← Back to sermon library

You can turn with me in your 
Bibles to the book of John, as we work our way through John's 
gospel. We're in John chapter 13 this morning. We introduced 
the Upper Room Discourse last week. The Upper Room Discourse 
is chapters 13 to 16, followed by Jesus' High Priestly Prayer 
in chapter 17, and then the events of the Passion from chapters 
18 to 20. And then the book ends with an 
epilogue. So I want to read beginning in 
chapter 13, verse 1, we'll read to verse 17. Now, before the 
feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come, 
that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved 
His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. And 
supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the 
heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing 
that the father had given all things into his hands and that 
he had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper 
and laid aside his garments, took a towel and girded himself. 
After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash the 
disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which he 
was girded. Then he came to Simon Peter, and Peter said to him, 
Lord, are you washing my feet? Jesus answered and said to him, 
what I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after 
this. Peter said to him, you shall 
never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, if I do not 
wash you, you have no part with me. Simon Peter said to him, 
Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus said 
to him, he who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is 
completely clean. And you are clean, but not all 
of you. For he knew who would betray 
him. Therefore he said, you are not all clean. So when he had 
washed their feet, taken his garments, and sat down again, 
he said to them, do you know what I have done to you? You 
call me teacher and Lord, and you say, well, for so I am. If 
I then, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also 
ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example 
that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, 
I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor 
is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know 
these things, blessed are you if you do them. Amen. Well, let 
us pray. Gracious God and Holy Father, 
we thank you for the Lord's Day, we thank you for the privilege 
to gather in the house of God with your people, and we pray 
that in all of this you would be glorified and honored. We 
thank you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for your great salvation. 
We thank you for what we find in the Gospel of John concerning 
the the word that became flesh and dwelt among us. We thank 
you for the Lord Jesus and the fact that He assumed our humanity, 
that He lived for us, that He died for us, that He was raised 
again for us. And God, I pray that as we consider 
these things, our hearts would be drawn out in worship and praise 
and adoration, and as well we pray that the Holy Spirit would 
be at work in the hearts of any here that are still dead in their 
trespasses and sins. May they see in Christ a blessed 
Savior, one who saves to the uttermost all who draw near to 
God through Him. And we pray this for our meeting 
together here, for other churches in our city and throughout this 
country and to the uttermost parts of the earth. We know that 
your purpose and plan is to save a great multitude that no man 
can number from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 
So God bless that word as it goes forth today and may it not 
return unto you void. Forgive us now for all of our 
sins and cleanse us in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ 
and give us ears to hear by the power of your spirit. And we 
pray in Jesus name, amen. Well, as I said, as we come to 
this particular section of scripture, it's kind of the Lord's 11th 
hour. It's stuff that he wants to encourage the disciples with 
to fit and prepare them for gospel ministry. Remember that he's 
going to die. He's going to be raised again, 
and then he's going to ascend on high. He's going to be seated 
at the right hand of the father where he rules and reigns over 
all things. He is active and present in the church by his 
spirit. And so he wants to exhort the 
disciples on how they're to conduct themselves. when he goes back 
to heaven. They're supposed to live in a 
manner that is consistent with the pattern that he has set forth. 
They're supposed to be diligent with preaching the word of truth. 
And remember that as he approaches them, we saw last week in chapter 
13, verses 1 to 3, that we see that it's his love, it's his 
authority, and it's his mission that sort of motivates the words 
that he speaks to them in this upper room discourse. So he sets 
forth truth, he wants to commend his love to them, but flowing 
from that love is that desire to prepare them for the task 
at hand. Once he ascends back on high, 
it's not gonna be him just sort of snapping his fingers, adding 
to the church. It's gonna be these men filled 
with the spirit, filled with the knowledge of the Bible and 
theology, given that task, to go therefore and make disciples 
of all the nations, to baptize those disciples, to teach those 
disciples, and to be conscious of the fact that Christ is always 
with them even to the end of the age. He is that way by the 
presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. So he fits his disciples 
for service. Now, when we come to verses four 
to 17, I wanna try and show how this foot washing points to that. The foot washing is quite interesting. It's a custom that obtained at 
that particular time in the world. If you were weary traveling and 
you came to a neighbor's house, it would not be uncommon for 
that neighbor to wash your feet or perhaps have a servant in 
the home that would wash your feet. Remember, we're not dealing 
with our modern situation. These fellows with their dirty 
feet hadn't had a shower that morning. They didn't leave their 
shoes by the front door. They didn't take off their socks 
so that Jesus could then wash their feet. These are filthy 
feet. These are dirty feet. These are 
feet that perhaps smelled bad. These were feet that perhaps 
looked bad. Some of us have an aversion to 
even looking at feet, let alone touching them and washing them. 
But it is important that what this foot washing points to is 
the greater act of service that's going to happen at the end of 
the week. The Son of Man was willing to take off his outer 
garments, to gird himself with a towel, to pour water into a 
basehead, and to stoop to the level of washing the feet, the 
dirty feet, of sinful men. If you think that's something, 
wait till the end of the week when that self-same Savior goes 
to the cross, not simply to wash dirty feet of dirty sinners, 
but to wash dirty hearts of dirty sinners. So the one is symptomatic 
or emblematic of the other. If the Son of God is willing 
to wash dirty feet, the Son of God is willing to wash dirty 
hearts. And that's very encouraging. 
That's very much the essence of the Christian gospel. So let's 
look at this particular passage. We've already seen the introduction 
to the discourse in verses 1 to 3. We'll look next at the demonstration 
of humble service in verses 4 to 11, and then the exhortation 
to the disciples in verses 12 to 17. So when it comes to the 
demonstration of humble service, two things here. Note first the 
demonstration of his service in verses 4 to 8a, and then the 
explanation of his service in verses 8b to 11. But again, washing 
feet. Notice in verses 4 and 5. So 
it says, "...he rose from supper and laid aside his garments, 
took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poured water into 
a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe 
them with the towel with which he was girded. I think this particular 
activity points in two directions. First, it's a pattern given for 
the disciples. If you drop down to verses 12 
to 17, he commends that pattern to the disciples as a methodology 
or strategy for Christian ministry. They need to know doctrine. They 
need to understand the scripture. They need to understand Genesis 
to Revelation. They need to know good theology. 
They need to be men committed to the word and doctrine. All 
that is certainly the case, but they need to be men that are 
loving, men that are gracious, men that are humble, men that 
are self-sacrificing, men that look out for the needs of others. 
So the foot washing that he engages in in verses four to five serve 
as a pattern or a paradigm for the disciples when they launch 
out into Christian ministry. They're not to advance the cause 
by guns and bullets. They're not to advance the cause 
by helicopters and by tanks. They're to advance the cause 
by loving service rendered both within the context of the church 
and outside of the church. And again, always insisting upon 
the truth of the Christian gospel. So the foot washing points to 
a pattern for them to observe. But I think the foot washing 
also symbolizes a couple of things in the life and ministry of our 
Lord. I think it symbolizes His incarnation. The fact that He 
has this willingness to serve humanity. The fact that He has 
this willingness to put humanity's needs at a premium. And we see that in John 1, verses 
1 and 14. So the word became flesh, verse 
14 specifically, and dwelt among us. The assumption of humanity 
on the part of the Lord Jesus Christ demonstrates his willingness 
to serve. It demonstrates his willingness 
to go to the uttermost. Again, foot washing, not a pleasant 
thing. I don't know that any of you 
want to go home and wash feet. Dirty, stinky feet. It's not 
something that is pleasing to us. It's certainly not calculated 
to build up our ego. Oh, I washed 15 feet today. Aren't 
I great? That's not the way it's supposed 
to come across. So what we see in this foot washing 
is something emblematic of the incarnation itself, the willingness 
of the Son of God to assume our humanity, to, as it were in the 
language of Philippians chapter two, to empty himself, not divest 
himself of deity, but rather to take on the form of a bondservant, 
to identify with us in such extremities that he was willing to go to 
the cross for us men and for our salvation. And that's the 
second thing it points to. It's not just the incarnation, 
but it's the passion. It's the reality that the one 
who is willing to serve at the level of washing dirty, nasty 
feet is the one that's going to go to the cross in order to 
wash our dirty, nasty hearts. If we look at this and we say, 
I wouldn't want to touch those stinky feet. He's touching our 
stinky hearts. The heart is deceitful above 
all things and desperately wicked, according to Jeremiah 17, 9. 
We are at enmity with God most high. Our hearts are estranged 
from God. We walk according to the prince 
of the power who works in the sons of disobedience. We are 
given to depravity and inability and all sorts of transgression 
and wickedness. The fact that the son of God 
would live for us and would die for us and be raised again for 
us is truly amazing. It is truly wondrous that he 
does that in order to wash our hearts, in order to give us life 
eternal, in order to give us that blessedness, And I think 
it's similar to what he says in Matthew 20 at verse 28. He 
says, just as the son of man did not come to be served, but 
to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. This idea 
of servanthood on the part of the savior was prophesied by 
Isaiah. There's what we call four servant 
songs of the Lord in the prophet Isaiah. You see him in chapter 
42, chapter 49, chapter 50, and chapters 52 and 53. Essentially what you get are 
facets of the Messiah, and there specifically he's identified 
as the servant of the Lord. So when we see the Lord himself 
washing the feet of these disciples, it's a good thing in and of itself. 
He's washing the filth off their feet. But it points to the incarnation, 
the fact that he assumes our humanity to save us from our 
sins, and it points to the passion. that if he's able to clean these 
feet in terms of humble servanthood, then he's going to clean the 
hearts in terms of humble servanthood as well. In fact, as you look 
at this, if you're not a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ today, 
see the willingness of the Savior. I know at times there are persons 
that preach the gospel and they make it very difficult. They 
make it very hard. They make it sound as if God's 
really not about saving sinners. If you happen to get saved, well, 
you know, praise be to God, but that's not really what it's about. 
Brethren, that's precisely what it's about. That's absolutely, 
positively, exactly what it's about. From the moment that God 
comes to Adam and Eve in the garden, from the moment that 
God kills the animals and clothes Adam and Eve, the moment that 
God comes to Abram of Ur the Chaldean and says in him, all 
the nations of the earth will be blessed. The fact of the prophets, 
the fact of the Psalter, the fact of the anticipation of the 
coming Christ, the fact that in the fullness of the time, 
God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born of the Father. 
Do you think He does that because He's not about saving sinners? 
Do you think He orchestrates the entirety of the universe 
because He's not really in it? He's just a miser when it comes 
to the level of salvation? Do you think he's a liar when 
we get to Revelation 7 and it says there's a great multitude 
there that no man can number? Learn from the foot washing the 
willingness of the servant of Yahweh to carry out his task 
in the salvation of sinners. If he's going to wash feet, then 
he's certainly good to wash hearts. If he's gonna go over these stinky 
feet, he's gonna go to your stinky heart. This blessed savior is 
the one in whom there is salvation. And you should listen, you should 
hear, and you should observe what he does in this particular 
account. So the glory involved is that the one described, notice 
in verse one, when Jesus knew that his hour had come, that 
he should depart from this world to the father. So the one sent 
by the father, the one now returning to the father, Nevertheless, 
takes this time to wash the feet of his disciples. So that's the 
washing of the feet. Notice as well the refusal by 
Peter in verses 6 to 8a. Verse 6, then he came to Simon 
Peter. The idea is that he at least 
had done all of the disciples or at least some of the disciples. 
Peter wasn't the first. So it says, or we see of Simon 
Peter, Lord, are you washing my feet? And now that question 
is not out of order. Oh, how dare you, Peter? No, 
how dare you, Peter, that you refuse obstinately, but this 
question really isn't out of order. It was usually the case 
that the inferior would wash the feet of the superior, right? 
Makes sense. You didn't come home at night 
and hang your coat on the coat rack and call your servants into 
the living room and say, you know what, I'm going to wash 
your feet. No, it's just the other way around. When you hung 
your hat on the hat rack and your servant called you up and 
you sat in your living room, it was the servant who washed 
your feet. So the question, or the refusal, or the observation 
by Peter, it isn't without merit. Are you washing my feet? Again, 
Peter's operating in the realm of normal, ordinary affairs. 
It's not the case that superiors bend down and wash the feet of 
inferiors. It just doesn't happen. But again, 
notice the link. It's not usually the case that 
superiors go to the cross and die for the inferiors either. But what we have in the gospel 
is something absolutely mind-blowing and glorious. So Peter's revusal 
at this point is not without warrant, it's not without merit. But then notice in verse 7, and 
here's why I argue that the foot washing, at least to a degree, 
points to the cross. So verse 7, Jesus answered and 
said to him, what I am doing you do not understand now, but 
you will know after this. After what? After the foot washing? Well, probably not. After his 
death and after his resurrection. John chapter 2, when Jesus says, 
destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. What 
do they say? Well, it took us 46 years to 
build this temple, and do you say you're going to build it 
up in three days? What does John tell us? He was talking about 
the temple of his body. Well, John could only say that 
post-resurrection after having seen the truth of Christ crucified 
and raised again from the dead. And look over at John 16, specifically 
at verses 12 and 13. Jesus acknowledges that they 
will learn more after these things. 16, 12, I still have many things to say 
to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the spirit 
of truth has come, he will guide you into all truth for he will 
not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears, he will 
speak and he will tell you things to come. So back in 13.7, at 
Peter's objection or Peter's refusal in verse six, Lord, are 
you washing my feet? Jesus answered and said to him, 
what I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after 
this. It points beyond the simple act 
of foot washing. It points beyond the, you've 
got dirty feet, I've got a clean basin of water, let's go ahead 
and get those things clean. It's not just that. The foot 
washing is emblematic. It's physical, it's real, it 
happened, but there's other things going on that our Lord wants 
to remind them of, and specifically his passion, specifically his 
death on the cross, specifically his willingness to wash guilty 
sinners. The fact that the prophets have 
spoken concerning the washing in the fountain that is open 
for sin and uncleanness in Zechariah 13. The fact that Yahweh says 
to Israel, behold, your sins are like crimson, but I will 
wash them whiter than snow. The fact that there is in the 
Old Testament that expectation of a coming Messiah that will 
function as the Lamb of God, who will take away the sin of 
the world. You see, the foot washing points forward to that 
blessed reality, and that's what Jesus is saying. Now notice there's 
this stubborn refusal with Peter. Verse eight, after Jesus says, 
after Jesus says, if I do not wash you, you have no part with 
me. Now comes the stubborn refusal in verse nine, or I'm sorry, 
verse eight, you shall never wash my feet. Now this is where 
he's stepping it up a bit, but this is not out of character 
for what we know of Peter. He's a bit of an impetuous guy. 
He's a ready, fire-aimed guy. He makes, you know, bold assertions 
and then kind of doesn't follow up if, you know, I'm willing 
to die with you, Lord. What does Jesus say to him? He 
says, you're going to deny me. It's very nice. And he does deny 
him. And not before the emperor, not 
before the secret police, but before a servant girl. So Peter 
has an impetuousness about him, and now he doubles down. You're 
not going to wash my feet. It's just not going to happen. 
We're just not going to go there, Lord. That's not something I 
can endorse. That's not something I can sign 
off on. And again, it's born out of decent 
motives. He knows his own unworthiness, 
and he knows Christ's worthiness. He knows his own insignificance, 
and he knows Christ's significance. But when you refuse the Son of 
God, after He's already washed the feet of the others, and after 
He has already said to him, you may not get it now, but you're 
going to get it later, you don't double down, you don't refuse 
the way that Peter does. Now look at our Lord's response 
to him when He answers the question in terms of the explanation of 
His service. So notice in A, B, Jesus answered 
him, if I do not wash you, you have no part with me. That's, 
again, pointing not just to this physical act of washing the filth 
off their feet. If you don't get your feet washed, 
you can't play with us in this upper room discourse. No. He 
now penetrates below the surface of the foot washing to teach 
spiritual lessons, to teach something true of the human condition. 
So again, look at 8b. He says, if I do not wash you, 
you have no part with me. The emphasis is on spiritual 
cleansing, which the foot washing points to. I'm not making this 
up, Jesus is telling us in this very way. The necessity of cleansing 
through the blood of Christ and regeneration by the Spirit for 
communion with Christ. That's what's highlighted here. 
That's the emphasis. He takes the simple act of washing 
feet at this time of supper to teach them something about what 
is true concerning their own state before a holy God, but 
as well what is true of mankind and their state before a holy 
God. He's enforcing upon them lessons 
that have already come out in John's gospel. The necessity 
of regeneration in John 3. We need to be cleansed. We need 
to be washed. We need to be born again. These 
things aren't new. These things are being reminded 
of so that these disciples will be fit for gospel ministry in 
his absence. John Gill says, God's elect have 
a part and interest in Christ through eternal electing and 
covenant grace, and in consequence of this are washed by Christ 
both with his blood and with the washing of regeneration. 
And this is done in order that they may have a part with Christ, 
spiritual fellowship with him now, and possess with him the 
undefiled inheritance when time shall be no more. Look at verse 
8b again. If I do not wash you, you have 
no part with me. That's the emphasis. Do you want 
part with Christ? Communion with Christ? Union 
with Christ? Blessedness in Christ? Or not? Well, in order to have it, you 
must be born again. You must be washed. You must 
be cleansed. Not just the dirt on your feet, 
but the heart. You need to be born by the presence 
and the power of the Holy Spirit. You need the graces of faith 
and repentance to see Jesus as altogether lovely. You need that 
for a part with Him. Now notice Peter's response in 
light of that. He is impetuous. He is a ready, 
fire, aim guy. He's got a few sort of loose 
ends in his life. There's a few I's that aren't 
dotted and a few T's that aren't crossed. But this one thing is 
true of Peter. He wants his part with Jesus. 
He wants his part with Jesus. Remember John 6, 68, Jesus says, 
do you also wanna stop following me? What is Peter's response? 
Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal 
life. See, even when Peter denies Jesus 
and Jesus looks at Peter and Peter goes out and he weeps bitterly, 
he doesn't leave. He's not done. He's not gone. Where else or to whom else shall 
I go? You have the words of eternal 
life. So notice Peter's response in verse nine to our Savior's 
statement in 8B. Simon Peter said to him, Lord, 
not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. He gets it. He's a sinner. He needs salvation. He needs that washing. He needs 
that purification. It's similar to Luke 5. Remember 
when Jesus tells the disciples, the fishermen disciples, cast 
out on that side of the net. Remember the other instance of 
that Peter says, you know, Lord, I don't want to tell you your 
business, but we've been out here all night. We're seasoned, 
we're experienced. This is in our DNA. We know about 
fishing, okay? So, you know, just kind of stick 
to your own wisdom, kind of how Peter comes across. Well, the 
same sort of thing happens here in Luke 5, 8. And once they pull 
up this big haul of fish, it says, In other words, he's come 
face to face with someone other. He's come face to face with the 
Word became flesh and dwelt among us. There was something different 
about Jesus, something unique about Jesus, something that differentiated 
Jesus. The prologue makes it clear. 
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The same sort of thing 
happens here. Unless you're washed, unless 
you're cleansed, unless you're born again, you have no part 
with me. So Peter says, not just my feet, 
but my hands and my head. In other words, Lord, I'm a filthy 
man. I'm a dirty man. I'm a sinful 
man. I have transgressed the law of 
God. I need cleansing. I need washing. Why? Because 
I want my part with you. See, that's it. You can live 
this life and be estranged from God Most High, and at times never 
think much about it, but you're going to think about it on that 
day of judgment, when you stand before the Lord Christ, when 
you give an account of deeds done in the body, whether good 
or ill. I would encourage you now, friend, to have your part 
with Jesus now. Don't wait till then because 
it'll be too late. The way of a part in Jesus is 
by looking to Jesus in faith. Believe on him and you will be 
saved. And again, he's not a miserly 
God. He's not just barely doling it 
out. He's using foot washing to describe the willingness behind 
the saving of his people. It is a glorious illustration 
of the lengths to which he'll go in order to save his people 
from their sins. So this idea that, you know, 
God's not really in the business of saving. I mean, there's like 
5, 10, maybe 100 tops. But beyond that, you know, just 
stay in your pew. Don't ever think about these 
things. In fact, throw off the thought of God altogether. If 
he's going to save you, he's going to snap his finger and 
you're going to be saved. That's how it's going to go. 
No. Everything in the Bible converges 
upon this blessed reality that Christ Jesus came into the world 
to save sinners. And so much so that the apostle 
Paul says, of whom I am chief, so that you can't ever conclude 
that I'm too sinful to be saved. My feet are too dirty to be washed. My heart is too wretched to be 
cleansed. No, it isn't. The Lord Jesus 
Christ is in that particular business. So now Peter sees what's 
at stake, and now Peter says, Lord, not my feet only, but also 
my hands and my head. Now Jesus continues to teach 
spiritual truth. Notice in verses 10 and 11. So 
Jesus said to him, he was bathed, needs only to wash his feet, 
but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not all 
of you. For he knew who would betray 
him. Therefore he said, you are not all clean. The physical bathing 
here, again, points to spiritual regeneration and justification. 
So John 3, Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. Jesus gets right 
to it in John 3, 3, if, unless a man is born again, he shall 
not see the kingdom of God. They dialogue a little bit. Jesus 
chides Nicodemus. Are you the teacher in Israel 
and you don't know these things? Why does Jesus do that? Is he 
mean? Is he vicious? Is he unkind? He's raining on 
Nicodemus' parade. Nicodemus should have known this 
because it was promised in the prophet Ezekiel. When God promises 
to take out the old stony heart, to put in a new fleshly heart, 
to sprinkle it with clean water, what's it pointing forward to? 
Regeneration by the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. 
So Jesus says that in verse 10. He says, he who is bathed needs 
only to wash his feet. I think that reference is to 
sanctification. We're washed, cleansed in the 
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're regenerated by the presence 
and the power of the Holy Spirit. We believe on Jesus. Well, what 
happens? Our hearts are clean. Our heads 
and our hands are clean. We're justified freely by his 
grace. So why do the feet need daily 
washing? Well, I think that's 1 John 1, 
9. If we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive 
us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 
It points to that sanctification each and every day. Not that 
it's going to keep us out of the kingdom, but to maintain 
that friendly presence of God Most High, we confess our sins. We seek by grace to forsake those 
sins. We seek by grace to walk in the 
Spirit according to God's holy law. So the idea here is that 
you've been regenerated, you've been cleansed, you've been washed 
in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus. You need your feet 
washed daily or cleansed daily. Listen to John Gill. He says, 
the feet of his life and conversation, which are continually gathering 
dirt and need daily washing in the blood of Christ, and therefore 
recourse must be constantly had to that fountain to wash in for 
sin and for uncleanness. I think that's a good reading 
of the text. He who is bathed needs only to 
wash his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but 
not all of you. We can all affirm that theologically. 
Justification. What happens? We're forgiven 
of all of our sins. All of our sins are cleansed 
away by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's wonderful. And in justification, we receive 
His righteousness. It's imputed to us. It's received 
by faith alone. And then we live the life of 
sanctification. Are we perfect? No. Do our feet get dirty day 
in and day out? Yeah. Is there an advocate with 
the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous, for that day in 
and day out dirty feet? Yes, there is. So Jesus is highlighting 
the spiritual significance behind the foot washing. This is what's 
going to obtain. This is what's going to happen 
when he goes to the cross, when he's raised from the dead. This 
is what happens to these disciples proleptically. They're looking 
to the cross. They've already believed. They've 
already been washed. They've already been bathed, 
he says. But you need that daily foot-washing in terms of sanctification. 1 John 1-9, seek the Father's 
friendly face and don't live in light of the darkness of His 
countenance. In other words, dissipate the 
gloomy clouds by maintaining short accounts with God. And 
then he says, or John tells us, or Jesus says, and then John 
interprets for us, he says, but is completely clean. And you 
are clean, but not all of you. For he knew who would betray 
him. Therefore he said, you are not all clean. He knew the betrayer. Notice that Jesus isn't a universalist. 
He knows and affirms the doctrine of reprobation. He knows and 
affirms that not everybody is going to go to heaven. He knows 
and affirms that Judas, the betrayer, is on his way to hell. And he 
says as much. He says, but you're not all clean. 
In fact, there's a traitor in the midst of us. It's announced 
by the evangelist in verse two, and here it is fortified by our 
Savior when he affirms this. I know not all of you are clean. 
I know there's a traitor in our midst. I know there is a betrayer 
in our midst. And John tells us as much. Now 
that brings us then to the exhortation to the disciples in verses 12 
to 17. There's a lot of spiritual things 
going on in the actual act of foot washing. points to the incarnation, 
points to the passion, points to the reality of regeneration, 
justification, points to sanctification, points to a lot of things in 
terms of what we do in theology, explaining the gospel of our 
salvation. So now what Jesus does in 12 
to 17 is he brings it home real practically for the disciples 
as they are being prepared to go out and to make disciples 
of all the nations. See, brethren, getting angry 
at somebody on Facebook or Twitter isn't really the way that Jesus 
commends us to win souls. Calling people idiots and fools 
and, you know, defriending them or blocking them because they 
have a, you know, a bit of a different variation on something that really 
isn't absolutely crucial for salvation doesn't advance the 
cause. Screaming at people on the road, 
now there might be a chance or a time. I gotta think through 
this. There might be a time. Raise your voice a little bit. 
Prophet was told, cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice 
like a trumpet. I'm not suggesting we all be 
passive, limp-wristed, little pushovers as we go out upon the 
task. But Jesus does mandate the means 
by which or the methodology by which his disciples are to represent 
him, to advance his cause. And so he does that here in verses 
12 to 17. What do you think is important? Well, love, self-sacrifice, 
and serving the needs of other people. A lot of times we can 
make a way for ourselves to preach the gospel to another sinner 
by just love, self-sacrifice, and trying to serve their needs. 
Well, there's got to be a formula. Well, if you want a formula, 
there it is. Love them, self-sacrifice for 
them, and tell them the truth as it is in Jesus. I'm sure I've 
shared with you before the old movie. I think it was done in 
the 60s. It was based on a book called The Gospel Blimp. The 
gospel blimp, and it starts off with a group of people sitting 
in their backyard, Christians. How are we going to win sinners 
to Jesus? And they look over the fence, and there's Herm, 
the unconverted neighbor. How do we get Herm to Jesus? Well, we'll get a blimp. And 
from that blimp, we'll send out gospel tracks all over the neighborhood. And Herm will get one of those 
tracks, he'll read that track, and he'll get saved. There's 
steps before the blimp, I think that's sort of the pinnacle of 
their attempts to win Herm. And so, as you might expect, 
as these gospel tracks are showering down upon the neighborhood, people 
cutting their grass aren't too thrilled with this, you know, 
they're doing this, and the guy in the blimp is waving sort of 
like that. How do we reach him? Well, at 
the end of the movie, one of the guys takes harm bowling. 
I'm not saying bowling is the key to successful evangelism. 
The point or the moral of the story was be friendly toward 
people. You don't need blimps. You don't 
need movies. You just need to be friendly. 
You just need to be kind. You just need to be like the 
master. You don't need a blimp, you need 
a basin with water, you need a towel to gurge yourself, and 
you need the humility to get at their feet and wash them. 
That's the point of verses 12 to 17. Notice his argument in 
verses 12 to 14. So when he had washed their feet, 
taken his garments, and sat down again, he said to them, do you 
know what I have done to you? You call me teacher and Lord, 
and you say, well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and teacher, 
have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 
He completes the task, and now he interprets it for them, not 
at the spiritual level, which he already did. We already know 
it goes beyond just washing dirt off feet. But practically, there's 
a lesson here for disciples that are going to be tasked with disciple 
making. So he says, do you know what 
I've done? You call me teacher and Lord, and you say, well, 
for so I am. He affirms his dignity. He affirms 
his royalty. He affirms his majesty. And he 
argues from the greater to lesser. If your superior has washed your 
inferior feet, certainly inferior to inferior ought to be legit, 
certainly inferior to inferior within the context of the disciple 
group, but as well inferior to inferior outside of the disciple 
group with the possibility or potential to weave your way in 
so that you can speak the truth and love concerning the master. 
So he says this in order that they will understand doctrine, 
theology, Bible, knowledge is absolutely crucial, but it must 
be in the orbit and in the context of Christian love and kindness. and gentleness and friendliness 
and happiness and joy. You see, brethren, we're not 
supposed to go out as if we're Muslims. We're gonna see for 
you into the kingdom of heaven. No, that's not what we're supposed 
to do. We tell them the good news as 
it is in Jesus. We take them to this passage 
and say, look it, our master washes the feet of dirty sinners. But that's nothing compared to 
the fact that later on in the book, he washes the hearts of 
dirty sinners. He really is that good. He's 
really that wonderful. He's really that gracious. So 
Jesus says, you've seen what I am, you know what I've done, 
therefore you ought to do the same thing also. I am the teacher, 
one man says, because of the wisdom I teach by my words. I 
am the Lord because of the power I show in my miracles. And as 
I said, it's an argument from the greater to the lesser. Look 
at that. Verse 14, if I then your Lord and teacher have washed 
your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. But 
that really highlights something that we find in the New Testament 
epistles. It's the one another's in the 
New Testament epistles. How are we supposed to conduct 
ourselves in the context of the local church toward one another? 
Pride? Arrogance? We're too good for 
you? We're too mighty for you? We're 
too special for you? No! Humility, self-sacrifice, 
love, finding out the needs of others and seeking to minister 
to them. Look over at the book of Philippians, where we see 
a similar argument based on glorious Christology. Philippians chapter 
2, you know the passage, we often refer to it in terms of the incarnation 
of our Lord. But it comes in a passage wherein 
the apostle is encouraging the people of God to function in 
a particular manner toward the other people of God. Notice verse 
5, "...let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, 
who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to 
be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation." Good translation 
or gloss on what it means to be emptied. He doesn't empty 
himself of divinity, but rather he makes himself of no reputation. by the assumption of our humanity. He's in the form of God. He's 
in the form of a servant and coming in the likeness of man. 
Verse eight, being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself 
and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the 
cross. Therefore God has, or also has highly exalted him and 
given him the name that is above every name. Let's just back up 
to verse five again. Let this mind be in you, which 
was also in Christ Jesus. Well, what mind? Well, that exemplified 
by our Lord in verses six to eight, the form of God taking 
the form of a bondservant, but the specific exhortations in 
verses one to four. Look at what he says, therefore, 
if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, 
if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill 
my joy by being what? By being like-minded. having 
the same love, being of one accord of one mind. Let nothing be done 
through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let 
each esteem others as better than himself. Let each of you 
look out not only for his own interest, but also for the interest 
of others. See, that's the means by which or the strategy by which 
the Savior says to the disciples, you to go out and win the world 
to Jesus. Not with military might, not 
with the biggest guns, but with the most love, the kindness, 
the self-sacrifice. Turn to 1 Peter 5. specifically 
at verse five, and the language of clothing here is reminiscent 
of the upper room and Jesus taking off his outer garment and putting 
that towel around himself to gird himself, then to wash the 
feet of the disciples. Notice in 1 Peter 5.5, likewise, 
you younger people submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you 
be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility 
for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. So 
back to our text. He says in verse 14, if I then 
your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, you also ought to 
wash one another's feet. And then he says very specifically 
that they now have an obligation according to verse 15, for I 
have given you an example that you should do as I have done 
to you. You don't just say, wow, that 
was great, Lord. My feet are squeaky clean. That's great, 
Lord. My heart is squeaky clean. Now 
I can just go lay on my couch with a clean heart and clean 
feet. No, you're supposed to go out and do that kind of stuff 
to others as well. You can't clean their hearts. 
You don't have the power to regenerate people. You can't make them anew. 
You can't make them born again. But you certainly have the capacity, 
through your own humility, self-sacrifice, to care for and to look out for 
the needs of others. That's certainly in your wheelhouse. 
And that's certainly your obligation, based on the fact that the servant 
of Yahweh took this outer garment off, girded himself with a towel, 
poured water into a basin, and then went to the feet of these 
dirty disciples and washed them. But even more transcendent of 
that, he goes to the cross in order to shed his precious blood 
so that he can wash us from our sins. Why does he do that? So 
we can enjoy the salvation of God. What's another means by 
which we enjoy the salvation of God? By serving other people 
within the context of the church. The one and others be kindly 
affectionate to one another. be hospitable to one another, 
love one another, care for one another. All these one another's 
in the scripture have as their backdrop, the fact that the son 
of God did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his 
life a ransom for many. So he shows them the spiritual 
truth behind the foot washing and then gives them the practical 
exhortation. This isn't a sacrament in the 
church. It's not supposed to be done every Christmas that 
we wash each other's feet. It is a paradigm of service, 
much akin to what he does in Matthew 20. at verses 26 to 28. But Jesus called them to himself 
and said, you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lorded over them 
and those who are great exercise authority over them, yet it shall 
not be so among you. But whoever desires to become 
great among you, let him be your servant. Whoever desires to be 
first among you, let him be your slave. Just as the son of man 
did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life, 
a ransom for many. He's preparing the disciples 
for service in his name to advance his cause through the preaching 
of the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit. So he tells 
them their obligation. He encourages them with a pattern 
that he uses in persecution. He'll do it in John 15. He does 
it in Matthew 10. Notice in verse 16, Most assuredly, 
I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor 
is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. In other words, 
when it comes to persecution, Matthew 10, John 15, know that 
if they persecute the master, they're gonna persecute the servant. Are we surprised at the increasing 
oppression or persecution that happens in the world? I don't 
like it. I don't like it. I'd like them 
to just leave me alone. You probably have heard me say 
that ad nauseum. But I'm not surprised. Why do 
the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing? Why do they 
take their counsel against Yahweh and against his Christ? Why do 
they say, we will not have this one to rule over us? So if they're 
opposed to Yahweh and His Christ, they're going to be opposed to 
Christ's people. So he says that in Matthew 10. 
He says that in John 15. We see that pattern throughout 
the book of Acts. But it's also not just for persecution 
and oppression by the civil state or false religion. But it's also 
with reference to service amongst ourselves and service to others. That's the point of verse 16. 
Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than 
his master, nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent 
him. And then he pronounces a beatitude upon them in verse 17. Blessed 
are you if you hear this and you do it. Blessed are you if 
you hear what I say and you put it into practice. You ever thought 
about that? Do you ever get spiritually low 
or depressed? Well, not me, brother. I'm just 
always at the top ebb and flow, always firing on all pistons. We all have struggles, don't 
we? We all are down in the dumps from time to time. We all understand 
when the psalmist says, Yea, though I walk through the valley 
of the shadow of death. Yeah, there's the particular 
application of that, our 11th hour when we're laying on our 
deathbed. But there's something foreshadowing in our lives of 
that episode. We find ourselves in the valleys 
in the Christian life. Do you know what's a good way 
to deal with that? By brooding, by whining, and by complaining. Because that gets you right out 
of the valley immediately. I mean, it just exalts you right 
from it. Whining, and brooding, and complaining. Try it. You 
probably don't have to because you have in the past, and you 
realize I'm being cheeky. It doesn't get you out of the 
valley. You know what it does from time to time when you minister 
to the needs of others? There was an instance, an episode 
that happened in one of our churches many, many years ago. And I remember 
on the heels of it, there was quite a, just a blow to the congregation. And a brother of mine, a ministerial 
friend of mine said, you know what they ought to do? They ought 
to set up a barbecue in their parking lot, start cooking up 
burgers and hamburgers, feeding each other, and inviting all 
the neighbors. Advance the cause through burgers and hot dogs? No. But don't just dwell in the 
doldrums. Don't just be content in the 
bottom of the hole. Brethren, if you're like me, 
you know by this point in your Christian life, you gotta sometimes 
claw your way out of that hole. It doesn't... Lord, deliver me 
from the hole! Boop! Right there, you're standing 
on the side of it. You have good counselors that 
come along and they say, you know, you really shouldn't live 
in that hole. You should get up out of that hole. Worst counsel 
we give to each other. You need to get out of that hole. 
Really? I didn't know that. I'm quite 
at peace in the bottom of this hole. Brethren, they know they 
need to get out of the hole. That's not the issue. It's how to get out of the hole. 
Again, whining, brooding, and complaining, that's one method. 
Sometimes that digs the hole a bit deeper. But getting outside 
of yourselves and helping somebody else, maybe the Master's right. 
Maybe the Lord Jesus is right. Maybe he knows that there's a 
blessing, a beatitude to be had when we look outside ourselves 
and we serve one another. That's the beatitude pronounced. 
Now, I just want to summarize all that we have learned in the 
space of about 30 seconds to a minute. First, the exhortation 
for Christian service. We're going to walk our way backwards. 
Actually, I do not intend to do it in 30 seconds to a minute, 
but I don't intend to do it for too long. This isn't WWJD. I remember some of you now are 
too young to remember the WWJD campaign. You wore a bracelet, 
and it said on it, WWJD. Well, that harkens back to a 
book, What Would Jesus Do? So, you know, you're at the fork 
in the road, you're going to choose sin or you're going to 
choose Jesus, and you go, well, what would Jesus do? And it's 
just kind of exemplary type of a mindset. And I'm not suggesting 
you choose what Jesus wouldn't do, but the gospel isn't just 
example. It's not just moral behavior 
and modification and all that sort of thing. That's not what 
Jesus is doing here. Jesus isn't preaching law to 
sinners. Okay, just do what I do, wash feet, and then you'll go 
to heaven. He's talking to the twelve, well, the eleven, that 
are going to be specifically tasked with being foundational 
to him the cornerstone in building the church. How are they going 
to build that church? Through faithful, loving service 
to others. They're going to do it through 
sound doctrine. That is not even an argument. I'm not saying it's 
either or. It must be both and. Sound doctrine 
and loving deeds of service. So there is an exemplary element 
to this specifically communicated in verses 12 to 17. And the specific 
emphasis is on humility. Humility, as I said earlier. 
Hey, I washed 15 feet today. Boy, I should get a prize. No. Ryle says, we are all naturally 
self-righteous. It is the family disease of all 
the children of Adam. From the highest to the lowest, 
we think more highly of ourselves than we ought to do. We secretly 
flatter ourselves that we are not so bad as some, and that 
we have something to recommend us to the favor of God. I think 
he's right. I think he probably understates 
it tremendously. Thomas says, and since he who 
had come from God and was going to God is now washing the feet 
of others, he is treading underfoot the universal tendency to pride. 
Yeah, that's what he's doing. He's treading underfoot the universal 
tendency to pride. Remember, this isn't a spa. Come on in, put your shoes there, 
take your socks off. We'll scent them first with a 
few drops just to make sure our masseuse doesn't retch. And then 
we're going to lull you to sleep with this wonder. He's washing 
dirty feet of dirty working men. that hadn't had a shower recently, 
that could possibly not have had a shower even less than recently, 
had possibly been in the water, whatever, take your shoes off 
for a day. Bring them to your wife at the 
end of the day and say, honey, let's go ahead and enact this 
John 13 scene. Get them away from me, go wash 
them first. This is humility, brethren. The 
son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give 
his life a ransom for many. As well, self-sacrifice. The superior takes the outer 
garment off, girds himself with a towel, pours the water into 
the basin, and takes the position of a slave. Having the form of 
God, he assumed the form of a servant. That's not hyperbole. That's 
not just made up. That's not just some literary 
flash on the part of the apostle. That's the incarnation of the 
Son of God. He takes on our humanity. He 
makes himself of no reputation by assuming our nature. And this is an emblem of that. And then the emphasis on ministering 
to the needs of the others. You need your feet washed. You 
need this sort of help. And Jesus gives this. So the 
exemplary function of the passage mustn't be minimized. Again, 
I'm not recommending it as a sacrament of the church. I think that's 
over-reading into the text. Some churches or some communions 
practice that every year. We have a foot washing. We do 
this in imitation of our Lord. That's not the point. The go-thou-do 
likewise isn't wash your friend's nasty feet. The go-thou-do likewise 
is love him, be self-sacrificing for him, and engage in deeds 
of service for him, whether it's foot washing, whether it's picking 
him up on the freeway because his car broke down, whether it's 
bringing her a meal because she had some issues in the day, whatever 
it may be, loving deeds of kindness, not just foot washing. But then 
secondly, I want to look at Peter. I want to look at Peter. The 
recognition of his insignificance in Christ's worthiness. Good! 
Excellent! But then the demonstration of 
his stubbornness. Not so good, not so excellent, but again, 
something we've come to appreciate. Not in the, hey, I want to be 
like Peter way, but yeah, I get it. He kind of symptomizes, is 
symptomatic of some of us in the Christian life. But that 
Peter wanted his part in Jesus. that he wanted his part in Jesus. This is the message I wanna leave 
with you today. Jesus is everything. Jesus is 
worthy. Jesus is significant. Jesus is 
glorious. Jesus is God's son who took on 
our flesh to live for us, to die for us, and to rise again. 
That's what I want you to hear today. Whether you got all the 
foot washing, the emblematic, the symbol, the whatever, just 
get this. Jesus is the best in the universe. Jesus is the best 
to have. Jesus is the best, and I dare 
say it, possess. We possess Him by faith. He possesses 
us by His grace. He's the best. So when Peter 
is presented with this opportunity to double down yet again and 
refuse, he says, no, wash my feet, wash my hands, wash my 
head, wash everything I have, Lord. Why? Because I want my 
part with Jesus. And then Jesus does this. See, 
that's what's absolutely mind-blowing, is that Jesus doesn't just talk 
like this. Jesus actually washed their feet. Jesus actually goes to the cross. Jesus actually washes a great 
multitude that no man can number. And the washing isn't, as I said 
earlier, a spa where you have a pre-treatment with one of the 
the inferiors and then send him to the masseuse who's got the 
mask on and is ready to actually get at the... It's not that! 
Listen to the apostle in the book of 1 Corinthians. Do you 
not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom 
of God? Do not be deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor 
adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor 
covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will 
inherit the kingdom of God. We know that, right? In a moral 
universe, it makes perfect sense for God to take guilty sinners 
and send them to everlasting fire. That's not a hard concept. If you think for a moment, you 
see pedophiles today, you see criminals today, and what rises 
up in you? They should be convicted. They 
should be put to death, or they should be put in prison. They 
should be dealt with accordingly. This does not surprise anyone. Do you not know that the unrighteous 
will not inherit the kingdom of God? Don't be deceived. Neither 
fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, sodomites, thieves, 
covetous, or drunkards, or revilers, or extortioners will inherit 
the kingdom of God. What's surprising is what Paul 
says next. because of what Jesus does, not 
just here in the foot-washing, but in the heart-washing. He 
says, and such were some of you, but you were washed, you were 
sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus 
and by the Spirit of our God. Jesus is everything. Believe 
on Jesus and you will have everything. Your part in Jesus includes every 
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Not just a 
little bit. When he saves you, he saves to 
the uttermost. He's in the business, not just 
of washing dirty feet, but washing dirty hearts. Believe in him 
and you will be saved. Well, let us pray. Our God and 
Father, we thank You for our blessed Savior. We thank You 
for His willingness to go to that cross for us men and for 
our salvation. And we thank You that that willingness 
is demonstrated so beautifully here in John 13, 4 to 17, when 
He takes off the outer garment, when He puts that towel around 
Him, when He puts that water in the basin, and He washes the 
feet of these dirty men. We thank you for that emblem 
of the gospel of our salvation. We know that we are sinners. 
We know that we have transgressed. We know that we are justly liable 
to your wrath and to your curse, both in this life and that which 
is to come. But we, by grace, have been washed, 
and we rejoice in that. And God help us to go thou and 
do likewise, knowing that we can't atone for the sins of our 
fellows, but we can certainly sacrificially serve them in a 
way that pleases and glorifies you. And we ask through Jesus 
Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, why don't we stand 
and we'll sing number 566, or I'm sorry, 564, as we close out 
our worship this morning. 564, we'll stand as we sing together. 
♪ Who only do it wondrous works 
♪ ♪ In glory that excels ♪ ♪ Who only do it wondrous works ♪ ♪ 
In glory that excels ♪ ♪ Blessed be his glorious name to all eternity 
♪ ♪ The whole earth let his glory fill, all men shall see ♪ is And from Jesus Christ, the faithful 
witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the 
kings of the earth, to him who loved us and washed us from our 
sins in his own blood, and has made us kings and priests, to 
his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and 
ever. Amen. Our Father, we thank you for 
the gracious and wonderful provision of your Son, the Son of your 
love, the only begotten Son, who saved us from our sins. May you indeed encourage our 
hearts, build us up in our most holy faith, and cause us to bring 
glory and honor and praise to you. And bless that preaching 
of your word throughout the earth, and may sinners see Jesus as 
the altogether lovely and chief among 10,000, and may they believe 
on him. And we pray through Christ our 
Lord. Amen. We may be seated for a brief 
time of meditation.