Peter said to him, “Lord, NOT my feet ONLY BUT ALSO my hands and my head!”

[tonychanyt]

What's with Peter?

John 13:

8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”

At one moment, Peter told Jesus: Don't do it. The next moment, Peter told Jesus: Do more.

That's Peter's impulsive character for you.

Pulpit explained:

Simon Peter makes another impetuous and characteristic outburst, and another of his almost glorious mistakes. Once more he will go before and give advice to his Master.

as if he knew better than Jesus

The very same Peter who drew the sword in Gethsemane and then fled, who went to the high priest's palace and then denied his Lord; the very same Peter who rushed into the water anal then cried, "Lord, save me, I perish," who cried, even on the Mount of Transfiguration, "Let us build three tabernacles;" and when our Lord spoke of his cross said, "This shall not be done unto thee;" - the same Simon Peter now said to him, "If it comes to the primal experience of being washed by thee in thine unutterable love, if there be any question of part and share with thee in thy work, I will (cf. ver. 37) go with thee to prison and to death, then, blessed Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head; i.e. all my uncovered body; seeing that my power of thinking and all my capacity for service alike need cleansing." Peter not unreasonably felt the weakness and corruption of his nature, and cried out, as we all are often disposed to do, for renewal and sanctification of every faculty and energy of his being. In this he showed a lack of realization of the new world into which grace had brought him, and once more needed correction.

What's with Peter?

He was an impulsive character.

 

[Aaron112]

as if he knew better than Jesus

I do not like the 'Pulpit' commentary, as having read it in one or more places seeing too many conflicts with Scripture, too many errors to trust it.

However this is also truth in life today - too many errors all around, too many conflicts with faith in Jesus, even amongst believers (in name at least),
as they answer out loud with their own voice "we cannot do what Jesus said /says/ to do today, because ...." and then give one or more reasons why they don't.
Just as if , as in reality, they "knew better than Jesus" and they figure they have a better way than Jesus does, eh ?

 

[jacks]

I always thought Peter was just joking around. I'm sure the apostles and Jesus had a sense of humor.

 

[Aaron112]

"Peter changes over easily from the idea of a child tracing over the writing of the writing-master to a Christian planting his feet in the foot-prints left by our Lord. In this context, these footprints are foot-prints of suffering. But the illustration holds good for our Lord’s entire life. Just as a child slowly, with painstaking effort and close application, follows the shape of the letters of his teacher and thus learns to write, so saints should with like painstaking effort and by close application, endeavor to be like the Lord Jesus in their own personal lives. Or, as a small child endeavors to walk in the footprints made by his father’s feet in the snow, so we are to follow in the path which our Lord took. The Greek word “follow” means literally “to take the same road” as someone else takes. We should walk the same road that Jesus walked, in short, be Christlike."

"Vincent comments, “A mark of Oriental hospitality bestowed on the stranger arriving from a journey, and therefore closely associated with ‘lodged strangers.’ ” A definite article in the Greek text where the a.v., uses an indefinite article, makes it clear that this washing of the feet was a necessity and not a ritual. In John 13:5, Jesus is said to pour water into the basin. The Greek definite article points to a basin placed at the door of the rented room by the owner of the building for the use of a slave who would wash the feet of the guests as they arrived for the supper. The Oriental wore sandals, and as a result, his feet became dusty and needed cleansing.

There being no slave in attendance, the Son of God performed the duties of a slave."