House of Faith Ministries
WASH MY FEET
Written by Pastor Marcos Marrero 3/28/21
John 13:10 “Jesus said to him, ‘He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.’”
For those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, Jesus declares us to be completely clean. A little maintenance is required, which is symbolized by the washing of our feet. The idea
here is that if we take a shower and step out on a dirty floor our feet will get dirty again. We are washed completely clean with the blood of Jesus,
but we still live and come in contact with this contaminated world every day.
John 15:3 “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.”
Two critical things that we need to know are revealed in our opening text in the action of having our feet washed: First; even though we are completely clean we need to repent on a regular basis because of our interactions with a contaminated world. Second: it exposes a hidden spiritual enemy, whom if it’s not dealt with will betray us in our time of need.
John 13:17 “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”
Having our feet washed or washing someone’s else feet can be a humbling experience if done with the right spiritual understanding. When Peter saw that Jesus was washing the other disciple’s feet, he refused to let Jesus wash his feet. It was common back then to have the lowest of slaves wash the feet of the guest. Peter saw the act as too demeaning for Jesus to do.
John 13:8 “Peter said to Him, ‘You shall never wash my feet!’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I do not wash you, you have no part with me.’”
Wow! This teaching was so important to Jesus that He told Peter; if you do not let me do it, you are out! To which Peter replied then wash me completely, but as Jesus told him; you are already bathed by the Words I’ve spoken to you. What is so important about having our feet washed?
John 13:2-4 “And supper being ended (or during supper), the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself.”
Please notice that the word: supper being ended; can also be translated: during supper; so that the washing of the feet is part of the Holy Communion liturgy. The gospel of John is the only gospel that mentions the washing of the feet as part of the Holy Communion ceremony. John is giving to us insight into the spiritual revelation hidden here, that will help us overcome when we are weak and sick because of our failure to discern the Lord’s body.
1 Corinthians 11:29-30 “For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.”
Worth repeating here: John 13:17 “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”
The disciples did not have a clue that there was a traitor among them. It was during the washing of their feet that the disciples received the revelation of what the devil was up to in their midst.
2 Kings 4:27 “Now when she came to the man of God at the hill, she caught him by the feet, but Gehazi came near to push her away. But the man of God said, ‘Let her alone; for her soul is in deep distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me, and has not told me.’”
Why the feet? Seems like the deep mysteries are revealed by the grasping or washing of the feet.
Isaiah 52:6-7 “Therefore My people shall know My name; therefore they shall know in that day that I am He who speaks: ‘Behold it is I.’ How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’”
This is a prophecy about Jesus the Messiah of Israel revealing Himself to His disciples as their Savior, the promised One: ‘Behold it is I.’ And the introduction of His disciples to the era of God’s grace that they were to proclaim to all the world through His church: ‘Your God reigns!’
It was at this moment that the last Adam regained the dominion that the first Adam had lost. It is the hour when the Messiah told His disciples: Drink, this is My blood which is shed for you all!
Matthew 26:27-28 “Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.’”
The climatic hour when the Gospel of peace is finally revealed, through humility and not pride.
John 13:13-15 “You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, Your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.”
This mighty and most powerful gospel is demonstrated by the lowliest of acts—the washing of dirty feet—Jesus had to carry all the sins of mankind to the cross so that they could die there with Him on the cross. He wore a crown of thorns symbolizing His kingship over the curse so He could do away with, not only the curses, but the consequences of them. Jesus then rose from the dead on the third day, but the curses and their consequences remained dead and buried - all of them, removed once and for all from all those who have been redeemed from the curse of the law.
HALLELUJAH!
Galatians 3:13-14 “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
In this gospel of peace we do not only receive forgiveness of sins, but also receive deliverance from the consequences of our sins and our ancestor’s sins. We see in 1 Corinthians 11:29-30 that when we fail to discerned “not discerning the Lord’s body” is the reason that many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. So, what are we missing? Perhaps what we are missing is the discernment of the symbolism of the washing of the feet.
Worth repeating again: John 13:17 “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”
Luke 22:15 “Then He said to them, ‘With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.’”
if we have spiritual discernment of what He was teaching us through the acts symbolized in the Holy Communion and the washing of the disciples feet: “Blessed are you if you do them”, for the joy that was set before Him, Jesus endured the death of all the curses placed upon His body on the cross that we might be delivered from them after His resurrection from the dead.
Matthew 28:9 “And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, ‘Rejoice!’ So they came and held Him by the feet and worshipped Him.”
Jesus promised His followers that He would die and rise from the dead on the third day, so where were His apostles on the third day? Hiding! Too traumatize after seeing their Lord brutally murdered. Why was it that only women showed up on the third day on the grave site? They saw His brutal death as well, didn’t they? May I suggest that the women really believed that Jesus was going to Jerusalem to die as He told His disciples, and were mentally prepared for His death when they witnessed His death on the cross—so they were expecting His resurrection as well—while the male disciples did not fully understand the promise of His death and resurrection.
Matthew 26:12-13 “For in pouring out this fragrant oil on My body, she did it (to prepare Me) for my burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”
‘Behold it is I.’ How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion,
‘Your God reigns!’ Isaiah 52:6-7
HALLELUJAH!
Clearly the feet represent the preaching of the gospel which proclaims the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the blessings of His salvation to us, which includes not only salvation, but deliverance, healing and restoration as well.
Psalm 23:4-5 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.”
Jesus knew that His brutal death on the cross would cause trauma on those not discerning that after death came the resurrection. But the promise is that Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil.
When Jesus washed His disciple’s feet He was preparing them to receive the spiritual discernment that would lead them into the understanding that death is just a shadow that cannot hurt them and it should not be feared. That is why the women came and held Him by the feet and worshipped Him, they were ready because they were expecting Him to rise from the dead.
The power of this Covid 19 pandemic that we are experiencing resides in the spirit of fear that is behind it. I believe that to dispel this spirit of fear, we need to incorporate the washing of each other’s feet to our Holy Communion liturgy, especially for those who have been gripped by the stronghold of fear, whether they were infected by the virus or not; the fear of it is just as deadly.
Psalm 25:14-15 “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him (not the pandemic), and He will show them His covenant (bread, wine and washing of the feet). My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He shall pluck my feet out of the net (of fear).”
Behind every satanic plot lies the spirit of pride, followed by fear and confusion. You break the spirit of pride and everything else falls down like a house of cards. We break the spirit of pride by participating in the lowest of all acts, the washing of someone’s feet.
I know that many in the church have been impacted by this spirit of fear caused by this pandemic, but this spirit of fear has been around way before this pandemic began and the Lord is exposing it now, for He is getting His church ready for His soon return. If not in the church, you can do this at home: Have communion with your loved ones and/or friends, and after partaking of the bread and the wine wash each other’s feet as an acknowledgment of the fullness of the covenant that we are under, instituted by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Himself.
Psalm 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart.”