A God Who Washes Feet
In this teaching, "A God Who Washes Feet," we explore the profound humility and outward-facing love of Jesus Christ as revealed in John 13:1–5. On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus performs the shocking act of washing His disciples' grime-covered feet—a task reserved for the lowest of servants.
The Holy of Holies of the New Testament
The Setting
Thursday night. The Feast of Passover. Jesus is hours from the cross. John 13–17 records his final hours in the upper room and on the road to Gethsemane — where he unpacks his heart, the nature of God, and his love for his disciples.
The Four-Week Series
- Week 1: Verses 1–5 — A Foot-Washing God
- Week 2: Verses 6–11 — Offensive Grace
- Week 3: Verses 12–20 — The Call to the Example
- Week 4: Verses 21–31 — Dawn Is Coming
This fall, Heritage will return to John 13 and spend the entire season in the upper room with Jesus.
The Text: John 13:1–5
Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. He rose from supper, laid aside his outer garments, took a towel, tied it around his waist, poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet.
The big idea: A God who washes dirty feet. The key question: What does this tell us about God?
Point 1: His Mind Was Set on Loving to the Uttermost
Jesus knew the cross was hours away. Yet his mind was not turned inward to survive — it was turned outward in love. "Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end" — not merely until death, but to the uttermost, fully expressed, nothing held back.
When we face difficulty, we tend to check out or turn inward to self-protect. But when Jesus was most pressed, he turned outward to love. Love is an outward-flowing action driven by inward affections. His mindset was love — and that love would culminate at the cross.
Point 2: He Knew Who He Was and What Was His
All Authority
The Father had given all things into Jesus' hands — all power, all majesty, the ability to execute justice on Judas in that very moment.
Divine Identity
He knew he had come from God and was going back to God. Jesus is God — within him is the fullness of eternal Deity.
Rights Unused
He had every right to demand exaltation. Instead, he rose from supper — not to be served, but to serve. He chose not to use his rights to love himself.
We often use our rights to protect ourselves. Jesus, who had all the rights, used them to kneel before his disciples.
Point 3: He Laid Aside His Rights and Took Up Servanthood
The Cultural Shock
In first-century walking culture, feet were caked with grime, animal refuse, and filth from unpaved streets. Washing feet was so despicable that Jewish tradition held it should be done by the lowest gentile slave — an outcast, someone outside the covenant community entirely.
Jesus disrobed his outer garments — the clothing that communicated dignity and power — and took up the tunic of a servant. He literally assumed the role reserved for the lowest outcast.
A Picture of the Cross
In a few hours, Jesus would truly disrobe his glory on the cross — crucified outside the city walls as an outcast — to wash our sins away as the Lamb of God.
Philippians 2:7 — He "emptied himself by taking the form of a servant."
God's Very Nature Shines Outward
Jesus didn't wash feet through gritted teeth. These actions flow from God's very being. God is an outward-facing, overflowing fountain of grace.
Fountain of Life
Psalm 36:9 — "With you is a fountain of life; in your light do we see light." God bubbles outward with life and light.
Radiance of Glory
Hebrews 1 calls Jesus the radiance of God's glory — outward-facing, shining forth. John 1:16: "From his fullness we have received grace upon grace."
Triune Love
God's love is inherently selfless because he is triune. The Father, Son, and Spirit exist in eternal, outward-pouring affection — and then turn outward to creation to share that love.
The Seven "I Am" Statements — All Outward Facing
In John's Gospel, Jesus makes seven self-identifying "I Am" statements. Every single one is an outward-facing blessing for others — not inward self-assertion.
1
Bread of Life
Nourishment for the hungry
2
Light of the World
Illumination for the lost
3
Door of the Sheep
Access and safety
4
Good Shepherd
Care for his own
5
Resurrection & Life
Victory over death
6
Way, Truth & Life
The only path to the Father
7
True Vine
Source of fruitfulness
God gives life because God is life. God gives love because he is love. He gives freely because he is completely satisfied within the Trinity.
Pride Is an Affront to God's Very Nature
When we turn inward in pride and selfishness, we are not merely harming others — we are affronting the very being and nature of God. The first sin was not Adam and Eve's; it was Satan's. The demonic host turned inward in pride, saying "we want to be like God" — in the very presence of the outward-flowing God.
God is a bubbling fountain of grace, selflessness, joy, and kindness. His justice arises from the violation of those things. Our salvation is rooted in the very being of God. The actions of God flow from the being of God.
God is what he is to do what he does, to give the salvation that he gives.
Augustine of Hippo
"Proud man would have perished eternally had he not been found by the lowly, overflowing God."
Every Other God
The gods of the world are parasitic — they take life and need something from you. The God of the Bible is a flowing fountain. In what other God would you rather put your trust?
This Is Our God
Jesus washes feet because that's who God is.
Jesus goes to the cross because that's who God is.
Jesus washes you clean and gives you all that is his — because that's who God is.
Jesus goes to the cross because that's who God is.
Jesus washes you clean and gives you all that is his — because that's who God is.
Eucatastrophe
J.R.R. Tolkien's term for the moment when apparent defeat becomes glorious victory. What the enemy thought was their triumph at the cross became the victory of the Son of God.
Dawn Is Coming
John 13:30 — "It was night." Spiritual darkness had fallen. Yet verse 31: "Now is the Son of Man glorified." Even in the darkest hour, dawn was breaking.
Our Response
If this is who our God is — not things he has to do, but who he is — how does that change who we are? That is next week's question.
Heavenly Father, in your Son — who by his goodness and grace washes us clean — help us to walk likewise in humility, outward-facing, even as you outwardly face us with your grace and love. Amen.