JOHN 13:6-11 “DIRTY FEET”

6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus answered, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

Jesus comes to address a need so basic that without God’s help we cannot even know what it is. Many of us in the Church live our lives like the rich man in Mark 10. When he asks Jesus about obtaining eternal life, he tells Jesus that he has kept all the commandments since he was a child. Jesus commends him on that, but points out that he has allowed his wealth to define him instead of his obedience to God. Jesus’ declaration to the man, “One thing you lack…Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (10:21), is his way of telling the man that he has “dirty feet.” What we need is Jesus and his clearing of the path of obedience to the Father.

Jesus not only probes our lives and through his Spirit convicts us of sins that we would otherwise never recognize, he also addresses that need for us and makes us clean. Even when we are made aware of our sins there is nothing we can do to satisfy the justice of God. Without Jesus we would be hopeless. Only he is in a position to “clean our dirty feet.” When we try to do it ourselves or redefine God into an accepting rather than a loving God, we are effectively responding with Peter by refusing to let Jesus wash our feet. Lovingly, Jesus reminds us that “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” Without allowing our “feet” to be washed by Jesus, there is no salvation. Jesus is the only way to the Father, because Jesus is the only One qualified to perform the unique service that he was sent by our loving Father to provide.

I come to you, Jesus, and open my life to you with great trepidation for what you will reveal. But, Lord, I fear the pain of separation from the Father more than the transitory discomfort of being scrubbed clean of my most cherished sins. Wash my “dirty feet” so that I might more perfectly know you and obey the Father. Amen.