Wash some feet!

 

"Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them" (John 13:14-17).

 

During the time of Jesus when a guest came into a home, the host would arrange to wash his/her feet. The feet would have filth such as dung, urine, dirt and other things. It would be like washing a public urinal today.

 

I am told that if your feet are washed at night just before going to bed, that you will feel like your entire body is clean. Remember Peter asked Jesus to wash his entire body and Jesus told him that the feet were enough. John 13:10a says, "Jesus said to him, 'He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean.'"

 

Let us see how we can perform spiritual foot washing. I feel that spiritual foot washing is cleansing the conscience. When the conscience is clean and free from guilt, we feel clean all over. Hebrews 10:22 says that we cannot even come into God's presence unless our conscience is clean. "Let us draw near with a true [and honest] heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from a [a guilty], evil conscience and our bodies having been washed with pure water" (Hebrews 10:22) (Amplified version in brackets).

 

That is why our enemy works so hard to keep us in guilt. The entire new covenant is based upon being able to have our guilt removed so that we can enjoy fellowship with God. The priests could not get into the Holy of Holies without performing all of the cleansing activities dealing with the blood and water.

 

Luke 11:34-36 says, "[Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye (your conscience) is sound and fulfilling its office, your whole body is full of light; but when it is not sound and is not fulfilling its office, your body is full of darkness.] Therefore take heed that the light in you is not darkness. Therefore if your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the shining of a lamp enlightens you" (Amplified version in brackets).

 

The woman caught in the act of adultery in John chapter 8 had her "feet washed," her conscience cleansed. Before Jesus could even mention her harmful lifestyle to her He cleansed her conscience. She felt His love, she felt clean for the first time in her life, and she called Him Lord (John 8:11). Only then did He let her know that she was empowered to live a life free from sin. Does Jesus wink at sin? No. However He knows that the only way to solve the sin problem is to draw sinners to Him, to His presence.

 

We are called to wash the feet or cleanse the conscience of others. So often we see faults and sins in others and we, out of a good heart, want to confront that person so that they may clean up their act. Sometimes if the Holy Spirit is really in that it may be appropriate. More often however it results in condemnation and pours so much guilt on that person that they move further away from God's presence. What they need is God's presence and the beautiful convicting power of the Holy Spirit.

 

The Lord asked me a question. He said, "What has changed your life and what draws you to Me." I said "grace and mercy." He said, "Larry if grace does not work nothing will. That is my best. I am not giving people a license to sin, they do not need a license from Me. My grace is the only way out for them."

 

What can we do? Only Jesus through the Holy Spirit can truly wash feet. It really requires the bowing down of a superior to an inferior to perform this act. Only Jesus qualifies for that. If we try to remove guilt from someone in our own power, we will only drown him/her in our water. Either we will condemn them and drive them further from God, or we will cover their true guilt that needs to come to the surface. Jesus has a way of coming with the cleansing power of the Blood. Only He can convict, cleanse and draw a person into His presence. We can allow the Holy Spirit to work through us.

 

The Good News has power! Ephesians 3:6 says, "that the nations [gentiles or people who do not know God] should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partaker of His promise in Christ through the gospel [or through the Good News]." So the Good News, not condemnation and criticism, is what causes us to inherit the promises that God has for us!

 

Often, the people who are closest to us are the ones who need their feet washed. Many times it feels just like we are cleaning dung off of feet when we grant undeserved grace to another. Husbands give your wives some slack, wives encourage your husbands rather than criticize them. Parents try believing in your kids in spite of the way they act. Kids forgive your parents and watch them melt. Remember it is their only chance.

 

Maybe it has been a long time since you have felt cleansed by Jesus, since you have even sensed the need for cleansing. Take off your shoes and allow Jesus to wash your feet, then go and do likewise.

 

Find someone today and wash their feet so that they can enjoy the King of Glory

 

Larry Chkoreff - October, 1999