John 13:14
John 13:14
If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.
Beyond the traditional significance of washing the feet in those times, Jesus was showing His disciples something spiritual we also need to learn. The washing of feet in Jewish culture had a number of implications. If a visitor came to your house, you’d offer them water to wash their feet as a sign of friendliness. It was also customary to wash your feet before going to bed. So, washing was a sign of cleanliness and friendliness. But more than that, it had priestly implications. When priests were to approach Yahweh, they had to come clean, literally. They had to wash their feet as a requisite for appearing before God. So, when Jesus washes the feet of His disciples, He makes two statements. First, you must be humble and friendly to one another. Second, you have been prepared for the New Covenant as a priest. The second reality is saddled upon Jesus. Therefore, there remains the first for us to follow. We must show humility and friendliness to all. We must let love and unity be the watchword of our existence. Washing one another’s feet is a figurative call to keep pride aside and collectively do the work of God to which we have been called. If your Lord and teacher, Jesus, humbled Himself to accept you into the eternal glorious estate of the Father, calling you “friend,” then you must assume the same position with other people. You must humbly wash the feet of one another every day in your walk of Christianity.