WASHING THE SAINTS' FEET THE ORDINANCE OF BROTHERHOOD ASSISTANCE
The ordinance of Washing the Saints' Feet as instituted and commanded by our Lord in John 13:117, and referred to by the Apostle Paul in I Timothy 5:10 was something new in the religious life of God's children.
In the Old Testament reference is made (not given as a command) to a washing of feet that was basically a function for physical comfort after a journey when the feet were doubtless tired and dusty. At such a time, offering water to wash one's feet was a gesture of hospitality on the part of the host. For the visitors who came to Abraham's tent during the heat of the day, water was immediately provided for them to wash and rest their feet. (Genesis 18:4). Jesus, in contrast to commending a sinner who had washed His feet with penitent tears, rebuked Simon the Pharisee for not being considerate enough to give Him water to bathe His feet upon arrival at his house. (Luke 7:44).
The Old Testament also commanded a ceremonial washing of both the hands and the feet of the priests at the laver on their way from the altar of acceptance (calvary in type) to the Holy Place of God's abiding presence within the Tabernacle tent. A penalty of death was placed upon the priests for failure to stop at the laver and wash their hands and feet before entering into the Holy Place under the shadow (pillar of cloud) of the Almighty (Exo. 30:17-21).
The washing of the disciples' feet by our Lord was something distinctly new and different from either the customary or the ceremonial feet washing of the Old Testament and is proven by a number of observations.
Jesus did not provide water for them to wash their own feet as was the case in the Old Testament custom. Rather, He provided the water and He Himself did the washing. Had this been the Old Testament customary or ceremonial washing, the example Jesus said He had given them would have long before been given. Peter's ignorance of what Jesus was doing would indicate that this was something new and unheard of before.
As the communion service is intended to keep alive a right relationship with, a sensitive appreciation for, and an increasing love and loyalty to God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us; so the feet washing ordinance is intended to keep alive a right relationship with, a keen sense of responsibility to, and a fervent love for each other within the communion fellowship. A right relationship with and appreciation for Deity, and a right relationship with and appreciation for the faithful brotherhood are two inseparable qualities of true Christian fellowship.
Doubtless the paramount lesson of the ordinance of washing one another’s feet is that the disciples of our Lord are constantly in need of each others assistance in order to keep their walk clean in route to their heavenly goal, and that they are ready to render and accept this brotherly assistance in humility and love.
It is clear from the words of Jesus, "he that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet," that feet washing is not intended to symbolize our initial cleansing involved in the salvation experience. It is also just as clear that it does symbolize a need for a continuously cleansed walk.
It was after the priests (who were a type of New Testament saints) had been to the altar of sacrifice (a type of Calvary where typically the sinner was accepted and the saint's walk of holiness began), that they were required to stop at the laver and wash their hands and their feet before going on into the Holy Place within the veil. Had they failed to do so they would never have gotten into that Holy Place of the presence of God.
Since the Christian life is likened to a walk and since without a walk of purity and holiness no man shall see the Lord; it is imperative that we keep our feet and our walk spiritually clean on our way to the Holy Place of God's abiding presence.
After we are initially cleansed and accepted by the blood of Christ our sacrifice (our altar experience) and we begin our walk toward the presence of God, there is always the danger of some spiritually contaminating dust accumulating on our feet as we pilgrim homeward. When I consent to have my brother wash my feet, symbolically I am saying, "Brother, I need you - I want you to help me walk clean on my way to the eternal presence of God." When I stoop to wash another's feet, I am virtually saying that I want to be a humble servant to assist my fellow traveler to keep himself undefiled and spiritually alive in his journey to the eternal Holy Place of God.
This ordinance has an exclusive application to the Christian brotherhood. It was His own disciples whose feet Jesus washed. He did not call in the Publicans and other sinners and wash their feet. In I Timothy 5:10 the Apostle implies that it was the "saints" who washed each others feet in the early church. To use John 13 to teach servanthood responsibility to an unregenerate society seems like a misapplication of this ordinance. If the washing of the saints feet includes an application to physical assistance, its emphasis must be primarily on assistance within the Christian brotherhood.
There are a number of Christian principles embodied in the ordinance such as humility, love, equality, and "in honor preferring one another," etc. All of these qualities were exemplified by Jesus as He washed the disciples' feet, and must also be possessed and exemplified by us as we wash one another's feet, if we are to be effective in our brotherly assistance to each other.
The nature of the water in the basin may also symbolize the attitudes essential for us to give the best possible help to each other. We do not use boiling hot water which might symbolize scathing denunciations of each other; neither do we use ice cubes which would symbolize cold sarcastic criticism. The water temperature is made just as comfortable as possible which beautifully symbolizes the warmth and comfort that should be in our hearts as we give and receive help from each other.
The importance of the literal observance of the ordinance is seen in the fact that after Jesus literally washed the disciples' feet, He said, "Ye should do (to one another) as I have done to you." When Peter objected to having his feet washed literally, Jesus gave him the verdict that under those conditions he could no longer have any part with Him. After giving the literal example and the command to His disciples to do to one another what He had done to them, Jesus stated that the servant is not greater than his lord, implying that if we neglect or refuse to wash each other's feet, we are by our refusal, virtually saying that we consider ourselves greater than our Lord. Jesus also pronounced a blessing of happiness on those who know and practice this ordinance. Any claim of spiritual happiness apart from obedience to Christ's commandments is either a fake claim or a counterfeit happiness.
On the pages of church history there is sufficient information to believe that the Apostolic Church, the church of the Ante-Nicene era, and the Reformation Anabaptist Church all understood that the ordinance was to be literally practiced and that they faithfully observed the same.
There are two ways to lose this ordinance: failure to practice it literally, and failure to be and practice what it symbolizes.
"If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them."
Aaron M. Shank
Myerstown, Pa.
October 1975