“So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” (v. 14)

A recent television ad depicted Jesus, who “gets us,” washing feet. That was the message: He didn’t divide. He washed feet.

I get the heart behind that. And, obviously, I get the biblical picture.

But…is that what’s going on in John 13?

Jesus did, in fact wash some feet, specifically the feet of His disciples. It was the culmination of His self-giving love for them. It was an example of how they ought to live and serve one another. It was a picture of a Master setting an entirely new precedent—one wherein the first shall be last, and the great shall be servants.

And Jesus did this—He washed some feet—around a closed, intimate, confessional table. With family.

Does Jesus’ Gospel heal divides and bring together the unlikeliest neighbors? Absolutely. But you’ll note that our evangelism—when we get up from the table—is one of teaching and baptizing. That’s the washing they need.

Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, so that His disciples would know the kind of love, service, and humility the Christian life implores ongoingly. It’s how they are meant to be known. Which means it’s specifically for them.

So, yes, He washed feet. Some feet.

— Tyler