The Foot Spa of Jesus

Introduction

So who’s had a foot spa before? Or a foot massage?

Show pictures

1st picture: normal foot spa

2nd picture: fish foot spa

But you know washing other people’s feet is a really unpleasant job? You know how dirty feet are? There are so many diseases that can be transmitted through the feet.

3rd picture: non-tuberculous mycobateria

4th picture: athletes foot

5th picture: tinea unguium

So all these gross diseases are in the feet. But what happens in the chapter today? Jesus washes the disgusting feet of his disciples.

Let’s read the passage.

The Washing of the Feet - What Does It Mean?

Now to understand what the washing of the feet means, we have to understand the culture of the time.

In the sermon a few weeks ago about Mary cleaning Jesus’ feet with her hair, we talked about how washing the feet of another person was something very shameful and something that hardly anyone did. It was something that people thought not even slaves should do, because it was something so dirty. Washing other people’s feet was reserved for the lowest of the low in society, usually Gentile slaves rather than Jewish slaves.

And why was it something something so looked down upon? Well not only was there a social stigma attached to it, but back then, washing another person’s feet was really a disgusting job. You thought the feet and pictures I showed you earlier were disgusting? Feet were even more disgusting back in the time of Jesus! Washing the feet of someone back then, I would say was probably as disgusting as it would be to clean a public toilet today.

And the reason it was so disgusting was because back then, most people wore sandals or walked bare feet. And in many places, they didn’t have proper sewerage systems, so there would be human or animal poo and urine on the ground. Have you stepped on dog-poo before? It’s gross! And the roads were dirty and dusty. And water was a limited resource, so not everyone had the luxury of being able to wash their feet everyday. So feet were really disgusting. And only the lowest of the low had the job of washing other people’s feet back in those days.

But what does Jesus do? Let’s read John 13:4–5 “He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”

Jesus takes on that low, humiliating, shameful, and dirty job. To clean the feet of his disciples.

And understandbly, Peter is upset. Look at what he says: John 13:8 “8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.””

But how does Jesus answer? “Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.””

What the washing of the feet symbolises, is Jesus cleansing us of our sins. It symbolises Jesus saving us. But what’s even more important, is how he does it. He does it by humbling himself, by becoming like a servant for his own disciples. He doesn’t save us by a grand act of power and might; His power to save us, is in his very humiliation and humility. The washing of the feet, points to Jesus’ death on the cross for us. This is a foreshadowing of what’s to come.

But then Jesus says this: read John 13:14–15 “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 also should do just as I have done to you.”

Jesus doesn’t just save us. He gives us further instructions - He’s interested in transforming our lives. He tells us to wash each other’s feet, just as he washed our feet. As a church we are meant to serve one another, in the very same manner as Jesus served us. And how did Jesus serve us?

And he served us in humility. He was ‘LORD and Teacher’, and yet there was nothing he wasn’t willing to give up for us. So it should be the same with us - there is no one here who is below or undeserving of our service. And there is no one here, who is too good to serve -> no matter how precious talents, how good you are, how busy you are, if Jesus the LORD and Master could get down on his knees and wash his disciples feet, there no one here who is too good to serve others. There is no excuse.

But he didn’t just serve us with humility, Jesus served us on his hands and knees. He got down, and he got dirty. I think many people at church, have this detached, distanced, attitude towards serving. They are willing to come to church, and get involved a little bit, but not too much, not at the expense of their own comfort, their own schedule, their other priorities. They don’t want to get down and dirty and deeply involved like Jesus. They want to be part of the church, but not deeply, not so much that they have to give up things, they just want to be on the outside/periphery. But if Jesus got down on his knees and got into the thick of it, then how do any of us have the right to do any less? We are also instructed and called to get down on our knees and serve.

So if you are a Christian, one of the defining features must be service to others, which is humble, which is deeply involved, not from a comfortable distance. I’m not saying everyone has to be involved in a formal service or ministry. But everyone must, in their Christian life, show obedience to our LORD’s command, to wash the feet of others. So what are you doing today, that gets you on your knees and washing the feet of your brothers and sisters?

The Washing of the Feet - The Love of Christ

In hearing this, you may feel burdened, uncomfortable, maybe challenged. I get that everyone is busy in life and have many other priorities. But if this is you, I want you to understand, the great treasure you have as a Christian: which is the love of Christ. Christ loves you. Once you understand this great treasure that you already have, then everything else in your life pales in comparison. And that means whatever you lose or sacrifice because of serving Christ and His church, feels like nothing compared to what you have already gained in Jesus.

How does this passage tell us about Jesus’ love for us?

Read John 13:1 “having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” He loved us to the fullest. It is a great, unmeasurable love that Christ has given us.

Read John 13:8–9 “8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”” Peter recognises how extremely precious Jesus’ service and love is, so he goes overboard, he says don’t just wash my feet but my hands and head as well! Peter recognised the value of what was in front of Him.

And then finally, if we read John 13:23 “23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side.” John who wrote this book, calls himself, the disciple “whom Jesus loved”. Now that can sound a bit arrogant, but John is not saying this to show off, or to say that he is more loved or greater than the other disciples, but he is saying this because he understands and is overwhelmed by how much Christ truly loves Him! Christ loves me! He can’t believe it! What a privilege! It’s like winning the Powerball. So he can’t stop talking about it.

And because Jesus’ disciples knew the great treasure and privilege they had - the love of Christ - they were willing to make any sacrifice in service of Him and his people, even their own lives. Peter is said to have been crucified upside down. John is said to have been thrown into a pot of boiling oil. The sacrifices they had to make to wash the feet of others, was only possible, because they knew the much greater treasure they already possessed, which was the love of Christ.

https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/103S2K - picture of John in oil

Conclusion

So when you know the great love of Christ - which He expressed by washing your feet, washing away your sins and saving you, by dying on the cross - then anything you lose by serving Him, cannot compare to what He has given you. If you have a billion dollars, why would you care about losing 10cents? This is how precious Jesus’ love is for us.

I recently caught up with a friend who I did internship with. And because I left that career a few years ago, she had gotten way ahead. She’s almost finished her specialist training, about to start her PhD, and she’s well on her way to become really really successful. And when I saw that, I felt a bit jealous and sad, because that could have been me. I lost all that, because I have gone down this new path of working for the church. But when I remind myself what I have gained in Christ - eternal life, fellowship with Him and His body which is all of us here, all his love and blessings - the things that I lost for Christ, my career, my finances, seem like nothing in comparison. And everytime I remind myself of what Christ has done for me, it fills me with gratefulness and makes it so much easier, for me wash the feet of others, as He has instructed.

So who’s feet are you washing today? Are you getting down on your knees and getting dirty? Are you serving Christ and His people, even if it means losing something and humbling yourself?

I challenge everyone here, to do one thing this week, where you are serving someone else, whether family or friends, even if it costs you something. Even if it costs you time, or is inconvenient for you, or you have to wake up a little bit earlier in the morning. And in those moments when it seems like it’s too hard, or it doesn’t seem like it’s worth it, remind yourself of Jesus’ love for you and what He has done for you.

Ending song: Christ is enough

Discussion questions:

How precious is Jesus’ love for me in my life? What idols do I consider more precious than Jesus’ love?

What are you doing in your life to wash the feet of people around you?