Verse 1 says that the Lord “loved His own who were in the world” and that “He loved them to the uttermost.” Because of this love the Lord washed the disciples’ feet. Hence, the foot-washing is a matter of love, a love to the uttermost. Without this, the Lord’s love toward us would not have been to the uttermost but would have fallen short of our need. This shows the importance of foot-washing. This is our uttermost need. In the nine foregoing cases, the Lord has met all our needs. After all this, we still have the need of foot-washing. Therefore, the Lord has to take care of this by showing us His love to the uttermost.
Verse 3 indicates the reason why the Lord washed the disciples’ feet. It was because He knew “that the Father had given all into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going to God.” At that time He realized three things: (1) that the Father had given all into His hands; (2) that He had come forth from God; and (3) that He was going to God. Because of these three things He washed the feet of His disciples. The “all” that the Father had given Him was mainly the disciples; His coming forth from God had brought God into His disciples; and in His going to God He was to leave these disciples. The Father had given the disciples, and the Lord had brought God into them, but now He was going to leave them. By His coming forth from God and His bringing God into them, a relationship between the disciples and God in Him came into existence. Now He was going to leave them. After He had left them, how could this relationship between the disciples and God be maintained? It is to be maintained by the foot-washing. Foot-washing is the washing away from the feet of all the dirt that frustrates the fellowship of the relationship between God and man. In doing it, the Lord showed His disciples the way for them to maintain their relationship with God in Him.
This kind of understanding can be confirmed in a negative sense by verse 2, which says that at that time the devil had “already put into the heart of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, that he should betray Him.” The aim of the devil’s evildoing is to keep people away from the relationship with God. But what the Lord did in washing the disciples’ feet was to keep His disciples in the relationship with God in Him. While the devil was working to keep people away from this relationship with God, the Lord did the work of foot-washing as a way to keep His disciples in the relationship with God in Him.
When the Lord Jesus was about to wash His disciples’ feet, He laid aside His garments (v. 4). Garments here, in figure, signify the Lord’s virtues and attributes in His expression. Hence, the laying aside of His garments signifies the putting off of what He is in His expression. If the Lord had remained in all that He was in His virtues and attributes, He would have been unable to wash His disciples’ feet.
When the Lord had laid aside His garments, He girded Himself with a towel (v. 4). Figuratively speaking, for the Lord to gird Himself meant that He was bound and restricted with humility (cf. 1 Pet. 5:5). In humility He gave up His liberty so that He might minister to His disciples.
The Lord washed the disciples’ feet with water (v. 5). Here water signifies the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5), the Word (Eph. 5:26; John 15:3), and the life (John 19:34). As we shall see, the Lord washes us spiritually by the working of the Holy Spirit, by the enlightening of the Word, and by the operating of the inner law of life. In the Scriptures each of these three items is symbolized by water.