DID JESUS WASH JUDAS’ FEET?

JOHN 13:1-5: “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.” NKJV

OBSERVATION: Why did Jesus wash Judas’ feet? This is a question that I have wrestled with each time that I read the opening events of what we celebrate in the church calendar as Maundy Thursday. This is the day and night in which Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, and ultimately was crucified the next day.

There is a current meme that has circulated on Facebook that shows Jesus washing the feet of people who would be positioned as an enemy of the faith or living in a lifestyle that is in direct opposition to the faith. I will be honest, I have struggled with this meme. My struggle was with what it was either trying to portray or could lead someone to believe.

Does Jesus washing the feet of Judas mean that He approved of Judas’ lifestyle and heart? It was at this very event that Judas was identified as the one who would betray Jesus. Did Judas get a pass regarding the sin that was in his heart? Is this what Jesus washing his feet means?

In some ways, we all see ourselves in the life of Judas. We have betrayed Jesus by our sins and our actions. Like Peter, we have also denied Him in our witness to the world. And, yet, Jesus washed the feet of both Peter and Judas. Jesus served them equally, without prejudice, and preference. In fact, when Peter was taken back by Jesus’ invitation to wash Peter’s feet, Jesus said,

“If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” 

So was Jesus’ act of washing the disciple’s feet the expression of His acceptance of each person and their heart’s condition, or was it something else? I believe it was something else. Jesus was setting the example of Kingdom living and Kingdom ministry for all who would choose to follow Him. In just a short time Jesus would die on the cross, be buried, rise from the dead, and ascend into heaven.

Jesus was leaving the disciples a pattern to follow once He was no longer there with them.

“So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” (Joh 13:12-17 NKJV)

What Jesus says next helps us to fully understand why He washed Judas’ feet.

“I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘HE WHO EATS BREAD WITH ME HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.’ Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.” (Joh 13:18-21 NKJV)

Even though Jesus washed Judas’ feet, Jesus was not speaking to Judas as He spoke these parting Kingdom instructions. Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him. Yet, right up to the last moment, Jesus offered His love and grace to Judas. What Judas was about to do was not predicated on how he was treated. Judas’ betrayal of Jesus was something he freely chose – fully and completely rejecting the love and grace that he had received.

“Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him. For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, “Buy those things we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.” (Joh 13:27-30 NKJV)

It is important to note that Judas left before Jesus shared the Last Supper with the remaining disciples. This sacred and solemn event was only for those who truly believed. Although Jesus extended His mercy and grace to all 12 of the disciples freely, He shared the essence of His life only with those who embraced Him as Lord. While they ate the bread of His broken body and drank the cup of the New Testament in His Blood, Judas was fulfilling his plot to betray Jesus.

This brings me back to the Facebook meme mentioned earlier. If Jesus washing every person and persuasions’ feet does not mean inclusion – what does it mean? I believe it means that just as Jesus died for the entire world – we are called to present the Gospel to the entire world, without prejudice and without hesitation. There are those who we find it easy to share the Gospel with and others we find it hard to do.

When Jesus washed Judas’ feet He gave us both a calling and an example. We are not to be fishers of men only in the pond of our choosing, for the specific kind of fish we prefer. We are called to preach the Gospel to All Creation. This means that we are to serve all men and proclaim the way of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ to everyone – including those whom we would see as our enemies.

There is a difference between the terms inclusion and exclusion in the life of the believer. While the world tries to include everyone and make every sin and every lifestyle accepted and celebrated, the church is called to exercise the principle of exclusion. Exclusion does not mean that we build up walls and keep people out. Rather, exclusion means that we offer the Gospel freely to all and Communion (fellowship with Jesus Christ) only to those who call upon the name of the Lord in sincere repentance and faith.

Jesus died for ALL. Yet, everyone is not a child of God because of this. Jesus does not exclude anyone from the call to life. Yet, Jesus does exclude those who do not believe from participation in His life. Without repentance, only our feet will be clean and our hearts will remain broken and lost in sin. In order to participate in the life of Jesus and the gift of eternal life we must repent of our sins, embrace His death on the cross, proclaim His resurrection, and receive the forgiveness of sins through His shed blood.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13 NKJV)

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.” (Act 2:36-41 NKJV)

Lord, thank You for washing my feet and showing me how much You love me. Thank you even more for dying for my sins on the cross so that I can be set free from the power of sin and death and be restored as a child of God by grace through faith in Your completed work of salvation. Help me to share your love freely with all and call them to repentance and faith in You!

“And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1Jn 5:11-12 NKJV)

In Jesus’ Name!