FEET-WASHING
FEET-WASHING
JT If you had read on to verse 30 we should have seen that Judas went out; that is, there was a circle in which Christ’s ministry was carried on, which was a circle of light, out of which Judas went. He went out of the circle of light, and he went out into the darkness which marks the present state of things; the conditions seen at this moment. It was a circle of light, where divine love was active, out of which Judas went; and he went into darkness.
My thought was that we might consider that which is within in connection with the activity of divine love taking the form of service one to another. There is a very beautiful thought in Psalm 134 in regard to those who “by night stand in the house of the Lord”. The present period is outwardly the period of night, but there is the circle in which there is light, and it is our privilege to be in that circle in readiness to take care of one another.
Rem We need to know the Lord’s love to His own before we can show it to one another.
JT Yes, that is the idea. The Lord sets before their eyes what their attitude should be during His absence, so that we have a pattern of how we are to conduct ourselves during His absence; that is the point of what He did. He said, “Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am” (verse 13); and then He says, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35); or more correctly “love amongst yourselves”. What I think saints should be exercised about is to have a reserve; a stock of love at all times. It is not that love is always to be active, but that the thing should be there, that it may be [p. 293] ready to draw from at all times. It is that which stands by us, no matter what may be the conditions. This chapter indicates the most terrible condition in the very circle where Christ’s ministry was set forth; it indicates betrayal and denial, but there was one resource, and that was divine love, and that is a great stand-by, and will be so until the end; it is a resource which will never fail us.
Ques What do you mean by a reserve?
JT I mean that there is abundance. I think the Lord contemplates the love being there.
Rem It should be there in reserve, so that when the moment comes it might be present in its activity.
JT Yes; you are never taken by surprise if you have love.
Rem That is 1 Corinthians 13.
JT Exactly. “Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8) and that is a very strong expression. There is nothing else in the world, but what will fail.
Ques Where is the reserve to be; in the assembly?
JT Yes, among “yourselves”. The Lord contemplates their being here while He was away. Love has its origin in God: “We love him, because he first loved us”, 1 John 4:19. But then, there is no limit to His love, and, in a sense, there should be no limit to ours. It should not only be in Christ, but, as the Lord says, “among yourselves”. The Lord’s action here sets forth the form that love takes; the form it takes in Christ. He takes the servant’s form. He shows His love by His actions. He said: “I love my master, ... I will not go out free”, Exodus 21:5. There could be no question about it. He was in the place of a servant. Luke shows Him as the servant of man; John more as the servant of the saints. I think that love is the point for us today; nobody with love will ever be [p. 294] disappointed or discouraged; he has something that will stand by him.
Ques Is that the same principle that you get in the end of Romans 8; the love of divine Persons? Nothing can separate from it; it does not give way.
JT Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, nor from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. It is a great thing to be in possession of things; “have love amongst yourselves”.
Rem Love in the saints is the evidence of life.
JT Yes. By this, “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren”, 1 John 3:14.
Rem The divine life comes out in that way.
JT Yes. Divine love has expressed itself in a Man in human circumstances, in circumstances such as our own, and that in the most simple way. He showed love in every-day circumstances. The last supper which He took with them was, of course, an extraordinary occasion, but ordinarily supper is a time when family affection would be active; and the Lord rises from supper. Supper is a peculiar kind of meal; it is not like the morning meal, or the mid-day meal; it is a meal at a time when the responsibilities of the day are over, and you are free. At the morning meal you have the day before you; its obligations, trials, etc., and so with the mid-day meal, but at supper all are free. I use this as an illustration.
The Lord’s supper is an occasion when we should all be free in spirit, our minds should not be engaged with anything else. Of course, we meet in the beginning of the day, but our spirits should be free. In the beginning the saints met in the evening.
Rem The details of the way in which the Lord Jesus acted at this time are very interesting. He gets everything for Himself; the basin, the water, the towel. He was ministering to them.
[p. 295] JT Yes, it sets forth the way divine love expresses itself; it supplies all that is needed. If you want to take pattern from Christ; if you want to wash the brethren’s feet, you do not expect them to supply the need. You bring the supply with you.
Ques Is that the reserve?
JT I think so. And you must bring the towel too, and not only that, but you must be girded with it. It is to be put to use by you in the character of a servant. It is important first of all to get the water.
Ques. What is the water?
JT Your soul is in the good of the death of Christ, and you should not assume that those whose feet you wish to wash have what is needed; it is your obligation as a servant to have the water and the towel.
Rem Before He washed their feet it is said that “he loved them unto the end”, John 13:1.
JT That was the secret of it; there is no abatement in His love.
Ques What is the significance of His taking off His garments?
JT That is divesting oneself of personal dignity. That is really what marks a servant. His action was suitable to what He was doing. If you serve the saints your personal dignity has to drop. In another sense we all have personal dignity; that is, divinely-given dignity, because God surrounds Himself with people whom He has dignified; but this dignity has reference to God’s world, not to this world. It is dignity for God, but that is not the point here. Here the Lord is a Servant before man, so the point for us in His laying aside the garments is that you lay aside that which might distinguish you personally. You are thinking of others, not of yourself.
It is very interesting to pursue the history of the men of faith, and to see how they were marked by [p. 296] interest in others. Faith has always an object outside of oneself. A man who has not faith is self-centred, but the true man of faith has an object, outside of himself, and the first illustration of it is Abel. The first man who had faith was a shepherd. Abraham was a keeper of his brother, of Lot; although Lot did not discern it, yet Abraham was a keeper of his brother, and when Lot was taken captive Abraham frees and recovers him. Jacob too was a shepherd, so were Moses and David. They had objects outside of themselves. You remember how Moses rolled away the stone that the flocks might get drink. And another remarkable thing is that a shepherd was an abomination to the Egyptians. Man in the flesh abominates the idea of caring for others; he is self-centred.
Rem In that way you get the indications of a man of faith in a practical way when he gets an object outside of himself and an interest in God’s people.
JT Yes, I believe the Spirit of God has indicated what should mark His people, that they should always have concern for one another.
Ques Is there the same thought in what is said of Moses and the reproach of Christ in Hebrews 11, and the way it comes out in Psalm 69? “the reproaches of them that reproach thee”, Psalm 69:9. It seems connected with His care for that which belonged to God in this world.
JT Yes, Moses had regard for his brethren. He slew an Egyptian who was contending with a Hebrew. He had a right thought from the start, the preservation of God’s people, but he had to go to the desert to learn that it was not in the power of the flesh that it was to be accomplished; and then [p. 297] when he returns to Egypt he has to accept circumcision. If he is to be the leader of God’s people it must be in another power, not in the power of the flesh.
To return to the feet-washing; in regard to the water, it is a very great thing to be able to refresh the people of God. “By love serve one another”, Galatians 5:13. We are in that way placed in the position of servants one to another; we love the Lord’s people.
Ques Does the basin answer to the laver?
JT Yes, that is the idea. In the case of the laver the water was standing there for the priests to wash thereat, but here the Lord brings the water. The great point is that you have it, and so you are able to refresh the Lord’s people.
Rem Everything was to be made after the pattern which Moses saw in the mount. Now, what we have is the example of the Master, and this is, to serve by love.
JT Yes, water is power to lift the affections of the saints outside of things that would only divert and defile them, lifting them out of these things by a presentation of Christ so that the mind and heart are refreshed. I believe that is what the water signifies, the power by which the minds and hearts of saints are refreshed.
Rem Water is refreshment?
JT I think so; the mind and heart are refreshed.
Ques Can one saint wash another’s feet unconsciously?
JT Yes; indeed, it is wonderful how when we really come into touch with a spiritual man he brings an influence that seems to revive one.
Rem The great thing is to be in the enjoyment of the Lord and His word; then there is the overflow unconsciously. You will minister that which lifts the saints out of their surroundings, and you wash their feet in that [p. 298] way.
JT And the towel sets them at ease. The Lord has a wonderful way of cleansing and of drawing to Himself, setting the person at ease in His presence, so that he feels comforted and refreshed.
Rem It is not an official thing.
JT No, an official is always above the people. The official wears his garments, he does not lay them aside.
Ques Is it the outcome of what you said at the first in reference to Psalm 134, as to standing in the house of the Lord?
JT If a man is standing he is interested in something, waiting to do something. Standing in the house of the Lord is very blessed.
Rem David’s mighty men refreshed David.
JT Yes, and it cost them something, and it does cost us something; it costs us death. The man who washes the saints’ feet rightly is over Jordan. He has accepted death for himself and carries the atmosphere of it with him.
Rem And that is the water.
JT Yes, you are in the acceptance of death, but it is that which puts you in touch with Christ risen.
Ques “Part with me”, is that the end?
JT That is the point. If you have part with Christ, you want others to have part with Christ; you want all the saints transported over Jordan.
Rem That is the result of being over Jordan oneself.
JT Yes, you want others there. There are many people who only go over Jordan when there is conflict, and one rejoices that they do; but then one sorrows for them when they go back, because they go away from God’s circle to go home; their home is not in God’s circle, and when they go back to Moab they fear that they are at a certain disadvantage, and that their title to the land may be [p. 299] disputed, so they build an altar as if to say, ‘We want you to understand that we have the title to the land, though we are not going to live there’.
Ques How do you apply that now?
JT People who live in their families or in their business. Their supreme interest is in their families or in their business. They do not give up the truth, and they are ready to fight for it; but after the war they go home and set up an altar to show they have a title to go back, but they do not live there. We should be set for helping the saints over Jordan to the sphere where Christ is known.
Rem John knew this. He leaned upon Jesus’ bosom; he had confidence in Him.
JT Yes. He was “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 21:20) and that means that he was the disciple who enjoyed His love.
Rem It tests us when we take the Supper. When we are relieved of our pressure, where do we go? The Supper is the test.
JT I think so. Ordinarily supper is the meal in which you are most free from all that has been engaging you. At the Lord’s supper the saints are, or should be, free from pressure and all else.
Rem And it is in view of the Lord’s coming; there is not the idea of going back to our own sphere again.
JT Exactly. Abraham learned circumcision in Genesis 17; he was ennobled, and taken off the ground of the flesh, and put on the ground of the Spirit in principle, and his name was changed. In the next chapter he is in the light of that, he is at his tent door, free for a visitation. It is a good thing to be exercised about being free from secular things, so that the Supper might be rightly entered into, and it is in view of the Lord’s coming, not in view of going back to this world. You have Christ before you. When the Lord is thus known it has a wonderful [p. 300] effect upon you. You are set in motion. If the two disciples going from Emmaus had met any one, they would not have been disposed to stop and talk; they were on their way to Jerusalem.
Rem Paul conferred not with flesh and blood.
Rem What comes out in this chapter vindicates the truth of the first verse.
JT I think so. It is a service that continues. There is a circle of light, and it is marked by this kind of service, by the activity of love; that is what is there. If any one comes into contact with this circle he cannot deny the light because love is in activity. “By this shall all know that ye are disciples of mine, if ye have love amongst yourselves”. There is wonderful encouragement for us in this. Divine love is the resource. It is always a standby to us. There is no failure in that.
Ques In what sense is it a “new commandment” (John 13:34)?
JT It was a new kind of thing shown in Christ.
Rem Man in the flesh could not claim that.
JT No; it is shown here in Christ and is to be continued in the saints.
Rem That is where you get the blessed activity of the love of Christ through the saints.
JT Yes, I think so, and it goes on to the end.
Rem In verse 12 He takes His garments.
JT The service is over. He says, “Know ye what I have done to you?” So it is an object lesson for us. I think that John gives us that which exists until the end; in spite of the denial and betrayal, there is an element that stands by the saints under all circumstances. The next chapter shows what He will do for us when He is on high; the Comforter would come, but this chapter shows what would stand by us in the presence of betrayal and denial, and that is love.
[p. 301] Ques What is the meaning of the towel.
JT The towel is that by which one is set at ease. If you are bigger than the one whom you serve, he is not at his ease; he is more or less in bondage; but if you are a true servant you will put those you serve at their ease; there is no superiority; love never assumes to be superior. The Lord when here was the servant of all. Souls truly coming to Christ were put at ease in His presence. Love is the servant of all; you look up to the saints, you do not look down upon them.
Rem This comes out in the apostle Paul in connection with the Corinthians; he did not assert his apostleship. He was not big or above them; he says, “the more abundantly I love you”, 2 Corinthians 12:15.
JT I think his attitude towards the Corinthians was wonderful, it was a reflection of Christ; he conducted himself just as the Lord would. He loved them so much that he would not go to them with apostolic authority. Instead of that he writes to them and brings about repentance. It was all love.
Rem Only the Lord could have treated Judas the way He did.
JT Yes; how pathetic is the scene! He says, “Betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?”, Luke 22:48. The very expression of affection was used as the means of betrayal. And that is Judas — man!