A New Command. John 13:18-30 There was no question about Christ's love for His own. He loved them not just throughout His earthly ministry or even until His ascension—His love is infinite and eternal. This was demonstrated through His humility and service to His disciples, and ultimately on the cross where "The Son of God loved me and gave Himself for me." Jesus washing the disciples' feet showed the reality of His love for His followers. This should be true of us as well. Words of love alone are not enough to show God's love for each other; acts of compassion that meet the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ are essential.
The importance of the act shows how we can help and build each other up when we see how God's word relates to the needs of others. There's no need for a full-body wash, because that symbolizes salvation when the cleansing power of the blood is used. "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." The washing of the disciples' feet reminds us of the need for cleansing from the world's pollution in our daily lives. We are tainted by what surrounds us, even if we do not participate in what we know is wrong. There are corrupting influences in what we hear, see, and do that cannot be avoided. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we must constantly support each other with humility and selflessness. Not only does this benefit those we serve, but it also blesses us when we see our actions making a difference. It brings us joy in serving the Lord.
True Christian love means being willing to humbly accept the lowest place instead of seeking exaltation from others or oneself. True Christian love is sacrificial. To pour out the water of God's word into a "basin" for the benefit of others, we must first have taken the water of the word into ourselves, allowing us to draw from our personal experiences. Unfelt truth often is not recognized as genuine. Jesus' explanation of the act of feet washing was understood by Peter. He emphasized the importance and reality of humility, which he later referenced when teaching others in his epistles what he had learned himself.
The betrayal of Judas was not surprising to the Lord Jesus Christ. However, whenever such an act occurs, it affects us just as it did Jesus. The Lord had revealed Judas' betrayal in advance, but it was about to happen. The "heel" of insult and rejection had already been taken by Judas when he sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. The Lord Jesus already knew the attitude of the betrayer and was prepared to confront the Savior. John was close enough to Jesus to respond to Peter's nod and quietly asked who the betrayer would be. Perhaps Jesus answered softly when He spoke of the bread dipped into the juice that He would pass to Judas. Judas had already opened himself to Satan's influence. This "son of perdition" left the room, entered the darkness of the night, and moved into eternal darkness—the "outer darkness' from which he will never emerge.
Jesus was troubled in His spirit as He thought ahead to what "the hour" was about to bring upon Him. His troubled spirit was not only because of Judas's betrayal, which He, in His deity, had known about from ages past, nor from Peter's denial. There was much more ahead of Him that only He could know—rejection by those He blessed, deception threatening Israel's very existence, suffering for sin, and the loud cry to God on the cross—all of this, and more, troubled His spirit. When Judas had finally gone, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him." A new chapter had begun, and He could see beyond it the lasting results of all that He must endure.
For the first and only recorded time, Jesus used the term, "little children"—an expression of endearment that John never forgot for years to come when he wrote his epistles. This opened the way for the Lord Jesus to give His new commandment. This goes far beyond the law that says, "Love thy neighbor as thyself." This extends to loving like God, "God so loved the world..." It also includes loving our enemies. Furthermore, it involves loving God's people sacrificially as proof of being a disciple. This evidence of love remains the strongest test of reality that the world can see in those who profess to be Christians.
Disciples are not identified by doctrinal statements or dogmas they follow. They are not recognized by the miracles they seem to perform or even their love for lost souls. The love believers show for one another is how true Christianity is perceived by those who do not believe. This new commandment still has a powerful effect on those bound by other religious practices. One person told me, "What I have in my religion is fear, uncertainty, and hatred. What Christians have is love, peace, and assurance." May this always be evident wherever God's people are found.