Washing Each Others Feet...Following Christ's Example?

[Bruce S]

Study on foot-washing ritual
spawns spirited discussion

[size=-1]By John H. Adams[/size]
[size=-1]The Layman Online
[/size][size=-1]Thursday, August 7, 2003[/size]<HR align=left width=190> CHICAGO – A Bible study on washing the feet of his disciples by Jesus prompted a spirited discussion at the meeting of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity on Thursday morning – one of the few occasions in which there has been anything bordering on debate.

The study was led by Frances Taylor Gench, a task force member who is a professor of New Testament at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Va. She offered two interpretations of footwashing: 1) that it's hard to receive the humility of Christ, as the case with Peter's protest and Judas' treachery; and 2) that Christians have trouble repeating the act, as Christ instructed them.

"Following Christ … invites us to break down our own barriers" to others, Gench said, noting that the feet are the ugliest part of the body. Then she used the Biblical story as a springboard to address sexuality issues in the Presbyterian Church (USA).

"Presbyterians will probably argue over whether we have a heterosexual to wash feet," she said in a not-so-veiled analogy to the denomination's constitutional standard that prohibits the ordination of practicing homosexuals.

"That raises the question of whether we would argue the worthiness of having your feet washed," she added.

Milton J. "Joe" Coalter, a church historian and librarian at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Louisville, questioned the all-inclusiveness of Jesus' footwashing. Coalter noted that, after washing the feet of his disciples and telling them they would be blessed by doing the same for others, Jesus said he was not "referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen."

Coalter added, "We have to be careful … the church doesn't decide who's chosen."

Others noted, however, that Judas was one of those whose feet Christ washed, although they did not likewise note that, once Judas had committed his act of treachery, the New Testament writers depicted him negatively.

Jose Luis Torres-Milan, pastor of a Presbyterian church in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, used the foot-washing story to make two complaints against the task force. First, he said, the task force had made no plans to translate its resources and material into Spanish and Korean. And he pointed out that no one had provided him with a worship book at the Wednesday evening service.

The PCUSA's problems are "our problem," he said. "We want to be part of the solution. We have to leave no one behind."

John "Mike" Loudon, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Lakeland, Fla., agreed that the task force should provide Spanish and Korean copies of the material, but also admonished Torres-Milan, saying, "You've got legs. You can get a worship booklet."

Barbara Wheeler, president of Auburn Theological Seminary, cited the "oscillation in this story," paraphrasing Peter's first response to Christ's gesture as "there's nothing you can do for me," and his later response asking for a full bath. "This sounds like the mixed messages we are getting from the church. There's nothing we can do if the church won't accept it."

Martha Sadongei, a Native American Presbyterian minister in Phoenix, said Native American people had no problems with the inclusiveness of the foot-washing ritual. "To say it bluntly, it's a white fear," she added.

And Gary Demarest, co-moderator of the task force and a retired California minister, gave a personal testimony in agreement with Sadongei's conclusion. Speaking of others, such as Hispanics and Native Americans, Demarest said, "I tend to say, just become like me." But he said he is realizing that he needs to be able to learn from those from other cultures, "from people who, all of our lives, we were told were inferior."

Scott Anderson, a former co-moderator of More Light Presbyterians who recently became executive director of the Wisconsin Council of Churches, took sides with the "vulnerable." "The degree of our faithfulness is to someone dependent on our being vulnerable," he said.

Coalter described the footwashing as a "very powerful ritual. It addresses one of our problems. It's awfully hard to get up from a footwashing and get nasty."

To which Barbara Everitt Bryant, a research scientist at the University of Michigan Business School who served as director of the U.S. Bureau of Census under former President George H.W. Bush, replied: "Footwashing is contrary to some of those of us who are uptight WASPs."

 

[SavedByGrace3]

I once belonged to a church that regularly practice "foot washing"
_Church of God of Prophecy_

It was a strange experience indeed. But I think they missed the point of the whole thing. It was from the NT reference "..have washed the saints feet..."
The church considered it an act of humbling to each other... but I think the NT reference is a simple act of caring for each others needs. Walking around in sandals all day in a dry and sandy land can mess you up.

 

[eldermike]

It was a strange experience indeed. But I think they missed the point of the whole thing. It was from the NT reference "..have washed the saints feet..."
The church considered it an act of humbling to each other... but I think the NT reference is a simple act of caring for each others needs. Walking around in sandals all day in a dry and sandy land can mess you up.

I think you nailed it!. It makes no sense to wash a persons clean feet while ignoring other real needs.

 

[ZiSunka]

As a former member of the Mennonite church, and a occassional attendee of a Grace Brethern Church, I have participated in foot-washing many times. It's not odd or icky, it's a commandment from the Lord.

John 13


Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet

1It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.[1]
2The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"
7Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
8"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."
Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."
9"Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"
10Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." 11For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12When 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. 13"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

 

[Lotar]

It's taking something litterally that was never meant to be. The point was to humble ourselves, not to actually wash eachothers feet.

 

[Bruce S]

As a former member of the Mennonite church, and a occassional attendee of a Grace Brethern Church, I have participated in foot-washing many times. It's not odd or icky, it's a commandment from the Lord.

John 13


Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet

Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

It really doesn't get much clearer than that. It is black and white. DO IT. That is NOT figurative, it is commanded. Only by INTERPRETATION does it become anything other than real.

Take off the Birkenstocks and lather up!

 

[ZiSunka]

In the very next chapter of John, Jesus commands us to keep the communion. We take that as a literal command. Why would foot-washing be figurative, but communion literal? Either they both are literal, or they both are figurative. Both are symbols, one to remind us that Jesus came into the world to teachus to be humble servants of one another, and the other to remind us of what Jesus came into the world to sacrifice Himself for our salvation. Both important symbols. We don't neglect the one, why neglect the other?

 

[ZiSunka]

And actually, it's not icky at all. Getting down on the floor, removing the shoes of the person you are serving, touching their feet, washing them and drying them, it's all really a powerful symbol of how Christ condesended to come to earth and be our servant/savior for 33 years before sacrificing himself for us. It's so powerful that there are often tears of humility and love in the eyes of the person doing the foot washing.

When you do it, you know how humble we are to be to one another.

 

[Lotar]

It really doesn't get much clearer than that. It is black and white. DO IT. That is NOT figurative, it is commanded. Only by INTERPRETATION does it become anything other than real.

Take off the Birkenstocks and lather up!

1 Timothy 2:9
Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments,

Are you going to tell women who braid their hair that they are in sin?

1 Corinthians 11:6
For if a woman does not cover her head, let her also have her hair cut off; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head.

Do women at your church cover their heads?

Matthew 18:3
and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Do you go around acting like a child?

I can give you more examples. Washing of feet was something that was done by servants in the culture of the day. Jesus was showing that we must humble ourselves before eachother, not to be prideful or boast of yourself in spiritual matters. It was an illistration.

 

[ZiSunka]

1 Timothy 2:9
Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments,

Are you going to tell women who braid their hair that they are in sin?

1 Corinthians 11:6
For if a woman does not cover her head, let her also have her hair cut off; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head.

Do women at your church cover their heads?

Matthew 18:3
and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Do you go around acting like a child?

I can give you more examples. Washing of feet was something that was done by servants in the culture of the day. Jesus was showing that we must humble ourselves before eachother, not to be prideful or boast of yourself in spiritual matters. It was an illistration.

So you are comparing a command of Christ to the words of Paul?

And as far as being like little children, it clearly means that we are to be humble with God, trusting of God like a child is of a parent, and look to Him for everything like our children look to us to supply all their needs. The one thing it DOESN'T mean is to act childish.

Why is it that you don't want to humble yourself and wash someone's feet? If you can't wash someone's feet, there are probably a lot of other things you won't do for the Lord, either, like change bedpans or clean the toilets at the homeless shelter.

 

[Lotar]

So you are comparing a command of Christ to the words of Paul?

Is not the scripture from Paul the inspired work of God?
The last one was from Christ.

And as far as being like little children, it clearly means that we are to be humble with God, trusting of God like a child is of a parent, and look to Him for everything like our children look to us to supply all their needs. The one thing it DOESN'T mean is to act childish.

Ofcourse, just like when He washed the feet.

Why is it that you don't want to humble yourself and wash someone's feet? If you can't wash someone's feet, there are probably a lot of other things you won't do for the Lord, either, like change bedpans or clean the toilets at the homeless shelter.

I don't believe that Christ meant to litterally wash peoples' feet, there are many other ways to humbling ourselves.

 

[ZiSunka]

Well, how DO you humble yourself then?


What humble service do you offer the brethren?

 

[Lotar]

Well, how DO you humble yourself then?


What humble service do you offer the brethren?

Don't really keep a list. When I see something I try to do it, well I should atleast. I'm not the most humble person in the world, but God's working on that.

 

[Bruce S]

And actually, it's not icky at all. Getting down on the floor, removing the shoes of the person you are serving, touching their feet, washing them and drying them, it's all really a powerful symbol of how Christ condesended to come to earth and be our servant/savior for 33 years before sacrificing himself for us. It's so powerful that there are often tears of humility and love in the eyes of the person doing the foot washing.

When you do it, you know how humble we are to be to one another.

Wow Lambslove....

You make me want to cyberwash your feet, right here and now. I feel so moved by your post that I feel "cheated" that it isn't a regular part of my denominations practices. Perhaps I will bring this one up, and see if others might want to honor this tradition by doing it.

 

[Bruce S]

1 Timothy 2:9
Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments,

Are you going to tell women who braid their hair that they are in sin?

1 Corinthians 11:6
For if a woman does not cover her head, let her also have her hair cut off; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head.

Do women at your church cover their heads?

Matthew 18:3
and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Do you go around acting like a child?

I can give you more examples. Washing of feet was something that was done by servants in the culture of the day. Jesus was showing that we must humble ourselves before eachother, not to be prideful or boast of yourself in spiritual matters. It was an illistration.

Disagree. First, you have APOSTLES writing THEIR thoughts in the above examples, they were not Christ. Big difference.

Secondly, foot washing was the ONE THING that even a Jewish slave owner could not ask of his slaves, let alone servants. It was considered too degrading even for slaves. Imagine what a foot was like then. Open sandals, donkey and horse dung, dirt, dust....etc. Feet were NOT encased in designer Nike's with socks.

So, when Jesus did this, he lowered himself, ACTUALLY not FIGURATIVELY to a station below a slave, to show the level that God would go to save a lost soul, then commanded HIS followers to do likewise, knowing that if a man could degrade himself for him to that level of submission, there was nothing that he would not do for his fellow man.

My two cents.

Take of the socks, and lather up the piggies!

 

[Lotar]

Disagree. First, you have APOSTLES writing THEIR thoughts in the above examples, they were not Christ. Big difference.

Then do you claim that Paul's writings were not the inspired word of God? That he was just giving his oppinion?

 

[Bruce S]

Then do you claim that Paul's writings were not the inspired word of God? That he was just giving his oppinion?

Tricky question, and well put.

Paul was interpreting the Jesus experience, explaining.

The Gospel where the foot washing was told, was not yet written. I'm going to say here, that Paul, not being at the event itself, might not have the insight that John had when HE wrote about it, and might have a different interpretation had he himself been a party to the footwashing ceremony at the Last Supper.

How'd I work through your excellently loaded question here?

I sort of felt as Jesus must have when they asked him if a man should pay taxes to Ceasar, a question that needed a very carefully crafted response...

Grin.