Part 1, The Last Supper: Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet

John 13:1-20 (CSB)

As we are only two weeks away from Easter, I want us to look at some of the events that took place right before Jesus died on the cross. Today, we will be focusing on the time when Jesus washed the disciples’ feet during the Last Supper. But before we do, I want to give everyone a little background on this important evening.  

All four gospel accounts mention the Passover meal that Jesus has with His disciples, but John’s gospel is the only one that talks about Jesus washing their feet. Since all four mention this evening, but focus on different aspects of it, it’s a little difficult to figure out the correct order for all the events that happened that night and there is some disagreement among scholars. Without getting into all the details, let’s look at what is clear.

The first thing that happens is Jesus and the disciples arrive at a house in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover meal. Mark 14:12-16 explains how that was arranged. It says: “On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrifice the Passover lamb, his disciples asked him, ‘Where do you want us to go and prepare the Passover so that you may eat it?’

So he sent two of his disciples and told them, ‘Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. Wherever he enters, tell the owner of the house, “The Teacher says, ‘Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’” He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there.’ So the disciples went out, entered the city, and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.”

Before we move on to what happened next during this meal, though, I want to be sure that everyone has a proper visual in their minds about what this dinner looked like. Because of Leonardo Da Vinci, we might picture the meal the way he painted it: the disciples and Jesus all siting on one side of a long rectangular table, with Jesus in the middle. That is wildly inaccurate. More likely, they were reclining on cushions around the outside of a low, u-shaped table, on their left sides so they could eat with their right hand. This Greek/Roman style banquet room was called a triclinium. Their feet would have been sticking out, away from the table, so a servant could wash them. The u-shape enabled servants to pour wine and bring food to the table. That is why, later, in order to ask Jesus a question, John leans back to speak to Him. It would have been difficult to talk to the person “behind” you otherwise.

Now, with this more accurate visual in our minds, the text tells us that after they reclined at the table, Jesus got up and washed the disciples’ feet. They obviously did not have any servants who were there with them in this room. Let’s read the John 13:1-20 account of this event. It says:

1 Before the Passover Festival, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

2 Now when it was time for supper, the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son, to betray him. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into his hands, that he had come from God, and that he was going back to God. 4 So he got up from supper, laid aside his outer clothing, took a towel, and tied it around himself. 5 Next, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel tied around him.

6 He came to Simon Peter, who asked him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

7 Jesus answered him, “What I’m doing you don’t realize now, but afterward you will understand.”

8 “You will never wash my feet,” Peter said.

Jesus replied, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.”

9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.”

10 “One who has bathed,” Jesus told him, “doesn’t need to wash anything except his feet, but he is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For he knew who would betray him. This is why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

12 When Jesus had washed their feet and put on his outer clothing, he reclined again and said to them, “Do you know what I have done for you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are speaking rightly, since that is what I am. 14 So if I, 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 also should do just as I have done for you.

16 “Truly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

18 “I’m not speaking about all of you; I know those I have chosen. But the Scripture must be fulfilled: The one who eats my bread has raised his heel against me. 19 I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am he. 20 Truly I tell you, whoever receives anyone I send receives me, and the one who receives me receives him who sent me.”

After the foot washing, Jesus announces that one of them will betray Him. All four gospels give account of this. Peter prompts John to ask Jesus who it is, and Jesus identifies Judas as the betrayer, and Judas leaves the meal early, but the disciples don’t realize why he is leaving. Then, and this timing is a little unclear, but it seems like after the betrayal is announced, then Jesus presents the model for Communion. Mark 14:22-24 says, “As they were eating, he took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to them, and said, ‘Take it; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.’” Then, after Jesus talks with disciples for quite a long while, they leave and go to the Garden of Gethsemane.

While there are many lessons to be learned from this important evening, I want to focus on Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. Recently, there has been a lot of attention given to this event. As just two examples: a company spent a great deal of money to make a commercial during the Super Bowl that featured photographs of individuals who would typically be seen as having opposing views, yet one is shown washing the other person’s feet. The other example is: a woman on Instagram has gained attention by creating a series of drawings that depict Jesus washing the feet of people who are often considered ‘controversial’ by society. These images have been politicized and used for shock. The washing of feet has become a common illustration used by people who advocate for what is called “social justice.” There should be no doubt that Jesus modeled for His disciples and for all believers that we are all called to be servants. We should serve one another in humility and love, not thinking ourselves too great to serve one another. That concept is neither controversial nor up for debate. What is problematic is when that is used to push a political agenda.

At its foundation, when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, He performed an act of humility that was far from normal for a teacher or leader. It’s understood that feet, particularly in a dusty environment like ancient Israel, were considered one of the dirtiest parts of the body. Jesus took on the role of a servant, showing the depth of His love and the nature of His mission. He took off His outer garment, and like a servant, wrapped a towel around His waist, humbling Himself by washing His disciples’ dirty feet. This act of humility modeled for all His followers, including us, the kind of attitude and behavior we should exhibit whenever we are in leadership roles. We are to be doing what Ephesians 5:20 says: in all situations, we are to be, “submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.” Which means we are to humble ourselves and serve one another.

While all that is important, and it is true that Jesus washed His disciples’ feet to show that we are to serve one another, we should not think that is the only thing Jesus is saying to us in His foot washing illustration. It goes way beyond a simple lesson in servanthood. In verse 8, Jesus’ answer to Peter is why I think there is even more to this event than Jesus initially explains. The text says, “You will never wash my feet,” Peter said. Jesus replied, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.”

If this foot washing was only to show the disciples that, “if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet” then why couldn’t Jesus have skipped washing Peter’s feet? Why did Jesus insist and say, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.” I think that’s because this foot washing symbolizes much more than simply showing the disciples that they are to serve one another in humility. He performed this act moments before He is led to the cross. I think it is symbolic of two other things.

The first thing I think it symbolizes is the Old Testament sacrificial washings: it represents the need for us to be cleansed if we are to be in the presence of God.

In the Old Testament, there were various rituals of purification, often involving washing, that were essential for maintaining holiness and purity, before approaching God or taking part in sacred activities. In the book of Exodus, we see that priests were commanded to wash their hands and feet before entering the Tabernacle. Exodus 30: 17-21 says, “The Lord spoke to Moses: ‘Make a bronze basin for washing and a bronze stand for it. Set it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and feet from the basin. Whenever they enter the tent of meeting or approach the altar to minister by burning a food offering to the Lord, they must wash with water so that they will not die. They must wash their hands and feet so that they will not die; this is to be a permanent statute for them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations.’”

They needed to be cleansed before they could be in God’s presence. The washing was symbolic of the spiritual cleansing that all people must have in order to stand in the holy presence of God. Jesus told Peter, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.” I think He, by washing Peter’s feet, was symbolizing that need to be cleansed. We all need to be cleansed from our sins. Today, we no longer have to go through a priest and offer an animal sacrifice: we are cleansed and forgiven of our sin when we repent. Like Peter, we must have Jesus wash us clean.  

Second, not only does the foot washing symbolize that ritual washing, but this act, being performed so close before His death on the cross, points us to the deeper cleansing that Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the cross provided for all people. Just as the Old Testament washings purified priests for service and worship, Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet is foreshadowing the greater spiritual cleansing that would come through His death on the cross. Through His sacrifice, He would cleanse them (and all believers) from sin and make them holy before God.

Before Jesus died on the cross, after the priests were cleansed, they offered animal sacrifices as a way to atone for sin. The effectiveness of the atonement was temporary, though. It had to be performed on a regular basis. Jesus’ death, however, would be the final, once-and-for-all sacrifice that purifies all believers permanently. That is why when John the Baptist first sees Jesus, he cries out, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

Jesus’ death is the perfect improvement- the fulfillment- of the Old Testament sacrificial system, which required a blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. As Hebrews 8:6-7 explains, “But Jesus has now obtained a superior ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a second one.” But it was faulty, because it was neither permanent nor complete.

Hebrews 9:24-28 explains how Jesus’ sacrifice was so much better. It says, “For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands (only a model of the true one) but into heaven itself, so that he might now appear in the presence of God for us. He did not do this to offer himself many times, as the high priest enters the sanctuary yearly with the blood of another. Otherwise, he would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment— so also Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

Jesus, the Lamb of God, did indeed take away the sins of the world. The blood of lambs in the old systems temporarily cleansed peoples’ sins, but Jesus’ blood sacrifice permanently cleanses all who believe in Him. He only needed to die once. That is why His sacrifice was so much better.

So, to summarize, in the Old Testament, we see that ritual washings were part of the requirement for entering into God’s presence. When Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, He was illustrating this ritual washing, and more importantly, foreshadowing what He was about to accomplish through His death on the cross. He would die on the cross, thereby providing the ultimate purification. This act of humbly washing the feet points us to the greater act of humility He endured in His death. His death provides, for each of us who believes, cleansing from our sins, allowing us to have a relationship with God. In the same way that Jesus told Peter he must be washed, we too must be cleansed by Jesus or else we cannot have a relationship with God.

Jesus wasn’t just washing the disciples’ feet to show us how we are to love and serve one another. He was pointing us toward the ultimate act of service and love. As verse 15 tells us, Jesus explained, “For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you.” This act foreshadows His ultimate act of sacrificial service and love on the cross, where He would cleanse humanity from sin through His death.

As we continue to read through the gospel of John, and read John’s account of this evening, we see that as they lounged around that table, Jesus continued to speak to the disciples about all this. John records a lot of important excerpts of what Jesus told them. I say excerpts, for I think He probably said even more that wasn’t written down. I want to highlight just one of the things Jesus said to them before they left for the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus said to them, as recorded in John 15:13, “No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.”

Jesus was telling them ahead of time what He was about to do, but of course, they couldn’t understand yet. We only do because we know what happened. To the disciples, it didn’t really make sense. We see how little they understood once they go to the garden. Jesus asks them to stay awake and pray and, not understanding the urgency of what was about to happen, they keep falling asleep.

Do we understand this importance of being washed clean? Are we knowingly or unknowingly resisting the cleansing of the Lord? Are we “awake” to what God would like to do in our lives? Or have we fallen asleep?

Let’s look again at what Jesus said to Peter when Peter asked, for not only his feet to be washed, but also his hands and head. Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed,” Jesus told him, “doesn’t need to wash anything except his feet, but he is completely clean.”

What Jesus’ blood accomplished on the cross is how we are cleansed. Yet, we still need to wash our feet. I like the way Ellicott explains this in his commentary. He says, “The man who has been bathed is clean, but his feet coming in contact with the dust of the road need to be washed. It was so morally. They had been cleansed; their whole moral life had been changed, but they were liable to the corruption of every-day life through which they walked, and needed to be cleansed from the pollution.”

If we have come to faith in Jesus Christ, and believe in Him for our salvation, then that means we have repented of our sins and received the full washing away of our sins. We are proclaimed clean through the work Jesus did on the cross. But, we still live here on this earth. We are still prone to sin. So we still need to have our feet washed on a regular basis. It is as 1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When we sin, if we confess our sins and repent, then Jesus forgives us and washes us clean. He washes our feet.

In Matthew Henry’s Commentary, he too writes about this. He says, “Christ washed his disciples’ feet, that he might signify to them the value of spiritual washing, and the cleansing of the soul from the pollutions of sin. Our Lord Jesus does many things of which even his own disciples do not for the present know the meaning, but they shall know afterward […] All those, and those only, who are spiritually washed by Christ, have a part in Christ. All whom Christ owns and saves, he justifies and sanctifies. Peter more than submits; he begs to be washed by Christ. How earnest he is for the purifying grace of the Lord Jesus, and the full effect of it, even upon his hands and head! Those who truly desire to be sanctified desire to be sanctified throughout: to have the whole man, with all its parts and powers, made pure. The true believer is thus washed when he receives Christ for his salvation. See then what ought to be the daily care of those who through grace are in a justified state, and that is, to wash their feet; to cleanse themselves from daily guilt, and to watch against everything defiling. This should make us the more cautious. From yesterday’s pardon, we should be strengthened against this day’s temptation.”

Jesus was clear to Peter that if He washed Peter, Peter would be clean, but he still needed to have his feet cleaned. It is the same for us. Let us not grow complacent or apathetic about our dirty feet. Jesus told the disciples in the garden with Him: “Stay awake and pray, so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). Let us, too, stay awake and pray so we do not give in to temptations.

To end, I want us to read what MacLaren says in his commentary about Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. He says, “Again, let me remind you that there is no cleansing without Christ. Can you do it for yourselves, do you think? There is an old proverb, ‘One hand washes the other.’ That is true about stains on the flesh. It is not true about stains on our spirits. Nobody can do it for us but Jesus Christ alone. He kneels before us, having the right and the power to wash us because He has died for us […] There is no power in heaven or earth that will make a man clean except the power of Jesus Christ. It is either Jesus Christ or filthiness […] if Jesus Christ is not cleansing us He is nothing to us. ‘If I wash thee not, thou hast no part in Me.’”

If Jesus has washed us, then we are clean. We can now stand before God, covered in the cleansing blood of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice. When we fail to follow Him perfectly, let us go to Him, confess our sins, and have Him wash our feet. We don’t need to be afraid to do this, for He loves us and cares for us. As Hebrews 10:21-23 promises us, “since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful.”

Pray: Thank You heavenly Father for loving the world so much that You sent us Jesus to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Thank You for providing a way to cleanse us from our sins. We confess that we still need our “feet” washed. Help us by Your Holy Spirit, to walk carefully, being mindful of where we step. Purify us by Your grace, Lord, so we can be sanctified and made holy. We love You and worship You. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.