In the death of the Lord Jesus, our sins have been judged, and thus purged; by the resurrection of Christ, satan, death, and the grave have been triumphed over; and in Christ ascended we have eternal life, righteousness, acceptance, nearness to God, and all spiritual blessings; and His almighty power and perfect changeless love being to usward, we are kept for the inheritance in glory, and the inheritance is reserved for us. I need scarcely add that the Holy Ghost is given be make all this known unto us, and to unite us to Christ. Thus, not a fear nor a doubt can come in a soul that is stayed on the accomplished work of Christ, and God’s testimony concerning it; and in this way we realize the truth of that scripture, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee.” How wondrous are the depths and heights of divine grace! Well might the apostle call it a “great salvation.” Happy indeed are those who so grasp God’s own declaration as to what has been accomplished for us by the death, and in the resurrection and ascension of Christ, as to “rejoice in the Lord always.” Do we know, beloved fellow-believers, what it is thus to rest and triumph as accepted and blessed by divine unchanging love in Christ Jesus in heavenly places.
2. The precious instruction of communion with the Lord comes out immediately after the remarkable words already quoted— “Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He was come from God, and went to God” (v. 3); which shows that He was in spirit on the other side of death, when He addressed Himself to the mystic service of washing His disciples’ feet. We expect therefore to gather instruction from it, as setting forth one of the glorious offices in which He is now actively engaged on our behalf while in the glory. That there is more in this gracious ministry than the mere act of lowliness—marvelous as it was in this respect—is perfectly clear, for Jesus said to Peter, “What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter;” which remark would have been unnecessary if the act was only intended to set forth the Lord’s deep humility. But the Holy Ghost having come down since this scene was enacted, to take of the things of Christ and show unto us, this and many other of His gracious words and ways are now made known to us.
It is well to notice that the Lord is alone engaged in this service. No one else is allowed to help in it, as on some other occasions, nor was it needed. “He took a towel, girded himself, poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded.” Now the question is, what does this mean? Peter’s ignorance and rash expressions are overruled to bring to us the Lord’s own thoughts of this service. When Peter hastily exclaimed, “Thou shalt never wash my feet,” it elicited from the Lord how indispensable this service was for communion, or having part with Him: “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me” (v. 8). And when Peter again, with equal rashness and ignorance, said, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head” (v. 9), it became the occasion for the blessed Lord to give a fuller elucidation of this service, by saying, “He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit” (v. 10); by which we understand that he who has been in a bath, washed all over, only needs afterward to have his feet washed, so as to cleanse away the defilement his feet had gathered up in walking in a defiled and defiling place. He had been washed once, and was thus “clean every whit;” but now it is a question of removing the uncleanness which the feet had since contracted.
Peter’s thoughts exactly meets many characters in the present day. They think, when conscious of having sinned since they believed in Christ and had peace with God, that they must come to the Saviour as sinners, as they did at first, and be again washed in the blood. But when a believer sins, it becomes a question between him and the Lord, not of salvation but of communion. Saved people, servants having part with their Master, is what we have here. Let us not fail to notice that the necessity for this service is that we who are servants of the Lord may have communion with our loving Master—have part with Him. “If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet.” Having part with Him is surely not salvation, but communion.
A child of God hates sin, and desires, in obedience to the Lord’s word, not to sin; yet, through failure, he does sin. This not only makes him sad, but communion with the Lord is interrupted. Of this he is sorrowfully conscious, and longs to have part again with his blessed Master. This bows him in self-judgment and confession, and earnest desire for restoration to happy communion. The question is, Does he want to be washed again in the blood? or, as some put it, Does he need a fresh application of the blood? We reply, Certainly not. Where does Scripture speak of a fresh application of the blood? It is not washing with blood here, but with water. The truth is, that every believer is by the one offering of Christ perfected forever; he is a child of God, and is always before God, as we have seen, in all the nearness and acceptance of Christ Himself. But by the cleansing with water we understand the application of the word, as Scripture says, “the washing of water by the word” (Eph. 5:2626That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (Ephesians 5:26)). The priests of the nation of Israel after having been at the altar of burnt offering, had to wash their hands and feet with water, at the layer, when they went into the tabernacle of the congregation. So we, having been once washed from our sins in the blood, need afterward that the defilement contracted in our walk should be cleansed, and the heart comforted, as this blessed service of the washing of the feet with water and wiping them with the towel seems to imply. This ministry of our Lord to us now by His Spirit may be either directly from Himself or through instrumentality, but in either case the word is so brought to bear upon our troubled souls as to restore us to communion with Himself. For our blessing we are assured that, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” How comforting, too, is that word, “If we would judge ourselves we should not be judged” (1 Cor. 11:3131For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. (1 Corinthians 11:31)). To walk with the Lord, to have part with Him in His thoughts, affections, ways, and service, is surely a wondrous favor; and our carrying about with us an evil nature, which has been judged on the Cross, need not hinder this. But if we give way to fleshly lusts, they war against the soul, grieve the Spirit, and we cannot enjoy part with Christ till we are restored. This feet-washing is surely a most gracious provision for us during this present time, and does it not sweetly assure us of our Lord’s warm desire that we should be keeping company with Him? And is not this desire of the Lord further brought out by the expression that we should carry out this same restoring ministry to others? “If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things happy are ye if ye do them” (v. 14-17). So that as He by the action of the word seeks to relieve and restore His failing and distressed servants, so should we in meekness seek to minister to our fellow-servants the word of God, with the hope of thus restoring and comforting them. Happy indeed are those who thus walk in the Master’s steps!
3. CONFIDENCE IN THE LORD flows out of communion. Those who have trusted Him most and walked with Him most, know Him best; and those who are so practically near Him, and taken up with His word, as to drink in His thoughts, observe His ways, and enter into the secrets of His heart, are able to confide in Him in the time of adversity. Blessed are those who “hearken” to Him, for such shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from evil.
The sudden and unexpected announcement of the Lord, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, one of you shall betray me,” must have filled them with surprise and distress. It was a most solemn moment. With indescribable sadness “they looked one upon another, doubting of whom He spake” (v. 21, 22). They seemed thunder-struck, and knew not what to do. Why did they not cry out to the Lord about it at once? There was one only who appeared to be up to the emergency. None but he could confide in the Lord about it, and at last Peter made a sign that he should ask who it should be of whom He spake; and the disciple who had been leaning on Jesus’ breast, unhesitatingly, in all the confidence of love, “said unto Him, Lord who is it?”
Here I close these remarks, only suggesting whether we are not sweetly taught by this brief narrative that if we would be ready for emergency, and have confidence in the Lord in adversity, we must be dwelling in the Lord’s love, and walking and serving according to His own mind, having part with Him. We know who said, “Abide in Me,” “Learn of Me,” “Sup with Me,” “Follow Me,” and “If any man serve Me, him will my Father honor.” May the Lord Himself so truly engage our hearts, that
“With His beauty occupied,
We elsewhere none may see.”
H. H. S.