The faithful in Christ Jesus, gathered out from the world to have their portion with Him, are those whom Jesus calls His own. He is theirs, and they are His. His love to them never ends. He loved them while He was in the world with them; He loves them also while He is with the Father — they being in the world still.
As the love of Christ to His own continues, so also does His service, in whatever way He sees we need it. Some service we do not need, because we have it already and are perfect in it; other service we do need, and in this Christ ministers to us in love.
Complete in Him
The Word of God brings salvation through Christ to all them that believe, and they are complete in Him. And so says the Apostle: “Ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power: in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ: buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead; and you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses” (Col. 2:10-1310And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 11In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 13And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; (Colossians 2:10‑13)). In all this abiding blessing the saints of God are forever set: These are they which are His own, whom He loves to the end, and whose feet He washes while they are in the world. In this, liberty with Him is kept up, and communion with Him is enjoyed. He who is overtaken in a fault is restored. As the word of His salvation brought deliverance to His own, by the power of God, when in an altogether unclean state in the flesh, so the word of His grace brings us deliverance as to our walk, in the washing of our feet. He washes our feet that we may walk worthy of God (1 Thess. 2:1212That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. (1 Thessalonians 2:12)). “Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord; walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:88For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (Ephesians 5:8)).
The need of those that are Christ’s own to have their feet washed does not take from them their holy condition of being clean every whit, but neither does their being thus clean make allowance for an unclean walk. This would be to turn the grace of our God into lasciviousness. See Jude 4.
Ye Are Not All Clean
In Judas we learn, not the failure in walk of one perfect in Christ, but the horrible condition of a totally unclean man: “Ye are clean, but not all: for He knew who should betray Him; therefore said He, Ye are not all clean” (John 13:10-1110Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. 11For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. (John 13:10‑11)). Judas had no faith in the Son of God. Of him it could not be said, he needed not save to wash his feet, because he was unclean every whit. The word of life had no place in him; here the Lord would teach us that no association with people, but only faith in Himself, is the foundation of blessing. A man weak in the faith would not betray Christ for the gain of this world; a man not in the faith would. The one knows he could not do without Him; the other sees no value in Him. The one is clean and the other is not. “If ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:2424I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. (John 8:24)).
Jesus Washed Their Feet
After Jesus had washed their feet and had taken His garments and was set down again, He said unto them, “Know ye what I have done to you?” We should understand in the presence of our Lord the blessing we have received at His hands; it is for the glory of Jesus that we should know it, and our future service for Him is connected with it. Our Lord and Master calls for service from us toward one another, according to the pattern of His own loving service to ourselves. “Ye call Me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, 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” (John 13:13-1513Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. 14If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. 15For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. (John 13:13‑15)). When we receive blessing from Christ for ourselves, He would teach us in it to be a blessing to others, and here it is, in washing one another’s feet, knowing that He has washed ours. What an example did our Lord give us in this! He laid aside His garments and took a towel and girded Himself, and so in washing one another’s feet we should present ourselves as the servants of one another in love. Jesus so manifested Himself to His disciples as serving them that Peter first exclaimed, “Lord, dost Thou wash my feet?” and then he adds, “Lord, Thou shalt never wash my feet.” It was such amazing humbleness that Peter was unwilling to see his Lord so act for him, until he learned the necessity and blessing of it. So it should be in the servants of Christ, in their service of love one toward the other, drawing down blessing from Him in cleansing power from every filthy way, praying for one another and exhorting one another. In all this service our love must be in the truth, as says the Apostle John: “The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; for the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us forever” (2 John 1-21The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; 2For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever. (2 John 1‑2)). The brethren in the Lord are Christ’s own, loved by Him and cleansed in Him, and all that is of Him in them is to be loved in them, and in this the Holy Spirit — the Spirit of truth—glorifies Him.
Observe, while He washed their feet, He said unto Peter, “What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter.” This proves that by it our Lord signified another washing, also evident from Peter’s saying unto him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.” This washing is not the cleansing of their persons or pardon of all their sins, as declared by our Lord, saying to Peter, “He that is washed [bathed] needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit.” Here the entire cleansing of His people is described; they are compared to him who has just left the bath and is perfectly clean. However, we know that his feet might become that moment defiled, and this is precisely our case. I now speak of believers, and Christ appears in the presence of God for us. This proves that He has forever removed all our sins; for this He came into our world and lay in the grave. His resurrection and now appearing in the presence of God are, I say, a sufficient proof that He has forever removed from God’s sight all our sins. His blood is in their place, through which they are clean every whit, but our feet are continually defiled. We live in a defiling world; our earthly nature continues. Satan and the world act on it, and what is the consequence?
The Removal of Defilement
It troubles us. It obscures the glory to which we are called. It interrupts our communion with God and the blessedness of fellowship with Christ and the Father. Here is the defilement of our feet, from which we need continual washing, but because we have a part with Christ, though now in His glory, He never ceases to wash our feet. How does He wash them? By removing from our mind and conscience everything that interrupts our communion with God and its glory and blessedness.
Yes, we have fellowship with Him in His present glory, but a defiled mind and conscience interrupt its comfort and blessedness. “God [says Paul in Ephesians 2] hath quickened us together with Christ, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” We resemble the priests who served in the court of the temple and had free admittance to the holy place. They were never removed from their service. Why? Because their persons had been washed and arrayed to prepare them for it. No need to repeat this, no renewal of their title to their sacred office. But their hands and feet were continually defiled by the blood of the sacrifices.
Then what must they do? Not depart from their place and office; provision was made for cleansing them. The laver was placed between the brazen altar and the holy place, in which they washed their hands and feet, and then they served within the veil. This, dear brethren, is precisely our case. “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”
Bible Subjects for the Household of Faith, Vol. 1, 1863 (adapted)