"Seeing the Meaning"

The other day I was reading John 13.  One of the more popular and humbling sections of the New Testament would certainly be the first 17 verses of this chapter.  Christ washing of the disciples feet brings to mind amazing imagery.  The Son of God (or God himself, if you like) on his knees scrubbing the garbage off the feet of his own students, all the while knowing they would abandon him; some more completely than others. 

I've probably read this passage 100 times before, but I was struck in a new way when I read a portion of it this time.  Verses 3-5 gave me a glimpse into the character of Jesus that I've missed before, and I'm still not quite sure what to make of it. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

The Greek word for "knew" in verse three is from the root word "eido" (in this case it is "eidos"), which means "to see."  This is interesting because this is always translated "to know or perceive," as it is here, as opposed to the literal "to see."  This is because this word was expressing the idea of "seeing" conceptually, as in the phrase "I see what you mean."  So here, instead of saying "Jesus knew," we could more literally say "Jesus fully comprehended...," or "Jesus sees the ultimate meaning behind..."  And what we have Jesus fully comprehending is the fact that God the Father "had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God."

Now, I certainly believe Christ knew exactly who he was, and what his purpose was on Earth prior to this moment.  But this moment seems to be almost an emotive response to the all the stressful variables going on inside Christ's head that evening.  Christ knows his crucifixion in near. He's in a room with all his closest friends.  He knows these disciples are going to be entrusted with an amazing task when he's gone.  He knows they still lack spiritual maturity. He know's they will abandon him. He know's Judas will betray him.  Maybe the disciples are squawking, as they so often did, about things that really didn't matter (who's the greatest, sitting on his left and right). He's hungry, tired, and probably has filthy feet himself.  

And now we get to the amazing part: Christ's response.  This is what stood out to me so powerfully.  At this very emotional moment, his direct response to understanding the implications of what God was going to do through him, was to get on his knees and wash the feet of his disciples.  Why this act? Why was this the most proper response to Christ's understanding?  Maybe Christ wanted to get their attention in a dramatic fashion.  We all need to be reminded of the need for humility within our own lives.  After all, all the "good" we do should be attributed to God, not ourselves.  Maybe Christ simply saw a genuine practical need at the moment and he filled it, while directing their hearts to him at the same time. 

Ultimately what Christ did, did accomplish those things, but they were not the main reason he did it.  The main reason Christ made this decision is found in a vague manner a few verses later. Verses 7-8: Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." 8 "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."  Jesus Christ washed his disciples feet at this very moment because it was the most natural way for them to understand in the finite sense what he was going to do for them in the infinite.  Christ's blood is the only atonement with the power to perfectly cleanse us for all eternity.  It is only through Christ's blood that the dirt and grime, the sins and shortcomings, are washed away and we can be blessed with the greatest opportunity of all: to bask in the presence of our God and creator forever.

So, the question becomes: have you been washed by the precious blood of the lamb of God?  If so, do you live like it daily?  If you have not come to God through Christ, why not?  Jesus Christ calls us all to life fulfilling purpose and personal peace on Earth and to eternal peace in Heaven. The God of the universe is not afraid of your sins.  I serve a God with all power and authority who is willing to get on his hands and knees and scrub the feet of the very people he created. Why? For you. So you could understand a little bit better, a love so unconditional that it doesn't exist outside the realm of our Triune God.  

What Are You Washing?

I had a neat realization the other day.  I was reading in the Old Testament...one of the many passages that focus on ritual washing. (See: most of Deuteronomy) In this case, I was reading about the priests needing to be washed and clean before they could enter the presence of God in the Tabernacle. It's really kind of a weird thing when you think about it: God requiring all this different washing and purifying...to what end?  God doesn't want them to stink?  Is it really possible that the creator God of the universe is so repulsed by B.O. that he instituted a whole list of washing laws before people could come into his presence. This is clearly silly, and this is clearly an extremely important concept to God, so what was the reason or purpose behind it.

I used to primarily think it was for practical reasons.  For example, the scriptures are clear that if you come into contact with a dead body, you are ceremonially "unclean" until you are properly cleansed. Well, this makes sense to me.  You could pick up a disease or virus and then spread it among all the other Israelites. Hygiene was a serious problem, and this was a serious answer from God. Now I'm not saying this wasn't part of the purpose of laws like this.  What I'm saying is that in the big picture, I don't believe this was their primary purpose.

All of the law of God was ultimately created for the same two-fold purpose: to reveal the glorious perfection of God and to overtly reveal our vast distance from that same perfection.  So, it is with this assumption in mind that I am approaching the idea of ceremonial washing.

When we turn to the New Testament, Christ offers us some new insights. He tells us, "It's not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart." - Mark 7:15 It seems that with Christ, we definitely get a different attitude toward what makes someone clean or unclean. At first glance, the washing seems to no longer be important or necessary for coming into the presence of God.  So has Christ nullified the need for washing and being clean in the presence of God?  Well, yes...and no.

The rules have only changed in light of the fact that the location of God has changed.  Let me explain.  In the Old Testament God lived and worked among Israel in a physical location within their community.  This was the tabernacle, and ultimately the temple.  In the New Testament, God has moved.  God no longer lives in a physical structure, but rather he lives within us.  In light of this fact, the change in ceremonial washing makes perfect sense.  We are still called to wash - but not our body.

When God dwelled outside of us in a temple, we washed and cared for the outside of our self in the particular manner laid out by God.  In this way, we were preparing our self to be in the presence of God.  The people of the Israelite community all had to keep themselves clean by these laws because they were God's community and his dwelling place was among them.

Likewise, in the New Testament we have Christ discussing "washing." But he clearly shifts the focus from physical washing.  God has moved, and the Holy Spirit of God now dwells within us.  So Christ focuses on the "washing" of the inside.  In speaking to the Pharisees, Christ calls them "whitewashed tombs - beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with bones of the dead and everything unclean." - Matthew 23:27.  He is speaking not just doing what's right, but also of thinking what is right. Suddenly a clean attitude, mindset, and heart have become far more important than the physical cleanliness of our body.  Our bodies have become the holy temple of God.  He dwells within us and we must keep our self pure for the presence of our Holy God.

So yes, please do still take a shower before church on Sunday.  But don't loose your focus.  "Looking the part" isn't enough.  We are called to be more than "do-ers" of the right stuff.  Instead, we are called to be constantly "renewing our mind" so that we will be able to test and know what God's will is - "his good, perfect and pleasing will."  We are able to effectively do this because, quite literally, God is living within us.  If you are willing to submit to our living God through the constant renewing of your mind, you will find that it's almost impossible not to step up and step out in this world in the name of Jesus Christ.