He humiliated himself!

[AI translation] Jesus often used a symbol, a parable, when he wanted to teach his followers some great, heavenly truth. The mysteries of the kingdom of God could often be understood in no other way than by illuminating and pointing to them by example. The story we are about to read is such a parable, but the Lord did not tell it in the form of a teaching, but did it. Man understands and remembers better what he sees than what he hears. Teaching presented in action is more deeply engraved in the soul, more deeply impressed than teaching given in words. Here Jesus was trying to imprint something profound, some great and decisive truth on the souls of the disciples. He wanted to make known to them the infinite greatness of His love for His own. That is why He humbled Himself so deeply, to give in this humiliation an image, a symbol and an example of His great love.1) In the East, where a man walked the dusty highway with bare feet, or perhaps in mud/sandals, he had to wash his feet several times a day. Washing your feet was as much a part of hospitality as we do today, when we sweep the coat of an incoming guest. Stone springs were placed at the entrance to each house for this purpose. It was the duty of the slaves to wash the feet of the newcomers. Only when a very distinguished and very welcome guest arrived at the house did the host perform this most elementary courtesy, as a way of showing his homage and respect for the guest. Jesus and his disciples were on this occasion seated in the ornate dining room of a hostelry, where the host could not be required to perform this servile work for his guests. It did not occur to any of the disciples to offer this service to the others. None of them wanted to be last, to be seen as less than the others. Perhaps, as they passed by the stone springs, it occurred to all of them that this service was waiting to be filled, and then probably a thought like this flashed through their minds: what is it to me, it is not my duty! Let the one whose duty it is do it! Jesus does not tell them. Service is either out of love, voluntarily, out of inner compulsion, or it is worthless. It is not worth anything if it is done on command, and not with the happy knowledge that the greater one is, by the measure of the kingdom of God, the deeper one has stooped in service. Love is greatest where it bends deepest.
When they are all seated at the table, suddenly something humiliatingly great happens: Jesus rises from supper, takes off his outer garments, wraps himself in what may be a slave's apron lying around, pours water into the basin and begins to wash the disciples' feet. Imagine this scene! John the Evangelist was probably blushing with shame even as he described the event. When he recalled that Jesus, who knew "that the Father had given him all things, and that he came from God and was going to God" (John 13:3), suddenly came up to the sweaty, dusty feet of the haughty, proud, conceited men and began to wash them, then to wipe them with the cloth he had with him. Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, through Whom God created the world, to Whom God put all things under His feet, Who is God Himself, kneels down before man to do the most servile work for Him. It is as if heaven itself were now bending down to the disciples on the ground, in the dust. There was no need to explain anything here. The most beautiful words could not have explained so clearly what true love means. This humiliating divine teaching about the divine love of Jesus cannot be forgotten for a lifetime!
2) Yet the whole foot-washing story is just a symbol. It is a symbol of Jesus' truly great ministry, of what he came to do: to show forth his redeeming love. Notice how precise and detailed this symbol is: "He rose from supper, took off his outer garment, and taking a shawl, put it on himself. Then he poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the shawl with which he was bound." (Jn 13,4-5) All this means in reality what is described in our Word by the Apostle Paul: Jesus, "Who, when he was in the form of God, did not count it a spoil, because he, taking on the form of a servant equal with God...., ...humbled himself" - (Phil 2,6-8) - "rising from supper, he took off his outer garment and, taking a shawl, bound himself. Then he poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the cloth with which he was bound" - he continues (Jn 13,4-5). And in the Book of Revelation we read: Jesus, "who loved us and washed us from our sins in His blood" (Rev 1,5)
"He began to wash" - the most holy, the most essential, the one necessary thing: the washing by the blood of Christ is thus represented in this scene. In order to perform this service, the Lord Jesus had to descend very low. To the lowest point of the created world, to the most humble place, the cross. And to humble Himself so much, it took unimaginable love, divine redeeming love!
In the last few days I have asked several people in private conversations what they think: does God love them? Perhaps you would answer as most of us would, yes. Well, if so, let me ask you: How do you know? How can you tell? Most people answer with great, sublime experiences of wonderful answers to prayer, of experiencing the helping hand of God, of the tangible reality of God's providential love. He has wonderfully guided and sustained my life! That's how I know that God loves me!", the interviewee used to say. Let me say to anyone who would answer that, that it is not in this that God's love for us is manifested, but in the fact that for me, a sinner, the Son of God humbled himself even to death to wash me from my sins in his blood! Love is greatest where it bends deepest. I can also see the true greatness of God's love when I can accept by faith that Jesus has also stooped down to me and washed me clean in His holy blood! What an astonishing service Christ has done! Surely, one can only be ashamed and blushing, amazed that He who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth could humble Himself before me! Is there such love in the world?
But whoever has not experienced the love of God in the washing of the blood of Christ has - however terrible this sentence may sound - nothing to do with his Lord! Jesus says to Peter, "If I do not wash you, you have nothing to do with me" (John 13:8). So, then, you are lost, no matter how many prayers you may have had answered, no matter how many sublime experiences you may have had of God's providential protection! Whoever has no connection with Jesus as Saviour who cleanses from sin - however painful it may sound - has no connection with heaven, but only with hell and damnation!
Do you have anything to do with the Living Jesus? If you want to be, do not be reluctant to accept His ministry! When Jesus approached Peter, we read that Peter, astonished at Jesus' bowing humility, began to protest with these words, "You shall never wash my feet" (v.8). To never be washed by Jesus is to never be saved.
It is not God who excludes one from salvation, but his inner spiritual resistance, expressed in the words of Peter above, "You will never wash my feet" (v.8): How do I come to have Jesus minister to me in this way? You can also say out of conceit: I don't need Jesus to cleanse me, I am clean enough myself! You can say it out of ignorance or unbelief, but Jesus' answer is this: "If I do not wash you, you have nothing to do with me" (v.8) But if you let Him wash you, if you accept that you need Him and believe that He can wash you, then you will have something to do with Him! He communicates His goods to you, I could say: you will have fellowship, life-giving, sanctifying, saving fellowship with Him. He humbled Himself to meet you! The Son of the Living God, Jesus Christ is waiting for you! Not in heaven, but down here. Deep down, in this dust, in this sinful condition you are in, to cleanse you from Him by His blood! He is ready to do this service, the only question is, is your heart ready to receive this service?!
If so, then there is another important teaching of this Word. "Simon Peter said to him, 'Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head! Jesus saith unto him, He that is bathed needeth nothing but to wash his feet, and else he is clean; ye also are clean, but not all of you. For he knew who would betray him: therefore he said: (Jn 13,9-11) So Jesus is making a distinction between bathing and washing feet. The born-again person is like one who has been completely bathed and is clean. But the man who has been renewed and cleansed in the bath of regeneration also walks in the filthy, earthly dust! His feet become contaminated again, and therefore he needs to wash his feet again and again. We are justified once for the merit of Christ before God, but we need to be cleansed from our sins daily before Christ! We need not only a Savior who died once for our sins, but also one who lives and cleanses us from sin again and again. Even the converted and born again man, even as he follows Christ, walks on the dusty highway of life, where dust does indeed cover his feet, and day by day all manner of little dirt and sin is heaped upon him. Day by day, therefore, he needs Jesus to wash away the dust. This is what is meant by 'He who has been bathed needs nothing but to wash his feet, or else he is clean'.
But both are necessary to have anything to do with Jesus. Judas also received the washing of feet, but he lacked the bath. Peter, on the other hand, was bathed, and yet he needed the foot washing. You need both to have a truly life-giving fellowship with Jesus Christ the Savior.
3) In closing, he was also a role model for the foot washing ministry. "I have set you an example, that as I have done to you, that you also do likewise," said Jesus (v. 15) His disciples were not to literally imitate this servant duty, but to always demonstrate the humble, servant spirit they saw in their Master. This is the unmistakable sign of whether one has already accepted this submissive, holy service of Christ for himself. This is the love of a servant who can stoop down. There can be many faults, many failings, even in a man in communion with Christ: he can be clumsy, stumbling, impatient, or whatever, but one thing he can no longer be: arrogant, conceited, conceited! He who knows what Jesus has done for him and for him can only be a humble man.
"If you know these things, you will be happy if you do them", Jesus concludes in our basic verse (Jn 13,17).
Amen.
Date: 27 March 1949.