"He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded" (John 13:4, 5).
They had overlooked the hiring of a servant, which was the custom in the East. No one was present to wash the disciples' feet, and not one of them would think of taking the place of a servant and performing this menial task. So Jesus took a towel and girded Himself, and took water, and, beginning with Judas, went from one disciple to another, washing their feet. But when He came to Peter, Peter objected and told the Master that he would never permit Him to wash his feet. Then Jesus said to him: "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me." Immediately Peter changed. He laid aside his pride, humbled himself, and allowed the Master to wash his feet. When Jesus had completed His task, washing last the feet of John, He laid aside the towel, the water, and the basin, and seated Himself at the table as He made this pronouncement: "Ye are clean."
What a wonderful pronouncement! Not a physical cleansing, necessarily, but a spiritual cleansing—the hearts had been washed, their sins confessed. They had acknowledged their pride and guilt. The washing of their feet was a symbol of the washing of sin from their hearts. But then He said, "Ye are clean, but not all." He was referring to Judas. That proud and arrogant disciple had been conniving and scheming to reach a prominent place in the kingdom of Christ, which he thought was soon to be established. He had even stooped to the terrible depths of becoming a betrayer; he had gone out and bargained with the enemies of Christ to betray his Lord. As Jesus was washing his feet, Judas could hardly contain himself. His conscience almost overwhelmed him, and he was at the point of making a confession and a surrender. But he was proud. He was afraid he would lose his standing with the other disciples. He was stubborn. So he refused to surrender. Of course the washing of his feet meant very little. His heart remained unchanged. Jesus said, "Ye are clean, but not all." Judas was still unclean, his sin still unconfessed. He refused to humble himself and acknowledge his guilt.
The point is this: Here are two disciples, Peter and Judas. Both were proud men. Peter was proud, and he objected at first to having his feet washed, but then he was willing to surrender, to humble himself, to acknowledge his guilt, to confess his sin, to be cleansed. Judas was not only proud but also stubborn. He knew he was wrong. Already he was laboring under the guilt of that heinous sin of betraying his Lord. The blood money was on his person. But he would not change his way, so he remained unclean.
One of the most grievous sins of our age today is pride. One of the greatest things lacking in the church today, as well as in the world, is humility.
Last winter we had a little kitten in our home. It stayed rather close to the house and did not know very much about the dangers of the outside, until one day it was permitted to go out. A neighborhood dog came chasing that little kitten, and it became frightened and ran to the top of the nearest tree, where it found a place of safety. In a minute or two the dog, realizing he could not climb the tree, ran off. The little kitten tried to come down the tree headfirst, but found it could not make it that way. It did not try to turn around and back down, so there it remained, frigid and crying, until I went to the tree and stretched to the very height to reach the kitten. The kitten had not learned to back down!
When we have made mistakes and wronged our brethren, we must back down and admit our faults. The Bible says, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another." That does not mean that we are to go out and tell all of our friends our faults, but it does mean that when we have wronged others, we must back down. One of the signs of true greatness is to admit that one has made a mistake.
Peter was willing, so he was cleansed; but Judas, that proud, dignified disciple, who was not only proud but stubborn as well, went out that night and closed the door behind him; he went out into eternal oblivion, because he refused to be cleansed by the Master. He would not confess his guilt.
As we participate in this ordinance of preparation it is a symbol to the world that we acknowledge our guilt, that we are willing to back down, that we acknowledge we have made mistakes. We go to our brother and seek a reconciliation. It might be to husband, wife, children, some officer in the church, someone in the neighborhood. Then we go to God and confess to Him and seek His forgiveness. What a thrill comes into the heart as we enter into this ordinance of service and realize that it is a symbol of inner cleansing! May there be no pride ruling in our hearts this day, but may there be a willingness to acknowledge our guilt and cry out from the depths of our souls to the Lord Jesus for forgiveness, and then we shall have the assurance that we have been cleansed from all sins. "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from Its," is the promise. They will no longer be seen. This is our privilege. It makes this service most sacred. He who refuses to participate in reality is telling the world that he is not guilty, that he is aloof from the temptations of life and has not made a failure, or else is acknowledging his stubbornness and is acting the part of Judas. Let us take the part of Peter today, and even if we have had pride in our hearts, let us say, "Not my feet only, but also my hands and my head."
"When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
"Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a tribute far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my life, my soul, my all."
—ISAAC WATTS
