FEET-WASHING, THE LORD’S SUPPER, CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGE, AND TESTIMONY
The Lord’s thought in washing the disciples’ feet was to remove everything which might cause a shade of distance between Himself and His loved ones, anything which might interfere with that holy intimacy and communion which should exist between Himself and His own. Let us remark that this service originated with the Lord, and hence expresses what was in His own heart. In passing through this evil world we are liable to get defiled by coming in contact with men, and imbibing their thoughts. In that way we touch the unclean and become defiled and earthly-minded. Nothing tends to this more than what we read and the conversation we listen to. In many ways we may get defiled before we are conscious of it.
The Lord now carries on this service in a large part mediately through His saints; we are exhorted to wash one another’s feet. “If I therefore, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another’s feet; for I have given you an example that, as I have done to you, ye should do also”, John 13: 15. It is an obligation laid upon us, a service of love. If walking in love, we should desire to remove from one another everything which would cause distance or hinder communion with the Lord and one another. Love will not tolerate distance.
The washing is by the word; what He speaks of as “my word”, or the Father’s word. It is the washing of water by the word. The word is the means by which the revelation of the Father in the Son is brought home to us. It is in the positive ministry of the word that we wash one another’s feet.
This service of the Lord took place during the passover supper, it was previous to the institution of the Lord’s supper, and preparatory to it. It was the Passover sop which the Lord gave to Judas, after which he went out immediately, so that he was not present at the institution of the Lord’s supper. Luke’s account might seem to contradict this, but we must remember that Luke does not relate things in chronological order, but groups events together in a moral order. He relates other things as if taking place after the supper, which in other gospels are related as preceding the supper.
I judge that the feet-washing is preparatory to the Supper, so that we may be free to sit down together in communion with the Lord and with one another.
It is well known that in the gospel of John we do not get the account of the institution of the Lord’s supper. But we have it in pattern. In chapter 20 the disciples are found together in separation from the world which had crucified the Lord, the doors being shut, and the Lord came into the midst speaking peace to them, and shewed them His hands and His side. He manifested Himself to them in this way as the living One who had in love died for them, as much as to say, See how I have loved you. “Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord”. Is not this what we look for in coming together to break bread? That is, that the Lord will come and manifest Himself to us, and speak to our hearts of His love. We call Him to mind, or, as it has been said, ‘call Him into presence’: ‘Do this for the calling me to mind’, see note in 1 Cor 11: 24.
In this company there were suitable conditions, so that as He had promised the Lord was free to come to them and manifest Himself to them. They were a sanctified company, they were together in unity, for they loved Him, and they loved one another. He comes to those who want Him. “If any one love me, he will keep my word; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our abode with him”, John 14: 23. He will not keep away from those who love Him. While bodily absent, He can make Himself spiritually present.
Then we may regard the breaking of bread as preparatory to our entering upon Christian privilege. Before coming to the disciples, the Lord had sent the message through Mary, announcing the fact that as His brethren they were now associated with Him in life beyond death, and as the Son of the Father’s love, saying, “Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God”. Nothing could more fully express the greatness of Christian privilege, to be entered upon now, and to be enjoyed eternally in its fulness. It is what the apostle speaks of in the epistle to the Colossians as being “quickened together with him”, Col 2: 13.
In coming into their midst, speaking peace, and manifesting Himself to them, and breathing into them His own Spirit, the Lord was preparing them to take up their privilege in association with Himself. Thus, in the breaking of bread the Lord would manifest Himself to us, and appealing to our affections would make known to us the thoughts of His love in dying for us, and would lead us in spirit to the Father, in the consciousness that we are one with Him. As He prayed, “that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us”, John 17: 21. It is only in the Spirit that we can take up this heavenly position and privilege while in our present flesh and blood condition. It is a spiritual position, and can only be known by spiritual persons. That we should have this blessed position in association with Him, such was His thought in dying for us.
Having said again, “Peace be to you”, and having breathed into them, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit”, He sent them forth, saying, “as the Father sent me forth, I also send you ... Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted to them; whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained”. They were to go forth in His Spirit to represent Him, and to continue the testimony which He had witnessed to when here. The preparation for this was what had already taken place. He had placed them before the Father in His own position, loved as He had been loved. It is only as this is known that we can rightly represent Him here. If we are defective in the enjoyment of our privileges, we shall be defective in our testimony. How the church has failed in this testimony is, alas, only too evident, but it is still open to those who would desire to be here in His name. And such there will be until the end, those who keep His word, and who do not deny His name. Before such He has set an opened door. Such will find themselves in the company of the Holy Spirit, and will enjoy the support of the Lord. The testimony will never fail, it will be preserved till the Lord comes.
From The Believer’s Friend vol 17 (1925)