A sermon from Brent Kercheville.
We have been looking at how Jesus goes about transforming Simon into Peter through the different teachings and interactions Jesus has with his apostle. I would like for us to open our copies of God’s word to John 13 where we will consider another important interaction between Jesus and Peter. As we come to John 13 we are told in the first verse that we are close to the cross. Jesus is in Jerusalem before the Passover and we know from the gospel accounts that this is the Passover in which Jesus will be betrayed, arrested, tried, and crucified. You will notice in verse 2 that Judas already has a plan in his heart to betray Jesus. But as we look at what Jesus is going to do for his disciples, I want us to pay attention to how Peter is responding to Jesus and how Jesus transforms Peter through his teachings.
Peter’s Struggle (John 13:4-8)
What Jesus does next is shocking and highly instructive. Jesus sets aside his outer clothing, takes a towel, wraps it around his waist, fills a basin with water, and begins to wash the feet of his disciples. Please imagine this moment. Please see Jesus getting up from the dinner table. See Jesus taking off his robe, making him ready for action. See Jesus take a towel and put it around his waist. See Jesus pour water into a basin. See Jesus getting down on his hands and knees. You can only imagine the eyes of the disciples getting wider and wider. You can imagine all the thoughts that are running through the disciples’ minds. But then see Jesus, with a towel around his waist and a basin of water in front of him, taking the foot of one of the disciples, lifting it up, taking the water and washing that foot and wiping that foot with the towel. The task of washing the feet of another was reserved for the lowest of servants. Washing feet was considered demeaning in the first century. Peers did not wash each others’ feet. Some Jews argued that Jewish servants should not wash feet and that only Gentile servants should perform this act (cf. Pillar New Testament Commentary, p. 463). You must be shocked by what you are reading Jesus do to his disciples in this room.
Jesus makes his way down the length of the table, washing feet. We do not know how many feet were washed when Jesus pulls the basin of water up to the feet of Peter. But when Jesus does, Peter asks, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” (John 13:6). It is clear that this is not a question for information but a question about what Jesus is doing. What are you doing right now? You are going to wash my feet? There is tone in this question that shows that this is an incredulous act in Peter’s mind. We can confirm this in the way Jesus answers Peter in verse 7. “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand” (John 13:7 ESV). Jesus answers that he knows that Peter does not understand what he is doing right now. Later you will understand what this all means.
But notice how Peter responds in verse 8. “You shall never wash my feet” (John 13:8 ESV). Jesus says that you do not understand this now but will later. Peter tells Jesus that he is not going to do this. You are not washing my feet. You will never wash my feet. Now I want us to think about what Peter is saying because I think we would agree with Peter. Jesus should not be washing feet. He should not be washing my feet. I am not going to let you do this. I know you are the superior. I know you are the greater. I know you are the Christ. I know you are the Holy One of God. You are not washing my feet! I do not think Peter is being rash or insolent. Peter is being logical. I know who you are, Jesus. I know who I am. You are not going to serve me. You are not going to do this. I should be serving you. You should not be serving me.
Jesus says something startling. Jesus does not accept what Peter says. Jesus does not say, “Well, done! You passed the test because you know who I am and you understand who you are.” This is not what Jesus says. Jesus tells Peter that if he does not let him do this, then you have no share with him. If you do not let me wash your feet, then we do not have a relationship. We do not have a participation together.
But I do not want us to leave this teaching too quickly. Do not let yourself run by what Jesus just said. You must let Jesus serve you if you are going to belong to him. You must let Jesus wash you if you are going to have any part with him. Are we willing to let Jesus serve us? I know that it sounds strange. Perhaps it sounds as strange to us as it was for Peter to see Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. But Peter was not going to let Jesus serve him. Do we see the problem with this thinking? We cannot be good enough to come to God and have a relationship with him. We cannot do enough to belong to God. We have to let Jesus wash us. We have to let Jesus serve us. We must let Jesus do his transforming work. We cannot tell Jesus what he can and cannot do for us and in us. I think it is easy to think about all the things we need to do but do not think about what God needs to do for us. Now Jesus will explain this a little more. So let’s keep going so we can understand how Jesus will serve us.
Peter’s Cleansing (John 13:9-11)
When Jesus tells Peter that he can have no part with him unless he washes him, you have to love Peter’s response. Then do not just wash my feet but also my head and hands. If washing brings me closer to you, then keep on washing! Don’t stop! Wash my head and wash my hands. Now listen to how Jesus continues the metaphor to explain how Jesus will serve Peter and his disciples. Look at verse 10. The one who has already bathed does not need to wash. Only the feet need to be washed. The reason the feet still need to be washed it because those are the only parts of the body that would be dirty after walking the dusty dirt roads of Jerusalem. The rest of the body was still clean because that person had bathed earlier. We understand this metaphor. If you took a shower this morning and but then you took out the trash, you do not need to take another shower. You just need to wash your hands because only your hands are dirty.
This is the point Jesus is making to Peter. You are not dirty from head to toe. You are clean. But you have one area of your body that needs cleansing — your feet. You must let Jesus wash where you are still dirty. This is a really important metaphor. You are a disciple. You are clean. But you have an area in your life that is now dirty that needs washing. This is a really important point for learning. What area in your life are you not letting Jesus wash? What dirt are you keeping away from Jesus cleansing? Now do you hear what Jesus is teaching? You cannot have any part with him if you do not let Jesus serve you by cleansing the sin that you are holding back from him.
The metaphor really helps us see the point Jesus is making. We could take out the trash and pretend that our hands are not dirty. Sometimes we want to do this with Jesus. We want to hide or ignore the fact that we have dirty areas that need cleansing. Friends, Jesus knows where your dirty areas are. You know where your dirty areas are. You must let Jesus serve you by allowing Jesus to wash the dirt you are holding in your life. You must let Jesus wash your feet. Are there sexual sins that you are holding back from Jesus, not allowing him to cleanse you, redeem you, and transform you from committing? Are there sinful expressions of your emotions that you are not allow Jesus to cleanse, redeem, and transform within you? What I want us to think about is the need for us to allow Jesus to do his cleansing work in our lives and in our hearts. We cannot tell Jesus that he is not going to wash what is dirty within us and remain in fellowship with him.
You see the contrast when it comes to Judas. Judas is not clean, according to verses 10-11. There was one among them who did not need to just have his feet washed. He needed everything washed. I want us to be honest that maybe that is us. Maybe we think that we just have our feet that needs washing when the reality is that we are not clean at all. We have the look of being a disciple but we have not given our hearts or our lives to following Jesus. We have the look of righteousness but inside we are still unclean. To use Jesus’ illustration, the outside of the cup is clean but the inside of the cup is still filthy (cf. Matthew 23:25).
Served To Serve (John 13:13-17)
Notice where Jesus takes the rest of this teaching. Jesus serving you is to lead you to serve others. But I want us to think about the continuation of the metaphor Jesus is using. In verse 14 Jesus says that you should wash one another’s feet just as I have washed yours. But Jesus showed us that there was a deeper meaning to his washing. Certainly, one of the keys is serving one another. But Jesus was talking about the spiritual serving he was offering. The washing Jesus was doing was symbolic of the spiritual cleansing he was able to give. This leads us to understand that we are being told that we cannot merely receive the healing and cleansing that Jesus gives. We must go out and share that healing and cleansing with others. Jesus illustrated this idea in another place in John’s gospel.
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37-38 ESV)
Notice that after we come to Jesus and drink the living waters, rivers of living waters are to flow out of our hearts to the rest of the world. We are cleansed and transformed by Jesus so that we can bring refreshing waters to others so they will be cleansed and transformed by Jesus. But here is where I want to challenge us as we conclude this lesson. We must let Jesus serve us if we are going to be the servants that Jesus is calling for us to be. We must let Jesus serve us by letting him completely renovate and transform our lives so that we can be the cleansed disciples Jesus expects. So what are you holding back? What will you not turn over to Jesus so that you can be completely clean? Jesus is ready to wash your feet. Will you tell him no? Or will you confess your sins to Jesus and let him cleanse you and change you?