The Lord came through incarnation to bring God into us and He went through death and resurrection to bring us into God. Both transpire in our spirit. As far as our spirit is concerned, God has been brought into us by the Lord’s coming, and we have been brought into God by the Lord’s going. Yet, as far as our physical body is concerned, we are still here on this earth. In our spirit we have been joined to something heavenly, spiritual, and eternal, but in our body we are still on the earth. In our spirit the Lord has brought God into us and us into God, in our spirit we are one with God, and in our spirit we are in the heavenlies because we are in God. But in our body we are still on earth. As far as our regenerated spirit is concerned, we are no longer the old creation; we are the new creation. However, as far as our body is concerned, we are still in the old creation and on the earth. On the one hand, we are the new creation, we are in God, and we are in the heavenlies. This is true and this is a reality. On the other hand, we are still in the old creation, still on this earth.
Although we have the divine life and have become the church, we are still living in this fallen flesh on the earth. Through the earthly touch we are often dirtied. This is inevitable, for we cannot avoid the earthly touch. Our feet are the members of our body that touch the earth. Day by day we are touching the earth with our feet. In the ancient days of Judea, the people went almost everywhere by walking, by contacting the earth with their feet. Whenever they contacted the earth, their feet certainly became dirty. Consequently, foot-washing was a necessity for them. Spiritually speaking, it is the same for us.
Dirtiness is different from sinfulness. To be sinful is one thing and to be dirty is another. You may be absolutely sinless and yet be very dirty. Perhaps nothing is wrong, but you are dirty simply because of the earthly touch. Do you realize that we are still in the body and are still walking on this earth? We constantly touch the earth, and this makes us dirty. As a result, much of the time we are not clean. Therefore, we need foot-washing.
Do you know when the Jews washed their feet? They washed their feet especially when they came to a feast. A feast is a center for fellowship. At that time the Jews wore sandals, and since their roads were dusty, their feet easily became dirty. If, when they came to a feast, they would have sat at the table with dirty, outstretched feet, the dirt and smell would have frustrated the fellowship. Therefore, for a pleasant feast they needed foot-washing. When the guests were invited to a feast where they fellowshipped with one another, they had to wash their feet before the fellowship. Without the washing the fellowship would have been hindered. Before they could come together to feast and fellowship at the table, they had to be washed. Otherwise, they simply could not have had pleasant fellowship. Furthermore, they did not sit at the table like we do, with chairs or benches; rather, they reclined on the floor with their legs outstretched. If their feet had been dirty, the bad odor would have been awful. Sometimes they journeyed a long distance on a muddy road. As a result, their feet became very dirty and the smell was offensive. If they had come together and stretched out their feet, their fellowship would not have been very pleasant.
Since the Gospel of John is a book of signs, what is recorded here concerning foot-washing must also be considered a sign having a spiritual significance. We should not take foot-washing merely in a physical sense, but rather in a spiritual sense. Since this is a sign, the significance of foot-washing is that it is for fellowship with the Lord and with one another. If you just come and stretch out your feet without washing, the fellowship between you and others will be hindered. While we are in this world, we touch the earth day by day. This earth we touch makes us dirty and hinders the fellowship with the Lord and with one another. Therefore, foot-washing means that while we are still on this earth, the Lord as the life-giving Spirit washes our feet, that is, the Lord always keeps our walk clean from every kind of dirt due to the earthly touch. Today we must realize that the Lord is eager to wash and keep us clean from the dirt that we gather from our contact with the earth.
In chapter thirteen the Lord established an example by washing the disciples’ feet that they might have a pleasant time of fellowship, enjoying the Lord and one another. We need such foot-washing today. Foot-washing should not be merely a matter in the physical way. It should be more in the spiritual way which means a great deal to our spiritual life. Today the world is dirty, and we, the saints, are easily contaminated. For us to maintain pleasant fellowship with the Lord and with one another we need spiritual foot-washing.