God in them remains a head knowledge and not a lamp unto their feet and a light unto their path. This is the essence of believers washing each other’s feet as much as they wash their own feet. The Apostles in the early days of the church uncompromisingly obeyed God and not man, they gave themselves to God through the ministry of prayer and the word, and they lean on the Holy Spirit.
As believers we have duty towards each other. Galatians 6:1 says: “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”
Jude 1: 22-23: “And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.”
1John 5:16: “If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death…”
Every believer has been empowered through faith in Christ to walk in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn people aside unto God. We are to wash one another’s feet, provoking each other unto love and unto faithful walk with the LORD, making straight paths for the coming of the LORD in our lives.
