Shantkumar S. Kunjam

I would like to talk here about ''Why did Jesus wash His disciples' feet?"

The incident is reported in Jn. 13:1-21. We need to observe in what context did Jesus wash His disciples' feet. The very first thing we observe is that Jesus washed the feet not before the meal, nor after the meal but in the middle of the meal (v. 4). It is very unusual. No tradition has such washing of feet in the middle of the meal. John mentions 4 things that are just now in the forefront of Jesus' mind. 1. That He was going to His Father and leaving the world (v. 1). 2. That Satan is very active among His disciples. One disciple is already succumbed to the temptation (v. 4), and he is present there (v. 27). 3. That the Father has given all things in His hands. And 4. That He had come from the Father and is now going back to His Father (v.4). In v. 1 we read "when Jesus knew". The answer to the question, "What did Jesus come to know at that moment?" are the above four things mentioned in vs. 1-4. The one thing Jesus does is to His disciples: "He loved them to the end" (v. 1). Mentioning this action means Jesus was facing a very strong temptation to abandon the faltering disciples. And four things mentioned above could puff any one to extreme pride. So to combat this dual temptation, and to set an example for the disciples about how to fight such temptations, Jesus washed their feet. This was an emergency, so between the meals he washed. It is an example for us to follow in times of temptations to abandon friends and pride.

July 05 2018 • Report