The Meaning of the Footwashing Ceremony

The title today, The Meaning of the Foot-Washing Ceremony. In about three days and five hours from now, we'll be sitting down, kneeling down to wash each other's feet. And are you prepared to wash each other's feet from the heart? And do you know what the foot-washing ceremony symbolizes? Do you know what you're saying when you wash one another's feet? Are you ready?

Now is the time to prepare. Today, we will discuss some of the things that will help us to be ready for foot-washing. Christ wants us to be happy year-round and have a foot-washing attitude year-round. Just as the bread and wine have very deep symbolic meaning, so does the foot-washing ceremony. So let's turn now to the account. John is the one who gives us the instructions, the account of the foot-washing ceremony, in the Gospel of John in chapter 13. In John 13, of course, we will be reading this on Tuesday evening as well, but let's look at it now.

Now, before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come, that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. And supper being ended, they had partaken, apparently, of the traditional Passover service, but Jesus was about to institute the symbols of the New Covenant Passover. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas's carat, Simon's son, to betray him. Of course, Judas was able, or able, it might be not the right word, but Judas opened himself up to Satan, and because of Judas's jealousy and other weaknesses in his character, Satan was able to gain hold of him.

And so Judas had secretly agreed, of course, to betray the Son of God, the Lamb of God, which he heard about in the special music. Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things in his hands, and that he was come from God and going to God. He rose from supper, laid aside his garments, took a towel, girded himself afterward, he poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with a towel wherewith he was girded.

Of course, this was the duty of the servants of the household. It was the duty of, in those days, they had slaves, and oftentimes slaves were the household servants. It was one of the most humbling jobs in all of that culture in that day and age, that here is Jesus doing this to the disciples' feet. And it's no wonder if you see there in verse 6, then he came to Peter, and Peter said, Lord, do you wash my feet? I mean, what's going on here? And Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do you know not now, but you shall know hereafter. And Peter said unto him, You shall never wash my feet.

And Jesus answered him, If I wash you not, you have no part with me. Why would Jesus say, If I wash you not, you have no part with me? It is because of the deep symbolic meaning of the foot-washing ceremony. That is, it symbolizes Jesus Christ laying down his life for us so that we can be reconciled to God the Father and receive the Holy Spirit upon repentance, faith, baptism, and the laying on of hands. So Peter, after hearing this, you have no part with me, acquiesced, and said, Wash me all over then.

Of course, that wasn't the point. The point, the deep symbolic meaning of the foot-washing ceremony is that you're saying when you watch one another's feet that you are willing to lay down your life for the brethren. So we look now at John 15 and verse 8. We're going to come back here to 13 in just a moment. In John 15 and verse 8, John 15 and verse 8, Herein is my Father glorified that you bear much fruit, so shall you be mine disciples. As the Father loved me, so have I loved you. Continue in my love, if you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love.

These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. And so here's what it symbolizes once again, the foot washing ceremony, because it says, greater love had no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

So Jesus was about to lay down his life for his friends. He knew that Judas's carrot was going to betray him, and he knew that what was before him was going to be a good thing. So we continue here.

Jesus said in verse 10, we don't need to wash everything. Verse 11, for he knew who should betray him. Therefore said he, you're not all clean. So after he had washed their feet and had taken his garments and was sat down again, he said unto them, do you know what I've done to you? Do you realize what this is about? What I'm saying to you through this act?

You call me Lord, and you call me Master and Lord, and say, well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, so also ought you to wash one another's feet. In other words, the symbolism of it is very humbling kind of act, but the ultimate symbolism of it is that you're willing to lay down your life for one another. For I've given you an example that you should do as I have done to you, verily I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord. Neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. So if Jesus is willing to lay down his life for us, we also should be willing to lay down our lives one for another. If you know these things, happy are you if you do them. However, we have the implication there of doing them.

Foot washing, once again, symbolizes laying down your life for the brethren. See, people today all over the world are in search of happiness, but we are in a period of gloom and doom, as it were, on the world scene. Something has happened on the world scene that no one dreamed about. It's not given necessarily in prophecy to say, oh, there will come a great virus upon the face of the earth, and all the nations will be afflicted by it. But we know that God has allowed it, and there is a great trial upon the face of the earth. But we can still have peace, contentment, and happiness inside us. Remember, it says, and I read from John 15, that it says, I want your joy to be in, I want my joy to be in you, that your joy might be filled before. So people are in search of happiness today, but they refuse to do the things that develop a foot-washing attitude, so they are going to remain in search of happiness. And it begins with repentance from breaking God's immutable spiritual law. Immutable means it is eternal. It is given by God. The law of God is perfect, converting the soul. That's what it says in Psalm 19 and verse 7. Paul writes in Romans chapter 7, verse 14, that the law is good and holy and right, paraphrasing. So repentance from breaking God's immutable spiritual law, believing active faith, baptism laying out of hands. So brethren, we have to examine ourselves and repent.

In 2 Corinthians 13 and verse 5, in 2 Corinthians 13 and verse 5, we have this familiar scripture that we have read over and over, examine yourselves whether you be in the faith, except you be, reprobate. God says that if we confess our sins and repent, He will forgive us. Let's note that now in 1 John chapter 1, 1 John chapter 1, John the apostle of love, and John perhaps the right, some of the most astounding scriptures defining what true love really is, for this is the love of God that we keep His commandments and His commandments are not grievous.

Here, in 1 John chapter 1, and John is, to a large degree, combating Gnosticism because the Gnostics taught that Jesus Christ didn't really come in the flesh, that He only seemed to be a doctrine called Gnosticism, the O-C-E-T-I-S-M.

So, we start in verse 2, For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, was manifested unto us. That's which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. Time after time, in John's Gospel and also in 1 John, Jesus talks about our joy being full. And in the face of all the trials that we might face, if we really understand, as we shall explain here today what the foot-washing attitude really is about laying down your life and crucifying self, we can have that joy unspeakable and full of glory all the time. This is the message then which we have heard from Him and declare unto you that God is light. And we heard the fine message from Dr. Erwiller about light and coming to the light and living in the light and having the courage to do so. And in Him is no darkness at all.

Of course, the Gnostics taught that there were bands of light emanating from God, and finally you came to a place where there was no light and they taught a dualistic nature, that is, that all matter is evil and the spirit world is the only world that is good that you can approach to and the way back to God was through knowledge or gnosis.

If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth.

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. Of course, there is the initial repentance and where we repent and exercise faith in the sacrifice of Christ and are baptized and receive the Holy Spirit. But even after we are baptized, we sin. We do go astray. And but we have here the solution to that. And once again, it is through repentance and faith in the sacrifice of Christ. So look at this, verse 8. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins and, of course, with the confession, there has to be the repentance as well. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His Word is not in us.

God says that we have to confess our sins and we have to repent and we need to walk in the light. In order for God to forgive us, there is another condition with regard to forgiveness. And one of the things that Passover is about is being reconciled one to another as we shall dig deeper into in the sermon today. But we go to the model of prayer now back in Matthew chapter 6, where we see very clearly that God says if we won't forgive our brothers, He won't forgive us.

In Matthew 6 and verse 9, after this manner therefore, pray you, our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be your name. And it goes through the model of prayer. Then you read in verse 14, for if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Yes, He's faithful and just to forgive us of all sin, but there are conditions to it. And then we can do it in the generic sense of saying you have to repent. And part of it is having your sins forgiven is to forgive one another. Perhaps the most mature, I guess spiritually mature, utterance that was ever made was when Jesus Christ was on the stake and about to die, that He cried out, Father in heaven, forgive them, for they know not what they do. So Jesus Christ prayed that even those who had tortured Him, crucified Him, would be forgiven.

In order to be forgiven, we must forgive. And God looks at motive. What is your motive for what you do? In 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 22, we have here Peter giving us the instructions with regard to to motive. Why you do what you do, remember we said washing feet from the heart. You really mean what you're doing. You really understand the symbolism. You're really willing to do it. So in 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 22, seeing you have purified your souls and obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned. That word unfeigned. There's no pretense. There's no hypocrisy. It is unfeigned. You're not hoping to gain anything from it. Unfain love of the brethren. See that you love one another with a pure heart fervently. The word fervently really actually means to be hot, zealous, being born again, not of corruptible seed. And actually that translation born there, born of or begotten of not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God which lives and abides forever.

So it is not for gain. It is unfeigned love for the brethren.

The apostle Paul writes a book that is mainly devoted to humility. Let's turn there to Philippians chapter 1. The book of Philippians is a book about humility. It is a prison of Pistle. The apostle Paul was in prison when he pinned this letter to the Philippians. And the Philippians were beginning to exhibit behavior that was not becoming Christians, at least some of them.

So he writes to them. And so we are going to note here some of the key points in the book of Philippians. So I say up front once again, the book of Philippians is about humility. Some were becoming ashamed of Paul and the church because of Paul's imprisonment. They were saying things like, if Paul were really an apostle, he wouldn't be in this position.

And, as we'll note, that after Paul was put in prison, some were breaking away from his authority and beginning to go out on their own and even preaching contentious things. So Paul writes this letter to the Philippians to let them know that they were failing to put on the mind of Christ as members of the body of Christ. If you had to pinpoint a theme for Philippians, I say it would be you must put on the mind of Christ, which is described in Philippians chapter 2. We'll read in just a moment. In the salutation here, Paul writes so eloquently about his love for them.

We'll begin in verse 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making requests with joy for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now being confident of this very thing that he which has begun a good work in you will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ. So God and Jesus Christ have a work to perform in each one of us, and we have to yield ourselves as servants and be willing to surrender in order for God and Christ to do that work in us even as it is fitting for me to think this of you because I have you in my heart.

Paul was of all the things he was so sincere. Sincerity will go a long ways.

I have you in my heart in as much as both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. You are all partakers of my grace. What does he mean by that? See, by the grace of God, Paul had been given this apostleship and this commission to take the gospel to the Gentile world. And through that grace of him preaching then the grace of God through which the plan of salvation is made possible, they were partakers of his grace. For God is my record how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ just in the very inner core of his being. And this I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all judgment. That you may approve things that are excellent. That you may be sincere. There it is again. And without offense, to the day of Christ. Time after time, Paul talks about the day of Christ and the coming of Christ and the resurrection.

In fact, when he was brought before the Sanhedrin there in the book of Acts, toward the end of the book of Acts, it was because of preaching of the resurrection. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ and the glory and praise of God. But I would have you, but I would. You should understand, brethren, that the things which happen unto me have fallen out rather under the furtherance of the gospel. So often things that look like, well, this is hopeless. There's no way that this can come out for the good.

And oftentimes, through God's help, it does come out for the good. So Paul says, hey, I'm in prison here. You think that's awful. But what is happening here is it's opened a door that the gospel may be extended beyond just the Jewish synagogues or wherever I might be going so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places. And many of the brethren in the Lord waxen confident by my bonds are much more bold to speak the word without fear. So Paul was also very bold, not afraid. Of course, you can read about in Acts 17 where he confronted the philosophers there on Mars Hill saying, I perceive that you're too superstitious in all things. And he began to teach and preach the very gospel of Jesus Christ. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife and some also of goodwill. The one preached Christ of contention, not sincerely. Supposing to add affliction to my bonds. Well, how are you going to add affliction to Paul's bonds?

But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel. What then, notwithstanding every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached. The gospel is extended and I therefore do rejoice yea and will rejoice. For I know that this shall turn to my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ. See, one of the things that we really need to emphasize in our lives now is prayer, going with a continual prayer in our hearts because of the times in which we are living, redeeming the times because the days are evil.

Through your prayer and the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death.

For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Now this famous verse 22, which we'll spend a little bit of time on with regard to this because oftentimes at Protestant funerals and other funerals where people believe that you have an immortal soul, that as soon as you die you go to heaven or hell, most everybody goes to heaven because people get better when they die or retire.

But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor, yet what I shall choose I don't know. For I am in a straight between two things, the desire to part and be with Christ. Oh, there it is, to part and be with Christ. As soon as he dies, he'll be in heaven, he'll be with Christ. Is that what he's saying? Which is far better nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

Well, in other writings of Paul, we come to understand very clearly that Paul did not believe that you have an immortal soul and that as soon as you die you would depart and be with Christ. So let's view that for just a moment. In 2 Thessalonians 2 and verse 1, we'll note a few places where Paul knew that the resurrection and the coming of Christ was a time off and that you did not go directly to a state of immortality upon death. Of course, they talk about man is dual. He has an immortal soul abiding in an evil body, sort of like the Gnostics. As I've said so many times, why? It just doesn't make sense that God the Father would be so cruel as to put an immortal soul in a human being and then turn around and say, I know they're going to sin, but I'll sin my son and he'll die. And if they believe in him, he can say that immortal soul. It just doesn't make sense, does it? That would be the height of hypocrisy in one sense. 2 Thessalonians 2.1. Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together unto him, that you be not soon shaken in mine or be troubled neither by spirit nor by word nor by letter asked from us that the day of Christ is at hand. So Paul knew that several events had to take place before the coming of Jesus Christ and attaining unto immortality. Now look at 1 Thessalonians, back a page or two. 1 Thessalonians 4, which we read so often at funerals. 2 Thessalonians 4, Chapter 4, Verse 14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus, will God bring with him? For this, see those that sleep, now you could just read that and say, well, God will bring with him. Where does he get him from? Well, as we shall see, he gets him from the grave.

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain in the coming of the Lord shall not precede those that are dead. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel, where the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first. So they are caught up, and then those that are alive and remain will be caught up, and then we shall be together. It says in there, and we shall ever be with the Lord, our gathering together with him. Now we go back to Philippians. We're in chapter 1, and we're going to go back to 1 in just a moment. But now we want Philippians chapter 3 and verse 11.

If Paul was meaning that you would immediately go to heaven and be with Christ as soon as you die, notice what he writes here. Let's start with verse 10, Philippians 3.10, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained. I remember when I was back in the Baptist churches before I knew anything about the church of God. I read this verse 12 here because they taught once saved, always saved. And so I went to the pastor, and of course he had no answer. He gave some kind of mumbo-jumbo with regard to this. Not as though I had already attained either or already perfect, but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I'm apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before. I press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling that is in Christ Jesus. Then quickly back to 1 Corinthians 15. So, of course, you'll hear it as I said at funerals. Between two straits, whether to continue living with you or to depart and be with Christ, you will be with Christ, anyone who is faithful unto death will be with Christ at the resurrection. In 1 Corinthians 15, now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither does corruption inherit incorruption. I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep. We shall be changed. In a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet, for the trumpet shall sound. The dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So we're back now to Philippians chapter 1. So this problem verse here should not be a problem for us. Verse 24, nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you for your furtherance and joy of faith, that your rejoicing may be more abundant in Christ Jesus for me by my coming to you again. Only let your conduct be as it becomes the gospel of Christ, that whether I come to see you or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you may stand fast in one spirit with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel. So we see, Paul, in this circumstance and situation, he's filled with hope, with faith, and encouraging the brethren to do the same, to be humble and let God work in you. Now the very theme and essence of this book in chapter 2, verse 1, see, when you come to the foot washing, you're saying once again that I'm going to lay down my life for the brethren. If therefore, if there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort, love, if any fellowship of the spirit, if any bowels of mercies, I mean, you just about covered the gamut, fulfill you my joy, that you may be like-minded, having the same love being of one accord, of one mind, and let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mine, let each esteem other better than themselves, humility to the very heels of your boots, as I say. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus. And so this brings us to the next key, or one of the keys, which ties in with humility, that is to totally give up self, to crucify self.

And the example of Jesus Christ. So the mind of Christ is described in the succeeding verses, who being in the form of God, see, being existing in the form of God, showing he's on the God plane, thought it not robbery a thing to be seized to be equal with God, because he was on that plane of existence, but made himself of no reputation, took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. He crossed out flesh. His flesh was crucified, and we too are to crucify the flesh. Wherefore, God also has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name.

So the admonition here continues in verse 10, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven, things in earth, and things under the earth. Verse 13, For it is God which worshiping you both to will and to do his good pleasure, do all things without murmuring and disputing, that you may be blameless, harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life, that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain. Time after time, Paul points to the day of Christ, that that is the time in which we'll be gathered together, not that you go immediately to heaven when you die. Yes, and I will be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith. I joy and rejoice with all you, for the same cause also do you joy and rejoice with me. I mean, time after time in this situation, Paul points to rejoicing. Now in Philippians chapter 3 and beginning in verse 7 and going through verse 19, I won't read all of this, but the basic thrust of this is, there is peace in surrendering all. There's peace in giving up everything.

This is Philippians 3.7, but the things that were gained to me, those I counted lost for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I count all things, but lost for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and to count them but done, that I may win Christ, and be found in him not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but without which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. And continuing to the end of the chapter. And that you find that there is peace in surrendering all.

And then in chapter 4, chapter 4, verse 1, Therefore, my brethren, dearly beloved, and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast of the Lord, my dearly beloved, I beseech you a dias, and beseech sentiche, that they may be the same in the Lord. And I entreat also the true fellow yoke servants, those women which labored with me, in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other of my fellow laborers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. It's like Paul is obsessed with joy and rejoicing, and he's in prison, and he's writing this letter, and at the same time he's saying, let this mind be in you, which was in Christ, that you're willing, like he was willing, to give up everything for others. Be careful for nothing, be careful for nothing, or ancients, verse 6, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God, the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Then he goes into what to think about those things that are positive. Yes, a humble person can be positive. So what would you say is the key to spiritual survival in a foot-washing attitude? Of course, you could take this epistle and say, well, it is internalizing this epistle, and so it is, but let's look at other places as well. Let's go now to Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8. And we then begin to summarize in more of a pointed way some of the things. In Romans chapter 8, in verse 34, we want to begin, Who is he that condemns? Is it Christ that died, yea, rather, that has risen again? Who is, even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ, shall tribulation or distress, or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? Now here's this key verse, As it is written, for your sake we are killed all the day long, we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

You see, when you come to that state of mind, you can have peace unspeakable and full of glory. You have humbled yourself to understand that you are in the hands of God, and that He will take care of you, that He will fight your battles.

Nay, in all of these things were more than conquerors through Him that loved us. He loved us, He gave Himself for us. So this kind of humility, we must all realize that we are part of one body, and that that body cannot be whole and unified if the foot and hands are at odds. So we go to, once again, to the what I believe are the two greatest unity verses in the Bible in 1 Corinthians 12 and verse 12. 1 Corinthians 12 and verse 12.

For as the body is one, it has many members, and all members of that one body being many, or one body, so also is Christ. See, the rhetorical, great rhetorical question of 1 Corinthians is, is Christ divided? And so from chapter 1 through chapter 16, Paul says, shows that the body of Christ is not divided. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, have been all made to drink into one Spirit. And now we look at verse 25, that there should be no schism in the body, but the members should have the same care of one for another. See, if we are all members of that one body, and he uses the analogy of the human body, anything that happens to one of the members of the body, it's just like if anyone hits their thumb with a hammer, then the whole body suffers as a result. If one member suffers, as it says in verse 26, whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it. Or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ and members in particular. And in Romans 12 verses 5 and 6, it says that we are members one of another. We are members one of another. So anything that we do against the body of Christ, we're actually doing it against ourselves. So do you deeply desire that your brother or any person, even your vowed enemy, repent and be in the kingdom of God. Remember this statement that I said about that when Christ on the stake just before he died? He said, Father forgive them for they know not what they do. From Genesis chapter 1 through the book of Revelation, the Bible reveals that we are our brother's keeper. Now some misapply. Let's turn to 1 Peter 4 verse 8. The understanding of this, I think, is so vitally important because some people say, well, I know somewhat like the case with 1 Corinthians 5 with the incestuous fornicator. They all knew about it, but they did nothing about it. They said, oh, well, that's his business. It doesn't bother me. But Paul says that little leavens the whole lump. And some people have, they quote this verse innocently in a way, but not really understanding.

1 Peter 4.8, And above all things have fervent love among yourselves, for love shall cover the multitude of sins. How does love cover a multitude of sins? To just say, I love you, brother. I love you, sister. That in and of itself, if a person is going astray or doing wrong, that will not in and of itself cover a multitude of sins. See, you have to be willing, in this case, to go to that person and in brotherly love, help him to come to see what he's doing. So we look at James chapter 1. I mean chapter 5. James chapter 5, in verse 16, Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him, that word convert, in the Greek, the word convert is epistrepho, e-p-i-s-t-r-e-p-h-o, and it means to turn about. If anybody turns him about, let him know that he which turns about the center from the air of his way shall save a soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins. See, love hides a multitude of sins, but you have to be to love a person so much that you would be willing to go to that person and to help him or her, whatever the case may be. Younger, old, it doesn't matter. Now go to Leviticus 19 and verse 15. Leviticus 19 and verse 15. Another misconception that some have in the church has to do with judgment, because judgment ties in with what we're talking about, of laying down your life for the brethren. Some people will quote Matthew where it says in verse chapter 7, where it says, judge not that you be not judged. But then, if you read all the way, it means that you really have to get the mode out of your eye. You have to get the mode out of your eye before you get the splinter out of your brother's eye. In Leviticus 19 and verse 15, you shall do no unrighteousness in judgment. You shall not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.

You shall not go up and down as a tail-bearer among the people, neither shall you stand against the blood of your neighbor. I am the Eternal. You shall not hate your brother in your heart.

You shall in any wise rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin for him is the correct translation.

See, you love him so much. How does love cover a multitude of sins? Well, I'm telling you right now how it does. Now in Leviticus 5 and verse 1, Leviticus 5 and verse 1, we're talking about laying down your life for the brother. Oh, it's easy to go and help a brother in need if he needs bread or if he needs clothing or if his house burns, but in the spiritual domain, it is quite difficult. Leviticus 5.1, And if a soul sin, and hears the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he has seen or known of it, if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity. Now we go quickly to 1 John chapter 3, and we see that hatred you see it says, you shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall in any wise rebuke your brother and not bear sin for him. That's Leviticus 19.17. Now we have 1 John chapter 3 and verse 15. 1 John 3 verse 15, Whosoever hates his brother, and what did we read from Leviticus 19.17? You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall in any wise rebuke him. Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer, and we know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. So, my brethren, we must love our brethren enough that we're willing to lay down our lives for us, as symbolized by the foot-washing ceremony. If we're going to follow the example of Christ and humble ourselves, we have to go all out to be reconciled to a brother. And if we don't do this, who has the greater sin? Simply ask, are you laying down your life in foot-washing attitude and thoroughly discerning the body of Christ? So, brethren, we have three days and a few hours to get ourselves ready. The apostle Paul writes, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me in the life which I now live in the flesh. I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. So, brethren, let's internalize the foot-washing attitude and live by it, as they say, 24-7, 365 days of the year. We'll see you, Passover.