Jesus washing of the feet
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It teaches me the importance of caring for other's needs, to identify the need, and fill it if possible, regardless of other considerations. To set the example of leadership through humble servitude.
What it symbolizes for me is the kindly loving heart of our Savior, and, let this mind be in you.
Much love!
amigo de christo
Well-Known Member
It teaches us and can indeed sum up our entire walk . IF JESUS BEING MASTER came as one who served
THEN who are we to exalt ourselves , lord ourselves over anyone .
Follow the glorious LORD . Cause in truth , HE ALONE was worthy to have HIS FEET washed
and YET HE showed them how they and us ought to walk . I just realized , ITS TIME AGAIN TO LET THE GLORIOUS LORD BE PRAISED
and thanked . YES IT IS . Hands up , let the praises begin .
quietthinker
Well-Known Member
that we have revealed to us a God who serves......and if we are willing to join the dots, much of how we thought will need review if not scraping.
quietthinker
Well-Known Member
I wonder about your repeated 'language' amigo.....forgive me but it sounds like the the servant girl following Paul around day after day proclaiming 'These men are the servants of the most high God, which show to us the way of salvation'. Acts 16:17
amigo de christo
Well-Known Member
Oh , why do i praise and thank so much . Well its not a spirit of divination .
Of whom much has been forgiven , the same IS GONNA BE VERY THANKFUL . AND I HAD to be one of the worst that ever lived .
Yeah , so excuse me a bit , ITS LORD PRAISING and LORD THANKINGTIME . PRAISE GOD for His mercy on a such a wicked thing
as i once was .
Will You Wash My Feet?
When Jesus sent out His disciples He said these words:
"And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat." Matt 10:7-10
When have I recognized this Way myself? When have we recognized this Way ourselves? When was the last time we heard from God and then went the Way He told us to go? We say that we have never heard His voice? Have we never read or heard the lines that I quoted above? Do we only hear what the preacher teaches? Do we only follow the pathways of least resistance?
Am I criticizing everyone else? No, I am criticizing me! I can pray for you, but I cannot act for you, especially when my own feet are so often dirty...
I will wash your feet! Will you wash mine?
I had some wonderful experiences in actually washing people's natural feet in the past, but as has been said there is much more to it than that. Why was it that Jesus washed His apostles’ feet, but when Peter suggested that He wash more than his feet, Jesus then answered?
"... He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all." John 13:10
The purposes of the heart and head of each, except Judas, were clean.
“For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.” John 13:11
All of them had walked in places that were unclean. That is to say, they had each and every one of them walked in sin. Jesus was preparing them to walk on a new pathway. Only the one mentioned retained evil purposes in his heart and he alone needed more than a foot washing.
“If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.
For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” John 13:14-15
How can we walk along the “highway of holiness” [Isa 35:8] when our feet are still unclean from the sinful pathways on which we have already walked?
Thus it was needful for the priests under the old covenant to wash themselves so as not to defile the tabernacle in the wilderness or the temple. This was a shadow of the place where we are to enter with Jesus and His Father.
"So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations." Exo 30:21
Jesus explains here why it was not necessary to wash one’s hands:
“But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.” Matt 15:18-20
"The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.
He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and he hath set the world upon them.
He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.” I Sam 2:7-9
"And she arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let thine handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord." I Sam 25:41
"God is my strength and power: And he maketh my way perfect.
He maketh my feet like hinds' feet: and setteth me upon my high places." II Sam 22:33-34 [Ps 18:33][Hab 3:19]
"He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” Ps 40:2
“For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?” Ps 56:13
“The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.” Ps 58:10
“I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.” Ps 119:59
“My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.” Prov 1:15-16
“I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?” Song 5:3
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” Isa 52:7 [Rom 10:15]
When our feet are still marked with the filth of the wrong pathways we have followed then as Pharaoh, we will rub off some of our dirt on others who rub shoulders with us during our day.
“Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers.” Ezek 32:2
“And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats.
Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?
And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle.
Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad;
Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.” Ezek 34:17-24
"And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.” Luke 7:44-47
I will definitely wash your feet.
One thing I learned besides humility that Jesus taught, is that a person needs to also be humble enough to accept his feet to be washed.
This convo came up with one of my friends at church and I basically felt that I wasn’t worthy enough to have my feet washed. But they convinced me to accept this symbolic act which is also humility in itself.
Give God the glory my friend. The first time it was difficult to do, but I learned that it was perhaps the best type of special service I ever attended.
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I was unaware that this was ever practiced outside certain Anabaptist denominations. Who do so because Jesus commanded it.
I don't limit this to a "foot washing ceremony" where we take our socks off of our manicured and showered feet for others to slosh some water over. I just don't see that connected to what Jesus was doing. That we construct a rite to follow, to mirror His act, but without the substance that made it meaningful.
For me this is more like cleaning up someone's vomit for them. Or when the toilet overflows, be the first one there, with a smile. Be the one to take the plate of food to that vile man. Not as a symbolic ceremony, but because we have love in our hearts, and don't care about filth, compared to how much we love.
I think of this a Jesus' example of seeing past the distastefulness, or perceived humiliation in doing something, to see to the person, and their need, and not be put off by how dirty or smelly or distasteful something or someone seems. But to just love them, and care for their needs.
Much love!
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I have never attended an Anabaptist service. The first place where we used do it was with Jesus Only Oneness [UPC] group.
I believe every one of us has a 'foot washing' ministry, that is, to serve and encourage each other. It is an illustration of the servant heart of Jesus.
When you think about what it would be like to walk for miles over unmade stony and dusty roads in open sandals, to have your feet washed would have been so lovely and refreshing, and would have made it much easier to carry on walking.
Scripture says, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!” Isaiah 52:7
By washing each others tired and dusty feet metaphorically we are serving people and helping them to feel refreshed and ready to carry on spreading the Good News of Jesus.
When you think about what it would be like to walk for miles over unmade stony and dusty roads in open sandals, to have your feet washed would have been so lovely and refreshing, and would have made it much easier to carry on walking.
Scripture says, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!” Isaiah 52:7
By washing each others tired and dusty feet metaphorically we are serving people and helping them to feel refreshed and ready to carry on spreading the Good News of Jesus.
Bob Estey
Well-Known Member
Never thought of this before. What pops into my head is that the Lord washes our sin away.
I once led a home group that was enjoying the benefits of 2 years of a great move of the Holy Spirit, of which I was a minister of. One night I suggested that we wash one another's feet. Seldom have I seen a group so unified! "NOOO WAY!" I was stunned.
It was at that point that I began to realize how spoiled and selfish the church as I knew it was.
A conference to learn how to minister to the poor was cancelled due to lack of interest.
Conferences in which one could be blessed were sold out all the time. Oh well.
It's done at the Adventist churches prior to Communion every quarter. It's called the ordinance of humility.Wash each other's feet. You don't have to participate. If there is anyone there who you feel you have offended, or someone that you feel has offended you, that is the person whose feet you should wash. Course, it's women to women and men to men.
quietthinker
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Lambano
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Perhaps they don’t want to put a stumbling block in the path of somebody with a foot fetish?
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