Washing Each Other's Feet (Hearts)

John 13:4-17 (NLT)

⁴ So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, ⁵ and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.⁶ When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”⁷ Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”

⁸ “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”⁹ Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”¹⁰ Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” ¹¹ For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

¹² After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? ¹³ You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. ¹⁴ And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. ¹⁵ I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. ¹⁶ I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them NLT.

We all have gone through many trials and tribulations, hardships, disappointments and hurts. The journey has been long and there has been a lot to endure. We are still being healed from issues of the past, generational issues, and issues from the journey that in many cases have made us hard-hearted, and unable to walk in love and get along with others. But as we seek the healing touch of our Savior and Healer, Redeemer, and Lover of our soul, we can be restored so we can walk as true disciples (John 13:34) that demonstrate the love of God and follow the example Jesus gave us in the above passage.

This passage covers a lot of verses but reading all of them will help us understand what the Lord says about taking care of each other. Washing each other’s feet is a representation of cleansing each other’s hearts with prayer, ministering the love of God, and helping in other ways necessary to satisfy the needs of our brothers and sisters, so that God can remain the sole object of our worship. This way we can be cleansed from the issues of our hearts that have kept us from walking in the fullness of everything He has for us. Some of these issues include:

1.       Feet pick up dust particles and dirt (as if we were walking barefoot). In the same way, our hearts can easily pick up offenses or other things that may cause us to stumble and encounter blockages in our path to our destiny.

2.       Feet also sweat or perspire from laboring in the journey. This also means that we may be leaking out the issues of our hearts and as God exposes them, they can be washed out and overcome by His healing touch and the washing of His Word. Another interpretation is that as we minister to others and sweat in our labor, we need to be strengthened and replenished of the necessary nutrients (the word, prayer, and worship) that will keep us walking steadily in the path God has designed for us on the way to our destinies.

3.       Feet can also get hurt when we walk in unstable and rocky ground. We need to pray for the healing of the wounds in each other’s hearts when we find ourselves in situations that shake us from the wrong foundations in our lives.

4.       Feet can also get calloused from the long journey. Hearts can get hard and weary, so we need to pray for our leaders and for our brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, so their hearts can be softened again from the many blows of the warfare, and thus, be ready to recuperate what the enemy has stolen and therefore, conquer new ground.

5.       Feet can get contaminated with fungi. According to MNT (Medical News Today), Fungi are "classified within their own kingdom" and "get their food by absorbing nutrients from their surroundings." They decompose (brake things down). In the spirit, these are demonic attachments that could go undetected if we are not in tune with the Spirit of the Lord and could derail us to engage in “friendly fire” instead of aiming at the real enemy.

Even if we don’t understand that a person can be influenced by demonic spirits and what this means, we can know that their influence is always designed to turn us against that person or turn that person against us when we are to be part of the same team. Instead, we need to aim and declare warfare to the enemy’s camp (the kingdom of Satan) with the guidance of the Holy Spirit on behalf of that person. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, and spiritual forces of darkness in heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).

The Lord said in the passage that we will be blessed for washing the feet of others. This admonition can also be found in Isaiah 58:6-8, 6 "[Rather] is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every [enslaving] yoke?

7 Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house—when you see the naked, that you cover him, and that you hide not yourself from [the needs of] your own flesh and blood?

8 Then shall your light break forth like the morning, and your healing (your restoration and the power of a new life) shall spring forth speedily; your righteousness (your rightness, your justice, and your right relationship with God) shall go before you [conducting you to peace and prosperity], and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. " AMP

When we concern ourselves with the condition of the heart of those around us, we can be prove that we can love others as we love ourselves. This will necessitate for us to lay down our lives and even push our plate away to fast for them so they can be restored. This also sets us in a path to maturity in which we get to know new levels of the height, depth, breadth, and length of the love of Christ for us and for others through us as we pray for each other continually. 
Doing this will also help us forgive faster and easier when someone offends us or hurts us because we are not to allow our emotions to take precedence over obeying the Word of God to forgive and pray for them.

The Scripture also says in verse 10 that a person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. This means that we have been bathed in the salvation of the Lord Jesus, and baptized in His resurrection power. Because of that, we need maintenance through the washing of prayer and the Word. But the mandate is to not only work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12), but to ensure that others will remain steadfast in the path of righteousness and holiness through the washing of our prayers, petitions and supplications for them, and any other need we can supply.

Many of us have not started our walk towards our destiny the right way. We have gone through issues of life that have kept us looking to the past and revisiting old wounds and disappointments. We have even made mistakes for lack of knowledge or because of presumption and have turned our backs and feet against our future and promises from God because we are facing the past like a child that is in a breech position in his mother’s womb. This c an lead to a very painful labor experience for the mother. The Lord revealed to me that someone in the Bible also started the wrong way, but he finished well. His name is Jabez. 

1 Chronicles 4:9-10 says that ⁹ There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful.

¹⁰ He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request NLT.

Jabez was able to walk in the blessings of the Lord mainly because he walked honoring his brothers and sisters. He didn’t gossip about them, he wasn’t unbecoming to them; he endured long with them, forgave fast, and prayed for them that came against him. He also honored them by lending a helping hand when it was necessary and it was in his power to do so. In other words, he honored everyone high and low and demonstrated the love of God towards them. This caused him to walk in the blessings of the Lord and also helped him understand that he could expect the answer to his prayers because the Lord fought his battles. God honored Jabez because he was honorable to God first and to those around him.

In essence, if you started facing the wrong the way it’s not too late to turn back with the help of the Lord. Ask Him to help you turn to the right position so you could be facing your promises of abundant life and possess them because now you have stopped facing the past. To God alone be the glory! ▪

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