Clarification of Discipleship

The Gospel of John is a beautiful verbal picture of the ministry of Christ. In it, we see so much of the person of Jesus as well as His deity. But, as He draws closer to those final hours, His message to those who have walked with Him and learned from Him becomes more specific and more personal. "I am the Truth and the Life," He tells His disciples. "And I am the only way to the Father. No one goes to the Father except through me."

Preparation had been made to celebrate the Passover meal. It was the last time Jesus would meet with all twelve of His disciples. (Judas would commit suicide before the resurrection.) It was a time for teaching. But it was also a time for example.

Jesus’ first act during the Passover meal was to wash the feet of the disciples. Foot washing was a common practice due to the dust and dirt of the road. But it was a task normally relegated to the lowest servant in the household. The implements for the washing were obviously provided, but there was no servant in the room. None of the disciples volunteered for the task, perhaps feeling it was beneath them.

As Jesus prepared to wash the feet of Peter, this spokesman for the twelve objected. "You must never wash my feet." Jesus replied, "If you do not allow me to wash your feet, you cannot be a part of me," taking the act from one of menial service to a spiritual meaning. To this Peter replied, "Then Lord, please not just my feet but my hands and face as well."

During the observance of Passover that night, Jesus continued to change the makeup of ritual. With the crucifixion and resurrection would come a revised meaning of Passover, not based on survival in the wilderness but an interpretation that would encompass the new chosen people—those washed in the blood of the Lamb. “Take the bread,” Jesus told His disciples. “It represents my body, broken for you. And the cup, my blood shed for you.”

These two practices—washing the feet and taking the bread and cup—might present confusion for the believer. One teaches servanthood of the follower, and the other emphasizes membership in the family of God. And yet, it is the very basis of the church. Pentecost would open the door to believers, but it was in that celebration of the Passover in the upper room that the meaning of being a follower of Christ is clarified.