Washing ourselves and others
This week's study is on John 13:4-17:
These verses take place right before Judas left to betray Jesus. Jesus dressed himself in work clothes and washed the disciples' feet the way a servant would. Peter argued with him, and then when he got shot down, he got all spiritual and confused the whole thing. But then Jesus explains it all and turns and gives us a command. So what just happened?
The foot washing is kind of a metaphor for the cleansing of sins. We can take care of our own sins up to a point, but we can't get ourselves completely clean. Jesus offers to cleanse our sins completely, but we fight him on it. "No Jesus, I got this!" But we need Jesus and what he offers us.
So then we get all spiritual and are like "I won't try to live a better life at all. I want to make Jesus look good by being a mooch and giving him more to forgive." But that's not the right thing either. There are areas we can reach. We should try to do better in those areas, knowing that when we fail Jesus will be there with his towel and basin.
But then Jesus gives us the command to wash each other's feet. Does that mean we should have tubs and towels in church, and not just bread and wine? I doubt it. I think Jesus is talking about forgiving and cleansing sins. If someone is dirty, we should forgive them and help them get clean. It's a dirty job to do that, but Jesus did it. The church is the body of Christ.
The Catholic church does a very formal version of this, but I think they get what Jesus was asking for here on a real level. They pronounce God's forgiveness when people confess the sins they couldn't reach. When someone is like "Man I messed that up," our job is not to "disciple" them with more shame, but to wash them and speak forgiveness over them. "It's okay. You are clean now. Go in peace."
Jesus tells Peter, "unless I wash you, you have no part with me." That's another one sentence gospel! Who is so perfect that they don't need to be cleansed by God's forgiveness? Who is as good as a person can be? If someone is like "I got this" and never asks for help, are they really in a meaningful relationship with Christ or his body?
When faced with the horror of the price that Christ paid, people sometimes recoil. "Are you really going to do that for me? Never! I won't let you!" But we need it or we can't continue. We can't puff ourselves up and be like "I don't need that. I'm good." It's humiliating to accept defeat and ask for rescue, but it's real. We need to let Jesus do what he's come to do, and to do what we're asked to do.
so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 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.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
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. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
These verses take place right before Judas left to betray Jesus. Jesus dressed himself in work clothes and washed the disciples' feet the way a servant would. Peter argued with him, and then when he got shot down, he got all spiritual and confused the whole thing. But then Jesus explains it all and turns and gives us a command. So what just happened?
The foot washing is kind of a metaphor for the cleansing of sins. We can take care of our own sins up to a point, but we can't get ourselves completely clean. Jesus offers to cleanse our sins completely, but we fight him on it. "No Jesus, I got this!" But we need Jesus and what he offers us.
So then we get all spiritual and are like "I won't try to live a better life at all. I want to make Jesus look good by being a mooch and giving him more to forgive." But that's not the right thing either. There are areas we can reach. We should try to do better in those areas, knowing that when we fail Jesus will be there with his towel and basin.
But then Jesus gives us the command to wash each other's feet. Does that mean we should have tubs and towels in church, and not just bread and wine? I doubt it. I think Jesus is talking about forgiving and cleansing sins. If someone is dirty, we should forgive them and help them get clean. It's a dirty job to do that, but Jesus did it. The church is the body of Christ.
The Catholic church does a very formal version of this, but I think they get what Jesus was asking for here on a real level. They pronounce God's forgiveness when people confess the sins they couldn't reach. When someone is like "Man I messed that up," our job is not to "disciple" them with more shame, but to wash them and speak forgiveness over them. "It's okay. You are clean now. Go in peace."
Jesus tells Peter, "unless I wash you, you have no part with me." That's another one sentence gospel! Who is so perfect that they don't need to be cleansed by God's forgiveness? Who is as good as a person can be? If someone is like "I got this" and never asks for help, are they really in a meaningful relationship with Christ or his body?
When faced with the horror of the price that Christ paid, people sometimes recoil. "Are you really going to do that for me? Never! I won't let you!" But we need it or we can't continue. We can't puff ourselves up and be like "I don't need that. I'm good." It's humiliating to accept defeat and ask for rescue, but it's real. We need to let Jesus do what he's come to do, and to do what we're asked to do.
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