| Devotional Hours with the Bible |
Chapter 21 |
Page 4 |
Peter went then to the other extreme, as his impulsive nature always did. He was wiling to submit not only his feet, but his hands and his head. Then Jesus told him that “he that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit.” Bathing is the cleansing of the whole body; and washing is the rinsing off of the dust that gathers on the feet in walking from the bath to the table. There was no necessity for washing Peter’s hands and head — he had just come from the bath, and was clean except that his feet had become soiled with the dust as he walked. But there is a spiritual meaning too. Peter was a justified and regenerated man — he was “clean.” All he needed, therefore, now was that the stains of his daily sinning and from his contacts with the world should be removed. The lesson here is important. Bathing must come before washing. That is, the mere cleansing of daily sins amounts to nothing unless we have first been received by Christ and justified and saved by Him. The acceptance of Christ as our Savior lifts the guilt from our souls and leaves us free from condemnation. Yet after that, even the holiest need daily forgiveness for daily sins.
Jesus taught the disciples the meaning of what He had done. “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.” We must do all lowly service for each other. We should have in our hearts that love which will lead us into the lowliest service for even the lowliest people.
Then Christ’s act was more than one of service — it meant the cleansing of faults, the removing of blemishes of character, the washing of stains go in passing through the world. We should seek to rend this service also to each other. We are to help each other to become Christians. We are to seek sanctification, purification, and upbuilding in character of our fellow disciples. Of course, we cannot wash away sins — Christ alone can do that. But we can do something toward making others purer, better and holier. This part of Christian friendship requires great wisdom. It is not easy to reprove the faults of others. We must be careful, first of all, that our own hands are clean before we attempt to cleanse the stains on the lives of others. We must cast out the beam from our own eye before we can attempt to remove the mote from our brother’s eye.
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