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King James Version (en)

King James Version (en)

John, Chapter 13, verses 8-10

¹ Jesus washeth the disciples' feet; exhorteth them to humility and charity

⁸Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.

⁹Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

¹⁰Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.

Read more:John, Chapter 13

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13

13:8 If I wash thee not - If thou dost not submit to my will, thou hast no part with me - Thou art not my disciple. In a more general sense it may mean, If I do not wash thee in my blood, and purify thee by my Spirit, thou canst have no communion with me, nor any share in the blessings of my kingdom.

13:9 Lord, not my feet only - How fain would man be wiser than God!Yet this was well meant, though ignorant earnestness.

13:10 And so ye, having been already cleansed, need only to wash your feet - That is, to walk holy and undefiled.

NOTES

Peter and the other apostles were naturally embarrassed. No wonder: the King of Israel was washing their feet, doing a slave's work! Many of us would surely dislike it if...

In some Christian churches the custom of washing feet has become a tradition. After all, Jesus says directly that we Christians should do this for one another, and if His words are understood literally, then the custom or even rite of foot washing can appear entirely appropriate - if not for one "but"...

In some Christian churches the custom of washing feet has become a tradition. After all, Jesus says directly that we Christians should do this for one another, and if His words are understood literally, then the custom or even rite of foot washing can appear entirely appropriate - if not for one "but": Jesus Himself insists categorically that this is no rite and no ritual. The ritual washing customary during the Passover seder (and the Last Supper was precisely a Passover seder, a ritual Jewish meal performed during the feast of Passover) had already been completed by that moment. Now they had to recline at the table (in those days people did not sit at table but reclined), and before that everyone needed to have their feet washed, because one usually climbed onto the couch with one's feet.

As a rule, this work was assigned to a household slave, and so when Jesus Himself does it, it causes real shock: such a task is not for the Teacher. Peter protests, but Jesus is unyielding: if you refuse, you will not sit at the Passover table with Me. Then Peter tries to turn everything precisely into a rite, into a ritual washing.

If Jesus had also washed his hands and head, and those of the other disciples, then this really would have resembled a ritual cleansing washing; but Jesus does not want that. He is not going to turn ordinary foot washing into a ritual. On the contrary, He wants to show His disciples that the Kingdom is not a ritual, but ordinary life, the life people live, and live simply, not for the sake of observing some endless mysterious rites. Only in this life there are no tasks that are, on the one hand, "high" and "spiritual," and on the other, "low": any work is filled with spiritual meaning if it is done according to God's will and with love.

And a person's position in the Kingdom, his so-called status as an inhabitant of this Kingdom (to the extent that it is appropriate to speak of any status here at all), is not affected by any ministries or tasks: what matters here is the person's inner state, the spiritual quality of his life, not what he is occupied with. This is the simple truth Jesus wants to bring to His disciples by His own example. And if, instead of understanding and accepting this truth, we again and again turn it into a ritual, then the problem is in us, not in the truth.

In the Gospel account of Jesus washing His disciples' feet, we are often inclined to see something significant and mysterious, at times almost mystical. Sometimes in...

In the Gospel account of Jesus washing His disciples' feet, we are often inclined to see something significant and mysterious, at times almost mystical. Sometimes in some Christian communities people even try to revive this "sacred ritual," expecting from it either some special grace or abundant spiritual fruits.

Jesus Himself had nothing of the sort in mind. He clearly had in mind nothing mysterious, no special ritual, no sacred washings. Peter wanted to see the situation this way, but Jesus did not allow him to do so. He did not turn an ordinary, though absolutely necessary, task into a ritual. He simply did the work that was usually assigned to a household slave. And He said at the same time: you call Me Teacher and Lord, and you are right; if so, then act as I do.

Does this mean that only occupations once assigned to slaves are suitable for a Christian? Hardly. But there must be readiness to do any work if it is necessary for specific neighbors in a specific situation. Any work at all, even the kind that one would not do under ordinary circumstances.

What disturbed Peter most of all was precisely that his Teacher was doing something completely inappropriate to His position. He tries to smooth over a situation that appears to him humiliating for his Teacher by turning the ordinary washing of feet, absolutely necessary at that time, into a kind of ritual washing that will not humiliate Jesus: that is why he asks Him to wash not only his feet, but also his hands and head, as was usually done during purification washings.

Jesus Himself sees nothing humiliating for Himself in the situation that has arisen. More than that: He speaks of it as the norm for relationships among Christians. Not so that some could shift onto others the tasks they do not want to do themselves, but so that His disciples would understand what the life of the Kingdom is. A life in which what is so important in this world does not matter: status, prestige, imaginary dignity, which often does not allow us to do what our neighbors expect from us; in a word, everything that has no relation to the love of the Kingdom, by which the true followers of Christ were supposed to live and about which they were supposed to bear witness, the followers Jesus wanted the apostles to be.

FAQ

I do not entirely understand the meaning of the passage in the Gospel of John where Jesus washes the feet of His disciples. As far as I understand, this had some kind of symbolic meaning?

The washing of feet, which is spoken of in the 13th chapter of the Gospel of John, has both an important direct meaning and an equally important symbolic one. According to Jewish tradition, when guests who came to a house (or a religious community gathered in a house) sat down for a meal...

The washing of feet, which is spoken of in the 13th chapter of the Gospel of John, has both an important direct meaning and an equally important symbolic one.

According to Jewish tradition, when guests who came to a house (or a religious community gathered in a house) sat down for a meal, the youngest had to wash the hands of the eldest: the master of the house, the most honored guest, or the head of the community. If there were servants in the house, in certain cases a servant had to wash the feet of the most honored guest.

It is commonly believed that the youngest member of the apostolic community was John the Evangelist; therefore, it was he who was supposed to wash the hands of the head of the community—the Lord Jesus Christ. It was probably from the Apostle John that the Lord took the basin and the towel when He began to wash the disciples' feet. Perhaps this is why the Apostle reports this fact to us.

One way or another, by washing the disciples' feet, the Lord places Himself in the position of a servant, thereby profoundly shocking the disciples. Simon Peter even protested against it…

This action became a realization, as well as a visible and highly memorable repetition, of Christ's words: "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" ( 20:28).

But most importantly—the Lord, according to His own words, in washing the disciples' feet set an example both for the apostles themselves and for all those who would head Christian communities. "Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant" ( 20:28), says Christ.

It is important that the concept of authority in the Church differs strikingly from secular notions. The paradigm of secular authority has forever been the Roman emperor, who is considered the best, the most important, who is unconditionally obeyed, and whose decisions are not debated. Such a bearer of power is rendered homage, his portraits are hung on walls, and he is driven in chariots with "flashing lights", blocking traffic for him in half the city…

In the Church, authority is associated with credibility and respect, but it is not connected with ostentatious pomp, which the early Roman Christians called pompa diaboli. The main thing is that in the Church, authority consists not in the right to make decisions, but in the power of love and service, and in spiritual responsibility and the readiness to bear the sorrows of the people.

Since antiquity, this passage has been associated with priestly, and especially episcopal, ministry. The heads of Christian communities are appointed precisely to serve the brethren according to the example that Christ gives here. In the early centuries, this was essentially the case, and the early Church Fathers repeatedly urged respect for bishops because of their service, rather than disregarding them. Later, the situation changed… It should be noted that until 1917, there was a custom in the Russian Church whereby bishops on Maundy Thursday (specifically, on Wednesday evening) washed the feet of the presbyters of their diocese. In some Western Churches (including the Catholic Church), this custom has been preserved. In our country, after the persecutions, this custom fell out of use, but the washing of feet remains the principal symbol of Church ministry.

In addition to this, the washing of feet is generally considered one of the symbols of the purification of the heart, which is accomplished both in Baptism and in confession, and this symbol is also connected with priestly ministry.

Washing of feet - why did our Lord Jesus wash the feet of His disciples, and must we wash the feet of brothers and sisters in the church? Is this a commandment or simply a ritual performed in some churches?

The washing of feet is, of course, a commandment for all of Christ's disciples. However, we are not required to reproduce this literally...

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