The Glory of Clean Feet

Today's Three-minute Bible Study
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Title: The Glory of Clean Feet ------------------- Date: 5/3/2003
Keywords: “feet” “wash”
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Passage: John 13:3-5*

3. Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God,

4. rose from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself about.

5. Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.

Questions

1. What condition do you suppose the twelve apostles' feet were in after a day of walking around on the streets of Jerusalem?

 

2. Why did Jesus wash His followers' feet?

 

Practical help

Among other things, Jesus' washing of His disciples' feet is a graphic image of servanthood. Nobody else offered to perform the menial, degrading task of washing feet — so Jesus, the Lord and Master did it.

But there is a deeper truth pictured by Jesus' cleansing act. It is a picture of forgiveness.

These men were "clean." They were forgiven (all except Judas Iscariot, and that is why Jesus said, "You are clean, but not all of you."), or "clean." Their feet, though, were filthy after a days' worth of walking through the city of Jerusalem. So, Jesus cleaned up the grime that had accumulated on apostolic feet.

This is a picture of the daily cleansing that is available for the believer who gets himself (or herself) "dirty" through sin.

It is also the message the apostle John brings in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

After a failure on the Internet, some porn strugglers retreat to self-loathing and reproach. They adopt a defeated posture — and by so doing lay themselves open to the devil's attacks.

Allow Jesus to do for you what He did for the apostles in John 13. Confess your sin to Him, and let His cleansing forgiveness flow over you.

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*"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission."