LESSONS FROM FOOT WASHING-PART I (John 13:1-13)

Our messages over the next couple of weeks are going to be about the story of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. Now, I have heard many sermons on this portion of Scripture, and the majority of those sermons focused on being humble servants of the Lord, and we will talk about that, as well. But, I am also going to talk about what the Bible has to say about foot washing, and how that applies to us in this day and in this age.

In the Lord’s day, foot washing was a common practice. It was not a religious service, or ritual, but it was a very common practice. It was just something everybody did on a regular basis. There were public baths, and going down the street, if your feet were tired and dirty and dusty, you could go in there and a slave, or a servant, would wash your feet. If you had a wealthy home, generally there would be by the door a basin of water, and if you were receiving guests into your house, the first thing they would do would be to slip off their sandals and step inside the threshold of your house. Again, if you had a servant, that servant would be there with a towel and a basin. You would put your feet in that basin. There'd be a little stool there, and this servant would wash your feet, give them a gentle massage, and dry them with a towel.

Now, this exercise wasn’t just a luxury, or for show, there was a practical reason why they did this foot washing. What was that reason? Well, think about it for a moment. They didn't have paved sidewalks like we have. They didn't have asphalt or concrete streets either. Only the busiest streets were paved with bricks, but most were just hardened paths. This means that everything was dusty and dirty, and the people, for the most part, wore sandals. They didn't have leather shoes like we have today to keep out the dust and the dirt. Therefore, foot washing was a practical thing, but it was also a mark of hospitality.

Now, there are some great lessons here for us to learn in this portion of Scripture, and I would pray to God that we can all learn it. Today, I am only going to get to one lesson that we can learn, but next week we will cover several more lessons concerning foot washing.

Click on the link below to hear a lesson concerning salvation. We need to know that salvation is essential. Today, you may be sitting a church with an open Bible in your hand, taking notes, but you've never been saved. You may be reading this blog, or listening to the podcast message, but you have never been saved. When Jesus said, "Ye are clean, but not all of you," He's teaching us that salvation, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, is essential. If your desire is to live with Jesus in heaven for all of eternity, then it is absolutely necessary.

Amen.