seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
John 13:1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
I wondered if there were laws I missed about foot washing back in Deuteronomy or Leviticus. The easiest way is to google the topic and follow it with "in the Bible". Well at first I came up blank.... but then this popped up.... from PBS.org.
One of the pillars of Islam is that Muslims pray five times a day. Before those prayers, they are expected to perform a purification ritual called Wudu, requiring that they wash their faces, hands, arms, and feet. We visited Masjid Muhammad Mosque in Washington, DC, where Imam Talib Shareef described the ablution practice as preparing for “an appointment before God.”
When I started reading the Bible cover to cover... I was looking for a connection between Jesus and what is going on in the world back then [2018?].. and a lot has happened since I posted the Bible Study on Genesis 1. This was the kind of thing I was looking for. How does what Jesus did... fit into the world view. I would have never learned that the act of washing feet is an Islamic thing.....OK.... that makes sense. Now I can go on. I wondered how Jesus was going to bring those cousins into the story. See, Noah only had three sons and Jesus is a direct descendant of Noah... through his son Seth. There are cousins all over the world from Japheth and Ham. They weren't all located in the area we know as Israel.... they had wandered off and created their own families. Japheth settled his family north and east of Israel... and Ham... His family went south and east.
For this posting.... when I write Jew or Jewish... I mean the descendants of Jacob [Israel].. as opposed to Muslim or Christian.
So... Muslims, Christians, and Jews all believe in One True Living God. Muslims and Christians believe that Jesus was important.... Muslims believe Jesus was a Prophet but Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah. Jews do not think Jesus was the Messiah... the Messiah would have never gone to the Cross. The Jews think that Jesus was a nobody from Nazareth. The Muslims think someone was substituted for Jesus for the crucifixion. A Prophet cannot go to the Cross. That's how they deal with Jesus having a fish dinner with the disciples after He was supposed to be stinky in the tomb. The Muslims don't buy the three in one or the trilogy.... there is only one God... and to say otherwise is wrong. Muslims, Jews and Christians, all believe in Judgement.... but Muslims think God is just merciful to some. Jews believe in Judgement... but Jesus has nothing to do with it because He was a nobody from Nazareth. They are still waiting for their Messiah to come in and clear everyone out of their "promised land". The Christians are sure that Jesus is the Messiah and He will be their defense attorney when they get in front of God at Judgement.
Clear as mud? Good... now back to the foot washing... wudu....
So... now that I know about wudu.... I wonder... was Jesus drawing in the Muslims under His protection by doing the foot washing?
The disciples are going to be sent out to spread the word. Jesus wants everyone to know that Christianity exists and Jesus wants everyone to know that He conquered death for all humans who will accept it. But He didn't give the disciples a full bath as required in the wudu traditions. In fact when Peter says "wash me all over"... I figure he might have been saying "what... now we're Muslim doing a wudu?!" [paraphrased for today's lingo].. I figure he was surprised by the ceremonial significance. These men were Jews and Jews didn't wash each other's feet... they had a slave do it.
This chapter opens with a timing problem. Some say the day was from sun up to sun down and night was from sun down to sun up. Some say that a day was sundown one day to sundown the next. So in this chapter... it says "it was before" the Passover. This could have been on a Tuesday night before Passover on Friday or Saturday...Or it could have been Thursday night... as long as the disciples were all gathered... and Judas has time to do his foul deed. So with that said... I'm going to say... it was in the last few days before the crucifixion and let it go.
Jesus told Peter.... who was revolting against Jesus for doing a slave's job.... "you have no idea what I'm doing but later... you'll understand.".....
I'm just an old woman.... with an online Bible and some online commentary..... I really don't have a clue what I'm writing.... it's just what comes to mind every morning.... But.... I think this is a cool way to pay homage to their Muslim cousins. Jesus wasn't on earth to simply save the "chosen" ones. Jesus was there to save anyone who would Believe.
The Jews thought Jesus was a nobody..... Seth kids..... The Muslims..... thought Jesus was a prophet..... Japheth and Ham kids..... The Christians think Jesus is the Messiah.... everyone is invited.
Those disciples were going to spread the word all over the world and the foot washing ceremony was a good way to "anoint" them without giving the a big head. That's what I was taught in the Southern Baptist Church..
Come to think of it... the stuff I was taught is kind of exclusionary.... Wudu is a tie to the Muslim Cousins.... come to think of it... I've been taught in church that the Muslims are all mean warriors who hate us. Muslims think we are all doomed to hell for not believing the way they do. Infidels.... we're all infidels... and they don't want to hear that Jesus is the Messiah.... Jews think Christians have fallen away from God... and they don't want to hear anything about Jesus of Nazareth... He was just a criminal Rome hung on a Cross.... Their Messiah would run the conquerors off.
Washing the feet of the disciples pulls everyone together..... These days everyone knows John 3:16.... but there's context that they may not hear or read.... it says....
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
Whoever.... not just Seth's kids.... Whoever.... not just the Irish or the French or the Greeks.... Whoever.... not just Seth's kids.... but Japheth's kids and Ham's kids as well.... anyone who Believes that Jesus conquered Death for Us.... is covered... and we need to get off our high horses and wash our brother's feet in acceptance.
Back in the day... they walked everywhere.... Back in the day... they would shake the dust off their feet when someone didn't want to listen..... Back in the day... a servant would wash the dust off their feet [like we wash our hands before dinner]. Back in the day... the Muslims would perform a full body wash tradition before approaching God in prayer five times a day. Jesus only washed the feet..... not the hands mouth or ears.... Jesus said.... "You've already had your bath... I only need to wash your feet".
My Nannie [grandmother] would say.... "Here... let me give you a lick and a promise"..... when she only wanted to wash our face and hands with that stinky dish cloth.... we all loved her for it. Jesus said..." here let me wash those filthy feet before we all recline together".... and they all loved Him for it.
But Judas.... well he was not impressed with perfumed feet or Jesus washing feet.... to him..... they were just "stinky feet".
