John 13 -Jesus Washes His Disciple's Feet

[Starise]

In John chapter 13 we have the story of Jesus washing the disciple's feet.

This was considered a lowly thing to do. Jesus took a towel wrapped around His waist for the task. There may be a symbolic correlation of this in Revelation at the beginning where Jesus is seen in glory with a golden towel around His waist. In this setting He appears as He really is. 

In that John 13 setting, we see Peter objecting to Jesus washing his feet and Jesus telling him the if He doesn't wash his feet he has no part with Him. We also read Jesus making a reference to not all of them being clean referring to Judas as the one who would betray Him.

This foot washing signified the spiritual cleansing Jesus was soon to make though the shedding of His blood. Another significant statement made by Jesus was we should all be willing to wash one another's feet.

In some teachings on this text we are told  this means we should LOWER or humble  ourselves to help a brother. I maybe don't see this the right way. I don't think this is the right approach to this text here.

The only one who truly needed to lower Himself was Jesus. Any other person who thinks they need to lower themself to help another would have pride in their soul would they not? Since no one is lower or higher than anyone else in God's eyes.

If I think I am lowering myself to help another, what does that say about me? How we see ourselves in relation to another is only a perception. 

Yet in a recent closing prayer to this text , the prayer was " Dear Lord please help us to humble ourselves to help those around us". Is this really looking at ourselves for what we all are? I don't think so.

How would you feel if someone came to you with the message of Christ and commented they lowered themselves in order to minister to you?

Carrying the gospel does not involve lowering anything. We are all sinners. We come to them because the Lord saved us. All men are just men on the same level.

Do you agree, disagree?

Edited May 10, 2022 by Starise

[Ani Tefillah]

I agree! I think you explained it in a way that made it even clearer to me. 

 

[Who me]

1 hour ago, Starise said:

All men are just men on the same level.

 

Yet that is not how we view one another.

We all make value judgements about each other and none of us like the idea that so and so is better than us.

 

Pride in ourselves, drives us to do our best, but also damages our relationships.

 

Philippians has it 2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

 

We should be looking after each other, not lowering ourselves but elivating others.

[Starise]

56 minutes ago, Who me said:

We all make value judgements about each other and none of us like the idea that so and so is better than us.

You bring up a good point. I have thought sometimes it's an insecurity. For one thing, those trying to put on airs are wearing a mask. They are wearing the mask they want everyone to see. This means we are not being our true selves. Instead we are attempting to represent what we think success looks like to others. It's social posturing. To wear a mask in the first place indicates we don't think our true self is acceptable>which can be an insecurity. Really it is true none of us are "acceptable" unless we are under the blood of Christ. We want to make presentations for acceptance. At a young age we want to attract the opposite sex and make friends. We feel if we are financially successful we will be more respected and more liked, but this isn't really who we are.

The insecure person feels the need to put on airs, the truly prideful person is so good at ignoring their own faults they pretend they don't exist and instead allow themselves to be deluded into thinking they are better than they really are.

A person's station in life only has value among other sinful prideful men. True friends don't look at it. The Lord hates the sin of pride and so do I, yet I don't always recognize it in myself. What keeps us from seeking friends of other levels of society? If we are wealthy, are we afraid we will be used by those persons? This is a very real concern with those who have a lot of money because there are fake friends out there that would love to hook up with someone wealthy to use them for their money, so the wealthy are often hesitant to open up to others. Just so you know, I am not one of those people  The narcissist only looks at people for what they can get out of them, IOW what's in it for them.

Even if a person is not wealthy, there is often a perceived risk in meeting persons we don't know to help them. While this might be a concern, Jesus never said to evaluate who we should help. Wisdom plays in here. i.e. a drug addict needs specialized help that maybe I am not prepared to give them. Take someone like that into my house and I might come home to a raided house or worse.

So should we take these gambles and chances on people we don't know? I believe that so far in my life the Lord has led me to help certain people. I think we need to be careful to discern who really wants help. Neither can we be their judge to establish if we think they are good enough to be helped.

I would consider most church people in my area to be religiously comfortable. They have their circle of friends, they have the ministries they contribute to and so feel they are indirectly helping people by throwing money at programs and ministries.Their lives are mostly centered around them, their friends and their familys. I get the feeling though most of them are uncomfortable getting their hands dirty so to speak. TBH I am sometimes reluctant. They say no good deed goes unpunished. I could try to jump someone's car and it could blow up my electrical system. I could pick up a bum and he might decide to mug me. Some have adopted children and these children have gone on to make their adopted parent lives really miserable.

WWJD?

Edited May 10, 2022 by Starise

[Starise]

44 minutes ago, Rosie1jack2pauline3 said:

I have been low most of my life, so, what’s new, I would hate to be put on a pedestal.

ive been a cook, a carer and a cleaner, little education, scrubbed many a filthy toilet and cleaned many filthy houses, I thank God, that I was in that position all of my life....I still scrub and clean, I love helping others, especially the elderly, then after I’ve finished, we sit and have a good old natter, they love it!..and so do I. 💗🙏

And as you say Jesus washed feet, but he was a humble man, there ain’t none like him on the planet...many are to worried what others think of them if they were in a lowly position...especially those in the world, sad ain’t it.

Imagine what would happen if we didn't have anyone to clean when it is needed?

[Ani Tefillah]

1 hour ago, Starise said:

You bring up a good point. I have thought sometimes it's an insecurity. For one thing, those trying to put on airs are wearing a mask. They are wearing the mask they want everyone to see. This means we are not being our true selves. Instead we are attempting to represent what we think success looks like to others. It's social posturing. To wear a mask in the first place indicates we don't think our true self is acceptable>which can be an insecurity. Really it is true none of us are "acceptable" unless we are under the blood of Christ. We want to make presentations for acceptance. At a young age we want to attract the opposite sex and make friends. We feel if we are financially successful we will be more respected and more liked, but this isn't really who we are.

The insecure person feels the need to put on airs, the truly prideful person is so good at ignoring their own faults they pretend they don't exist and instead allow themselves to be deluded into thinking they are better than they really are.

A person's station in life only has value among other sinful prideful men. True friends don't look at it. The Lord hates the sin of pride and so do I, yet I don't always recognize it in myself. What keeps us from seeking friends of other levels of society? If we are wealthy, are we afraid we will be used by those persons? This is a very real concern with those who have a lot of money because there are fake friends out there that would love to hook up with someone wealthy to use them for their money, so the wealthy are often hesitant to open up to others. Just so you know, I am not one of those people  The narcissist only looks at people for what they can get out of them, IOW what's in it for them.

Even if a person is not wealthy, there is often a perceived risk in meeting persons we don't know to help them. While this might be a concern, Jesus never said to evaluate who we should help. Wisdom plays in here. i.e. a drug addict needs specialized help that maybe I am not prepared to give them. Take someone like that into my house and I might come home to a raided house or worse.

So should we take these gambles and chances on people we don't know? I believe that so far in my life the Lord has led me to help certain people. I think we need to be careful to discern who really wants help. Neither can we be their judge to establish if we think they are good enough to be helped.

I would consider most church people in my area to be religiously comfortable. They have their circle of friends, they have the ministries they contribute to and so feel they are indirectly helping people by throwing money at programs and ministries.Their lives are mostly centered around them, their friends and their familys. I get the feeling though most of them are uncomfortable getting their hands dirty so to speak. TBH I am sometimes reluctant. They say no good deed goes unpunished. I could try to jump someone's car and it could blow up my electrical system. I could pick up a bum and he might decide to mug me. Some have adopted children and these children have gone on to make their adopted parent lives really miserable.

WWJD?

Amen! And I do believe that it is possible and important to be led by the Holy Spirit in a daily basis, so that He can guide us to the person(s) He wants us to help etc? 

[Starise]

17 hours ago, MonicaWife said:

Amen! And I do believe that it is possible and important to be led by the Holy Spirit in a daily basis, so that He can guide us to the person(s) He wants us to help etc? 

Thanks for this answer @MonicaWife. I feel the same way. That God leads me to certain people or leads certain people to me. Many times I don't feel what I do is a 'minstry' . I'm just a guy working a day job who sometimes bumps into people here and there. Most of the time we make only small talk. I have a few co workers I'm around. 

In contrast to Paul who was making the rounds to different churches, managing some of them from afar with advice. Going to people not of his nationality and ministering to them, enduring great hardships often. His ministry makes my small efforts look like nothing in comparison.

Could we do more? If so what should we be doing? I guess this is a matter of the individual and prayer.

[Sower]

On 5/10/2022 at 10:58 AM, Starise said:

In John chapter 13 we have the story of Jesus washing the disciple's feet.

                       “No servant is greater than his master” 

Jesus didn't travel to different villages in his Mercedes and step out wearing patent leather penny loafers.
He walked with open sandals on dirt roads probably sweating, trying to avoid camel and donkey apples.
His feet were probably filthy by today's standards, and He likely smelled like his sweat.
It was common practice to have a servant, the lowliest of menial servants, to wash the dirty feet of visiting guests to a home.

Jesus reversed the rolls, and got down and washed filthy/dirty feet for a lesson. The disciples had argued about who was the greatest among them.  Were they freaked seeing our creator God, washing their dirty feet. I have read it is a sign of great love to wash a friend's feet back then. I see Jesus washing feet as a great lesson in humility for the disciples, and for us. The opposite of pride.

Proverbs 11:2 - "When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom"

Proverbs 29:23 - "A man's pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit"
 

 

 

[Starise]

22 hours ago, Rosie1jack2pauline3 said:

Cleaners are equal as anyone else as a Hunan, and I’m sure you have done your fair share of cleaning.

In the world, cleaners are the lowest of the low, I’m sure you know that?

i think it’s pretty obvious what the world would be in, if we didn’t have our dedicated cleaners out there, the dustbin men, road sweepers, etc,etc.

 

People who clean are valuable same as everyone else. The world does tend to see the job as not very important and often the pay reflects it. After COVID something big happened that resulted in many people just quitting their jobs and walking off never to return. I don't know how these people buy food and pay their bills. This has resulted in the realization of just how important some jobs are.

I have been in the trades a long time. Many people look at the trades in a similar way, that is until you no longer have running water electricity or air conditioning in the summer, then they look to pay the least amount they have to pay for those services. 

I have had a variety of jobs when I was younger because if it put food on the table I was willing to do it. This included working on a farm and cleaning for awhile. I have also done lots of other things temporarily. 

The bible describes the church as a BODY of believers who each have a role they are best suited for. It is men who attempt to place value on positions. Not God. I see the body of Christ similar to the way I see our work force. I have seen a lot of pride in people at certain positions both in the work world and in churches. Sometimes I wonder why God doesn't smack it down right away because some of it goes on for years. There will be an accounting though one day and it's all going to come out in the wash. In the mean time I want to make sure there is no pride in me. Pride has a way of just coming out of nowhere sometimes. It's that feeling we sometimes get inside where we start to think we are superior to someone else for whatever reason or that feeling we have that we are important and we have something other people should think is important too. This is plain and simple PRIDE.

The only thing important about us is Jesus and His love for us. Anything else we see as a measure of our value and pat ourselves on the back for, is never anything we can take credit for other than the power of God to allow us to do it.

Jesus values us.He valued His disciples enough to wash their feet as a servant. We have value in His eyes. The problem seems to happen when we think we have too much value in our own eyes and give ourselves all the credit for it.

[kwikphilly]

On 5/10/2022 at 11:58 AM, Starise said:

In John chapter 13 we have the story of Jesus washing the disciple's feet.

This was considered a lowly thing to do. Jesus took a towel wrapped around His waist for the task. There may be a symbolic correlation of this in Revelation at the beginning where Jesus is seen in glory with a golden towel around His waist. In this setting He appears as He really is. 

In that John 13 setting, we see Peter objecting to Jesus washing his feet and Jesus telling him the if He doesn't wash his feet he has no part with Him. We also read Jesus making a reference to not all of them being clean referring to Judas as the one who would betray Him.

This foot washing signified the spiritual cleansing Jesus was soon to make though the shedding of His blood. Another significant statement made by Jesus was we should all be willing to wash one another's feet.

In some teachings on this text we are told  this means we should LOWER or humble  ourselves to help a brother. I maybe don't see this the right way. I don't think this is the right approach to this text here.

The only one who truly needed to lower Himself was Jesus. Any other person who thinks they need to lower themself to help another would have pride in their soul would they not? Since no one is lower or higher than anyone else in God's eyes.

If I think I am lowering myself to help another, what does that say about me? How we see ourselves in relation to another is only a perception. 

Yet in a recent closing prayer to this text , the prayer was " Dear Lord please help us to humble ourselves to help those around us". Is this really looking at ourselves for what we all are? I don't think so.

How would you feel if someone came to you with the message of Christ and commented they lowered themselves in order to minister to you?

Carrying the gospel does not involve lowering anything. We are all sinners. We come to them because the Lord saved us. All men are just men on the same level.

Do you agree, disagree?

Blessings Brother....

I dont think " lowering oneself is the right word nor do I think. Humbling oneself to the position of servitude is lowly.... I t think it is s privilege & an honor to serve another......

Jesus, King of kings, Lord of lords humbled Himself from HIS Position of Power and Authority .... I dont think we( I) could get any " lower" since we were already made a little lower than the Angels!!!!! Lol

So, yes God is no respector of persons ... I think its more about Love and not seeing ourselves above anyone else and having a charitable heart, of kindness,considerstion, grace & mercy