Personal from Joseph Tkach
Personal from Joseph TkachJesus, the evening he was was betrayed, "poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him" (John 13:5).
"When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. `Do you understand what I have done for you?' he asked them.... `Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet' " (vs. 12, 14).
Because of Jesus' instruction, it has been our tradition in the Worldwide Church of God for each member to wash another member's feet at the annual Lord's Supper service. It has been correctly explained as a symbol of service, and a symbol of cleansing.
In the days of dusty roads and open-toed sandals, feet often became dirty, and it was the job of the lowest servants to wash the guests' feet. But Jesus set an example of service by doing this job himself, despite the protests from Peter.
It has been a valuable part of our Lord's Supper service. It reminds us of our duty to serve one another, and it is often a reminder of humility. For some, the humility comes in washing someone's feet. Others find it more humbling to get their feet washed, to be served.
This year, some members questioned whether the footwashing is a required part of our service. Some chose not to participate. In some congregations, this was done quietly. In others, the pastor informed everyone that participation was optional.
Some members have questions about footwashing, and I want to discuss the matter now--well in advance of our next footwashing-- so that everyone can be clear about it before next spring.
Jesus said, "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you" (v. 15). We must ask, then, just what did Jesus do?
1) He got up from the meal,
2) took off his outer clothing,
3) wrapped a towel around his waist,
4) poured water into a basin,
5) washed the 12 disciples' feet, and
6) dried them with his towel.
If you look at this list, you will realize that our annual ceremony skips most of what Jesus did. We do not wash feet during a meal, take off our suit jackets or wrap towels around our waists.
Often, we do not pour our own water into a basin, and we usually dry the other person's feet with the other person's towel, rather than our own.
But the biggest difference is that Jesus washed 24 feet that really needed to be washed. In contrast, we usually wash two feet that are already clean. Jesus performed a service that really needed to be done; we perform a ritual, an imitation. Jesus got dirty; we try to be sanitary.
Not all rituals are wrong. The bread and the wine are rituals. They no longer have their original significance (nutrition) but are given a spiritual significance. We partake of the bread and wine because our Lord commanded us to do this in remembrance of him, and we participate with him when we do.
Did our Lord instruct his disciples to "wash one another's feet" (v. 14)? Yes, he did. Why then don't we have any evidence that the apostles actually washed one another's feet? Apparently, they didn't do it the evening Jesus commanded it, and we see nothing about it in Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, the epistles or in early church history.
The closest thing we find to it in the New Testament is 1 Timothy 5:10, which is about the qualifications of widows who may be put on a list of widows working for and supported by the church. One of the qualifications is that she must be "well known for her good deeds, such as ... washing the feet of the saints." Here footwashing is a notable act of service, not something that all Christian women are expected to do at least once a year.
So why the silence? Apparently the apostles understood Jesus to be talking about real service, not a ritual. When Jesus said, wash one another's feet, he meant, serve one another. He simply used a specific example as a figure of speech representing all types of service. (The Gospel of John has many such figures of speech that should not be taken literally.) Jesus is saying that we should humble ourselves and be willing to do even menial tasks for one another.
Do not get me wrong. I am not saying that we should eliminate this part of our annual tradition. I think it is a valuable part of our tradition, and that we should continue to do it once a year, either on Nisan 14 or on Maundy Thursday. But I also believe that if people do not want to participate, we should allow them to skip this part of our service.
But didn't Jesus clearly say to wash feet? Yes, he did. Paul just as clearly tells us to greet one another with a holy kiss. The Bible was written in a specific culture, and its instructions are sometimes phrased with specific customs. The need for footwashing is even more clearly tied to culture than kissing is. It is based on foot travel, dusty roads and open-toed sandals. In Jesus' day, footwashing was a normal part of a formal banquet. Now it is not. It is no longer part of customary formality, and it is no longer viewed as an honor or service.
We obey the intent of Paul's command not by kissing, but by greeting one another with affection. We obey the intent of Jesus' command not by washing our guests' feet, but by serving others. There is no need to insist on taking one command literally and adapting the other to modern customs. Both may be adapted so that we obey the intent.
When we serve one another throughout the year, helping one another in our real needs, we are obeying the spirit of the law of Christ. We are "washing feet" when we give believers rides to church, when we help them move furniture, when we bring a meal for the sick, when we clean house for the bereaved. We wash feet when we encourage the depressed, are patient with the angry, spend time with the lonely.
There are a thousand ways to "wash the feet of the saints." Sometimes it might even involve washing their feet--even cutting their toenails and helping them with cleanliness. Real service for genuine needs is far more important than an annual ritual.
But the annual ritual still gives us a powerful object lesson, a good time for the church to be forcefully reminded of our duty to serve one another. I just hope that it stirs us to more action, instead of causing us to think that we have done enough by washing one person's clean feet.
Next year, all members will know that the footwashing is an optional part of the service. Some members will choose to participate; others will not.
In our culture, the footwashing always has a small measure of inconvenience. We do not normally bring a towel to church, nor do we set up extra chairs and basins of water. All this is extra work, but that is what service entails, isn't it?
For most people, footwashing is not too difficult. But for some, it imposes more than it serves, and to require it would be a violation of what Jesus really meant.
We therefore consider footwashing optional, but we do encourage all members to participate in it--especially when we understand it to mean service of all types at all times of the year.
As Paul wrote: "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love" (Gal. 5:13).
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