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Why Feet?: Some Lessons We Learn Through Washing Feet

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Why Feet?

Some Lessons We Learn Through Washing Feet

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Why Feet?: Some Lessons We Learn Through Washing Feet

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There are many lessons we can learn by following Jesus' instructions to wash one another's feet at Passover. Why did Jesus ask us to follow his example and wash one another's feet? And, what is it about feet, anyway? In this sermon we look at areas where we can learn some of the lessons: 1. Washing of feet 2. Christ must wash us, but we are asked to help 3. Why feet?

Sermon Notes

Introduction It is hard to believe that in less than two weeks from now, we will be celebrating the Passover! It is a unique ceremony. One that only baptized members participate in; and then only once a year. As with other things we do, we do our best to follow instructions that are given to us in the bible. And, in the case of the Passover, it is instructions that we find in the New Testament; instructions provided by Jesus to his disciples. Most of you are pretty familiar with the Passover service. I guess you could say that there are six parts to the service: 1. Opening Comments 2. Footwashing 3. The Bread 4. The Wine 5. Scripture Reading 6. Conclusion: A Song Of these six parts, all of us are involved in four of them. Three of which, have some deep spiritual symbolism. The bread and wine represent Jesus’ flesh and blood. But, what about the footwashing? Why did Jesus ask us to follow his example and wash one another’s feet? And, what is it about feet, anyway? That is what we are going to take a look at today. There are many lessons we can learn from the footwashing. There are three things I want to look at today. But, if you want to look at this in more detail, I would recommend you look a couple of things on the UCG Web site. Tom Robinson gave a three sermon series on footwashing a year or so ago. And, two years ago, Steve Myers gave a bible study on the subject as part of the Six Steps to Passover series. I am only going to cover a small portion of what was covered in each of those. And, then we will look at something a little different. Washing of Feet The first thing I want to look at, I will just call “Washing of Feet.” Let’s turn to John 13 to get us started. We will begin reading in verse 1 to give us a bit of context and setting. John 13:1-5 NKJV Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. (2) And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him, (3) Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, (4) rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. (5) After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. We’ll stop there for now. What Jesus did here was something… Well, something pretty much unheard of. We see a glimpse of that in Peter’s reaction in the next few verses. To better understand this, we need to look at a bit of background. We recognize that this is a case of great humility. Jesus, the Son of God, washed the feet of his disciples. Often, I have said and have heard others say that he took on the task of the lowliest of servants by performing this act. And, while that may be, I don’t think I fully understood what was being done. So, let’s look at a few examples in the bible that talk about footwashing, to see if we can better understand it. We will begin in Genesis 43. There really aren’t that many examples in the bible where we see feet being washed. So, we will take a quick look at most of them. Here in Genesis 43, we find Joseph’s brothers have returned to Egypt to buy food. They were brought to Joseph’s home and were afraid because the money they had paid for the food the first time had been found in their sacks. When they came to the house, they tried to explain what had happened to the steward of the house, but he told them not to worry about that. God had provided for them. So, we will pick up the story here in verse 24. Genesis 43:24 NKJV So the man brought the men into Joseph's house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed. Here they were, being treated as honored guests, as is seen as you read further into the story. But, they were not provided with servants to wash their feet. They did that themselves. So, was the custom in Egypt different? Well, let’s go to Genesis 24 next. Here we find the story of Abraham’s servant, who was sent to find a bride for Isaac when he meets Rebekah and is invited to stay at her father’s home. Let’s begin reading in verse 29. Genesis 24:29-33 NKJV Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man by the well. (30) So it came to pass, when he saw the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister's wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, "Thus the man spoke to me," that he went to the man. And there he stood by the camels at the well. (31) And he said, "Come in, O blessed of the LORD! Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels." (32) Then the man came to the house. And he unloaded the camels, and provided straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. (33) Food was set before him to eat, but he said, "I will not eat until I have told about my errand." And he said, "Speak on." Again, we see that Abraham’s servant is being treated as an honored guest; the representative of a wealthy relative. They brought water for him to wash his feet. Maybe it was because he was a servant himself… Genesis 19. Another glimpse of 21st Century BC hospitality.  This time we see how Lot treated the angels who came to Sodom. Genesis 19:1-2 NKJV Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. So, it seems to be that Lot recognized them for what they were. So, how did he treat them? (2) And he said, "Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant's house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way." And they said, "No, but we will spend the night in the open square." Even in the case of angels, Lot was not going to wash their feet or provide a servant to do so. Maybe he didn’t have any… Let’s look at one more example, here in the Old Testament. Genesis 18. It is in this chapter where we read of God’s promise that Sarah would have a son. We are going to read the first five verses, where we see how Abraham treated an honored guest. Genesis 18:1-5 NKJV Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. Somehow Abraham recognized who was there. I wish I knew how, but it doesn’t say. But, that doesn’t really matter. What does is that he did recognize who it was. And, what we want to look at, today, is how did Abraham treat him? (2) So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, (3) and said, "My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. (4) Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. (5) And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant." They said, "Do as you have said." It doesn’t say that Abraham washed his feet. It doesn’t even say that Abraham had a servant wash his feet. Abraham had water brought so that the Lord could wash His own feet! Maybe things changed between then and in the New Testament where we are going next. Luke 7. This is a story that will be familiar to most of you. Jesus is asked to have dinner at a Pharisee’s home. While he was sitting at the table, a woman came up behind him and began to wash his feet with her tears and wipe them with her hair. Simon, the Pharisee who invited him, in his thoughts was critical of both the woman and Jesus. She was a sinner. Let’s pick up the story in verse 44. Luke 7:44 NKJV Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. Nowhere does Jesus condemn him for not washing his feet or providing a servant to do so. He just states “you gave Me no water for My feet.” Steve Myers, in his bible study, and Tom Robinson, in his series of sermons, point out that, according to the Holman Bible Dictionary, that the custom was to provide water for a guest to wash their own feet. It goes on to say that it was so lowly a task that a Hebrew slave could not be required to do it. Therefore, it was, you might say, lower than a slave’s job. Please turn to Matthew 20. Midway through this chapter we find Jesus and his disciples heading up to Jerusalem for the last time. Jesus pulls them aside and tells them what was going to happen to him. Just after that, the mother of James and John, asks Jesus to have her sons sit at his side in His Kingdom. The rest of the disciples, when they hear this, are not to happy. What I want you to notice, however, is what Jesus says to them all. Matthew 20:25-28 NKJV But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. (26) Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. (27) And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— (28) just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." We are to imitate Christ. We are to walk in His footsteps. Let’s go back to John 13 and read the first five verses again. John 13:1-5 NKJV Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. (2) And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him, (3) Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, (4) rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. (5) After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. God, in the flesh, who had divested himself of the glory he had before with God; he laid aside his garments; to become the servant of all; to give his life for the world. He showed this, by doing something that was beneath even a slave; he washed their feet. When we participate in this ceremony, and wash each other’s feet, we are acknowledge that our lives are no longer our own and that we are willing to do whatever it takes, including giving up our own lives, in order to serve others. We are going to continue reading here in a minute. But, before we do, I want to encourage you to read the story of Abigail and how she became the wife of David. It is found in 1 Samuel 25. It is in this chapter and story where we find the only reference in the bible of a “servant to wash the feet…” In the story, Abigail is willing to give her life for the lives of her husband and his servants. She became their savior. And, though she was a wealthy woman, listen to her response when David sends his servants to ask her to be his wife: 1 Samuel 25:41 NKJV Then she arose, bowed her face to the earth, and said, "Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord." There is a lot more we could talk about in regard to the washing of feet, but we need to move on. Christ Must Wash us, but We are Asked to Help The second thing I want to look at has two parts to it. The first part is found here in John 13/6-8. If you are taking notes, you might want to just put a placeholder here for the title of this point. In the previous five verses that we just read, we see Jesus got up from supper and began to wash the disciple’s feet. John 13:6-8 NKJV Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, "Lord, are You washing my feet?" I think, after what we have looked at so far, you can understand Peter’s reaction. How can I let my Lord and Master do something that I can’t even ask a slave to do? (7) Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this." (8) Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." It is only through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us that we can be cleansed of our sins. I think you understand that. And, for now I will leave it at that. So, if you are taking notes, you can go back to your placeholder and add “Christ Must Wash us.” To fill in the rest of this point, we need to continue reading. John 13:9-15 NKJV Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" (10) Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you." (11) For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean." I think we can understand the concept of washing feet and how it applies spiritually. They walked around in sandals. Their feet got dirty. Impossible not to. And, when they came into someone’s home, water was provided to wash their feet. Once again, they were completely clean. In this case it was Christ, Himself, who washed their feet. Only He can make us completely clean. But, he then goes further… (12) So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? (13) You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. (14) If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. (15) For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. You need to be like me! Psalms 85:13 NKJV Righteousness will go before Him, And shall make His footsteps our pathway. What Jesus is saying is that, “Yes, it is only through Me that you can be completely clean. But, I want your help.” That’s the second part to this point. Christ Must Wash Us, but We are Asked to Help. We are not going to spend a lot of time on this. In fact, let’s just look at one scripture. James 5/19-20. After all, we really covered this the last time I spoke. In asking us to wash one another’s feet, it was more than just an example he was giving us. It was a responsibility. It is a responsibility to help each other be clean. Our lives are not our own. We need to be willing to do whatever it takes to help others. James 5:19-20 NKJV Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, (20) let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. Jesus set us the example! Christ must wash us, but we are asked to help. Why Feet? So, that brings us to the third thing that I want to look at today. Why feet? Certainly washing feet provides great symbolism as we have seen already. But, why feet? Couldn’t it have been something else? Wasn’t just Christ’s willingness to die for us, symbolism enough? Did you know that the words “foot” or “feet” are found in over 300 verses in the bible? God uses the foot or feet as a symbol or metaphor quite often. Let’s take a look at some examples. Let’s begin in 1 Corinthians 15. We are going to break into the middle of the thought, but I don’t think we need to look at more of the context to get an understanding of what is being said. 1 Corinthians 15:25-27 NKJV (25) For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. (26) The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. (27) For "HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS UNDER HIS FEET." But when He says "all things are put under Him," it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. There is a lot going on here. But, I think you can clearly see that “feet” here is related to authority. I guess you can also add power and control to it as well. There are a lot of other scriptures we could have used to show this, but I chose this one because it shows different levels of authority including the fact that Psalm 8/6 is quoted where it is clearly talking about man having been given authority over the creation. So, we have man in general, Jesus Christ, and then God the Father. Turn to the book of Acts next. There are two examples I want to look at here. In some ways it is similar to what we just looked at, but there is a difference. We will begin with Acts 7/58. Acts 7:58 NKJV and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. Let’s also look at Acts 22/3. Acts 22:3 NKJV "I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers' law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today. In a similar way, the apostles learned at the feet of Jesus Christ. There are also numerous examples of people falling down or throwing themselves at the feet of a master, king, or conqueror. In all of these cases these people are voluntarily giving control to another. I am at your command, so to speak. I will follow your directions; follow your path. It is our feet that take us where we want to go. Therefore it is very important where we place our feet and who we allow to direct our steps. There is a lot in the bible about this. Again, we are going to look at just a small sample. This time, we will start with Jeremiah 14. Jer_14:10 Thus says the LORD to this people: "Thus they have loved to wander; They have not restrained their feet. Therefore the LORD does not accept them; He will remember their iniquity now, And punish their sins." Here we see where the people of Israel chose not to follow the path that God set before them. We all have a choice, don’t we? God wants us to decide whether we are going to follow him or not. Where will our feet take us? The Psalms has quite a bit to say on the subject. I want you to just listen to a few of the verses found there that talk about our feet: Psa_56:13 For You have delivered my soul from death. Have You not kept my feet from falling, That I may walk before God In the light of the living? If we give ourselves to God, he will direct us. Psa_66:9 Who [talking about God] keeps our soul among the living, And does not allow our feet to be moved. Psa_119:59 I thought about my ways, And turned my feet to Your testimonies. Our Choice! Psa_119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. Please turn to Psalm 26. I think it is a good summary of what we have been talking about here. And, as you do, I am going to read two verses from Proverbs: Proverbs 4:26-27 NKJV Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. (27) Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil. And, now Psalm 26: Psalms 26:1-12 NKJV A Psalm of David. Vindicate me, O LORD, For I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the LORD; I shall not slip. (2) Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart. (3) For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, And I have walked in Your truth. (4) I have not sat with idolatrous mortals, Nor will I go in with hypocrites. (5) I have hated the assembly of evildoers, And will not sit with the wicked. (6) I will wash my hands in innocence; So I will go about Your altar, O LORD, (7) That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, And tell of all Your wondrous works. (8) LORD, I have loved the habitation of Your house, And the place where Your glory dwells. (9) Do not gather my soul with sinners, Nor my life with bloodthirsty men, (10) In whose hands is a sinister scheme, And whose right hand is full of bribes. (11) But as for me, I will walk in my integrity; Redeem me and be merciful to me. (12) My foot stands in an even place; In the congregations I will bless the LORD. This Psalm is all about how we choose to live our lives. Will we allow God to direct our feet? Will we follow the path that he places before us? There are few very interesting passages that deal with feet. One of them is found in Exodus 3. It is in this chapter that Moses sees the burning bush and goes over to take a look at it. Notice what it says in verses 4-5: Exodus 3:4-5 NKJV So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." (5) Then He said, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground." There is a similar situation that takes place in Joshua 5. Joshua comes before the Commander of the Lord’s army, who tells him to take his sandal from his foot, because “the place where you stand is holy.” Why were the supposed to remove their sandals? I am going to speculate a bit. Could it be that when we come into the presence of God, there should be nothing between us and God? Consider that Adam and Eve were in the garden, naked. Nothing was between them and God. Nothing in the garden could harm them. Until they sinned and were ashamed and then they put something on themselves to separate them or hide themselves from God. It is God, through Christ, who cleanses us; makes us completely clean. He wants nothing to come between Him and us. It is we who put up barriers. When we are there, in God’s presence, with nothing between Him and us, there is nowhere else to go; no other path; we stand on firm ground; our feet cannot slip. Let’s look at one more interesting example that deals with feet. It’s found in Deuteronomy 25 and for sake of time, I am not going to read all of this. But, it deals with a case where a brother dies, who is married and has no son; that the wife, then, is to be married to his brother, who would then raise up a child for his brother. But, if that man says, “No, not going to do it!” there were some instructions on what was to happen. That is found, let’s see… let’s start in verse 8. Deuteronomy 25:8-10 NKJV (8) Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him. But if he stands firm and says, 'I do not want to take her,' (9) then his brother's wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, remove his sandal from his foot, spit in his face, and answer and say, 'So shall it be done to the man who will not build up his brother's house.' (10) And his name shall be called in Israel, 'The house of him who had his sandal removed.' It seems like a strange thing, doesn’t it? But, again, it is dealing with the feet, in some way. Now, contrast this with the story found in Ruth 3 about what she was told to do and then how Boaz responded. If you remember in Ruth 3, verses 1-5, Naomi tells Ruth that she wants to take care of her; she tells her what to do; she should go, she should wash herself and anoint herself.. Let’s see, verse 3: Ruth 3:3-5 NKJV Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. (4) Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do." (5) And she said to her, "All that you say to me I will do." And, then down in verse 10. Ruth 3:10-11 NKJV Then he said, [This is Boaz responding to her, when he finds her at his feet. He said:] "Blessed are you of the LORD, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich. (11) And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman. See, a man, the father, is to be the leader of the house. But, where that man is not willing to fulfill his responsibility, according to God’s instructions, then that role, as a leader of a household, is forfeited. So the woman, then, his brother’s wife, as represented by removing his sandal, takes on role of authority for her own life. He has forfeit his responsibility. He is not willing to follow God’s laws. Where she chose to do so. So, the protection of his foot, being his sandal, is removed, because he is no longer following God’s instructions. Yet, in the example of Ruth and Boaz, both choose to follow God. Boaz accepted the responsibility that God had given him. Ruth uncovers his feet showing her willingness to allow him to guide her as God guides him. I am sure there is a lot we can talk about in this regard, but we don’t have a lot of time to do that. Maybe we can discuss it further at some other point. But, I think it is an interesting look at all of this and how God uses the foot. Again, as a metaphor for what we should be doing. There is one last scripture I want to look at in this regard and that is Genesis 49/33. Genesis 49/33 talks about the end of Jacob’s life. And, in verse 33 it says: Genesis 49:33 NKJV And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people. Again, it’s just kind of a strange thing to say, isn’t it? “He drew up his feet and breathed his last.” His feet were no longer going to take him anywhere, where they? This was the end of his life. Why feet? Because our feet take us where we want to go. The path that we follow; it is our choice, what path that is. Conclusion As we conclude I would like you to turn to Romans 10/15. Here in Romans we find another interesting note about feet. We also find the same thing in the Psalms. This is a quote there, but I wanted to read it here in Romans. Romans 10:15 NKJV And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE, WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!" Why are the feet of those who preach the gospel beautiful? It is because they have made the choice to follow God; to let him direct their path; where they place their feet. It is they who have made the choice to allow Jesus Christ to cleanse them completely. It is they who have made the choice to follow in Jesus Christ’s footsteps; to follow his example of giving up their own lives and to accept the responsibility to do whatever it takes to help others to be clean. There is so much we can learn and understand by following Christ’s instructions and example as we wash each other’s feet at Passover.