FOOT WASHING
My subject today is one that has been being discussed some on Facebook. Foot Washing at the Lord Supper Service. Some people do this before the emblems. Some do it after. Some don't do it at all. I have been raised to do it after. The ones who do it first, do it to show humbleness. I am not so sure it really matters when you do it, just as long as you take part in the service. The scriptures in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, do not tell of the foot washing. Only John chapter 13 does. I wonder why? I had never noticed before that the foot washing being done before the emblems. I am glad someone brought that up. But then in John it doesn't speak of them taking the emblems. In Matthew, Mark and Luke each of their view was written about what happened at the last Passover Christ would be part of until he returns again to the earth. Verse 2 of the John the 13th Chapter says, "And supper being ended (Passover?), the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him." Verse 4 "He (Jesus) riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel and girded himself." Verse 5 "After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded." Verse 12 "So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?" Verse 14 "If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet." Back in verse 8 Simon Peter refused to let Jesus wash his feet, but Jesus told him, "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me."
In Matthew, Mark and Luke, the scriptures tell that Jesus and his disciples were sitting at a table by themselves to take of the Passover meal. When the meal was finished Christ took bread and told them, eat this is my body, do in remembrance of me. Then he took a cup and filled it with unfermented wine, grape juice, passed it to his disciples and said, drink for this is my blood I will shed for you, do in remembrance of me. Before they took of the emblems, He told his disciples that one of them would betray him and he Jesus would be arrested and crucified. They kept asking him which one of them would betray him. Jesus said the one that dips sop with me. When they took the bread Judas Iscariot dipped with him. He immediately left and went out and went into the scribes and Pharisees to betray him. From my understanding Judas did not take part in the foot washing service. If that is first then, The other books are in error of him being at the table with Christ and the other disciples and taking of the emblems. The scriptures go on to say, they sang a song and went out into the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus took two of his disciples and went up Mount Olivet to pray. He was asking his father to take the cup from him. But God's will be done. Jesus came down to his two disciples which he took with him and found them sleeping. He was very hurt by their sleeping. He came down a second time and they were still asleep. The third time he came he said sleep on, for I have been put in the hands of those who will crucify me. Just as him and the two disciples came back down the mountain and into the Garden Judas and the men who would arrest him came with a lot of shouting. Judas was asked how they would know which man was Jesus. He said he would go up to him and kiss his cheek. So Judas ran up and said Master, and kissed his cheek. The centurions grabbed him, bound his hands and took him to be tried.
The tradition at the Church of God (7th Day) in Claremore, Oklahoma we do not observe the Passover. It was a tradition instituted for the Israelites after they came out of Egypt as free people. In Claremore we meet first in the sanctuary and sing a song or two or have a special, and some time a short devotion is given. We go into the dinning hall where tables are set up for us to take the emblems, we all gather around and sit at the tables. The sitting at a table tradition was started by my grandpa, Elder Ross Johnston. Unleavened bread (crackers) are broken prayed over and passed around. A scripture is read by an elder or deacon, a prayer given and we all eat at the same time. Then unfermented wine, grape juice is poured into small flutes one for each person and is passed around, a scripture is read, a prayer is given and we all drink at the same time. At the end of the emblems we divide into two groups, men and women to wash each others feet. In the women's room, we usually sing choruses as we wash each other's feet. We then, men and women alike, meet in the vestibule (entryway) of the church, sing God Be With You Till we Meet again, and go out of the church. I am sure it doesn't matter how you do your service, just as long as you take part of the emblems and the washing of one another's feet.
I believe Jesus instituted foot washing to show the disciples that no one is above anyone else. Whether it be Christ as Master, and man as servant. We are all the same in God's eyes. Below is some scriptures a person sent me. I looked the scriptures up in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and read them for myself. Please read through them on this blog, but also go to your Bible and read them for yourselves.
Cindy Buechner writes: "I am a member of the Church of God (7th Day) with headquarters at Salem, West Virginia. My husband is a minister and we live in San Antonio, Texas. Let me take a shot at why we do the foot washing first and the emblems second. John chapter 13 is where we see the details of the foot washing. Jesus is gathered with the 12 to celebrate the Passover with the traditional Passover meal. (Just a note: John does not write about the emblems and Matthew, Mark and Luke do not write about the foot washing.) John chapter 13 and verse 2 says, "And supper being ended." NIV says, "The evening meal was being served." New American Standard says, "During supper." The point is they are sitting together enjoying the Passover meal. Verse 4, "Jesus riseth from supper," and begins the foot washing. Verse 12 After he has washed all of their feet, he puts back on his garments and sits down again. Sat down for what? The continuation of the Passover meal. Further on as Jesus is talking with the disciples he tells them one of them would betray him. He said it would be the one who (vs26) He would give the sop. This was because they were sharing the Passover meal, dipping into the traditional parts of the meal. Since John does not write about the emblems, we have to go to the other gospels, to see how this fits in chronological order. In Matthew chapter 26: 20, Jesus is sitting down with the 12, he begins the discussion around who will betray him. Identifies him with the sop, and Judas goes out. Verses 26-28. After this, "as they were eating.... (again eating the Passover meal, not the Lord's Supper). Jesus implements the Lord's Supper (bread and cup). Mark is very similar in 14:12-21. And again (vs.22-25) After Judas leaves and the Passover meal continues, He implements the Lord's Supper. Luke does not cover, the foot washing, but, he also does not cover the topic of the betrayal. Instead as Jesus sits down with the 12 (22:7-18) He talks about the importance of this Passover meal. Note: And he took the cup in verse 17, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:" However, this is not the Lord's Supper cup because Luke talks about the bread and cup, "after supper" in verses 19 and 20 where Jesus
implements the Lord's Supper. The cup in verse 17 is one of the traditional cups that is shared during the Passover meal. The Passover meal has a defined process with several cups and specific foods that are eaten in a particular order that help tell the story of the Israelite difficulties while in Egypt that the Passover is to help them recall. The use of the word "supper" may be confusing to us, Because we call it the Lord's Supper, but, remember for the apostles the only "supper" they were familiar with up to this point was the Passover meal. Notice Matthew 26:30 and Mark 14:26, indicate that right after the emblems, they sing a hymn and leave. John writes about all the details Jesus discussed with the disciples after the foot washing and before the emblems and does not get to them leaving the supper until chapter 18. In Luke 22:21-23 and 24-30 seems not to match up with chronological order, however, the way Luke writes it seems more like he is just documenting there was a discussion about the betrayal - he does not say how it was resolved/who it was/etc, and he writes about a dispute over who was the greatest of the disciples, again, without an outcome. He seems to just be making sure those facts are documented, but, not in their fullness. Maybe Jesus implemented the foot washing to teach a lesson around who was the greatest. Luke seems to document a few other fragments of conversations, verse 31-38 prior to them leaving the supper. It does not look he was trying to make sure he documented these fully and maybe not necessarily in chronological order.
I received and email from Brother Del DeLong of the Salem, W. Virginia group. He said they do the foot washing first as an act of humility before taking the emblems. I always thought that Jesus broke the bread and passed the cup before washing the disciples feet. But the foot washing isn't mentioned in Matthew, Mark or Luke. He implemented the Lord's Supper during the Passover meal. The scripture says rising from the table He set aside his garments and took a towel and girded himself with it. He then poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet. After this was done he told them they should wash one another's feet. He then put back on his garments and sat back down at the table (Passover). The scripture then says they sang a hymn and went out into the mount of Olives, where He was betrayed by Judas, arrested and put in prison.
From studying this, I have come to the conclusion that during the Passover meal, Jesus got up from the table, set aside his garments, took a towel and girded himself and began to wash the disciples feet. He then sat back down, and implemented the Lord's Supper Service, breaking of the bread, and pouring and drinking of the wine to signify his body and blood. He then arose from the table once more, sang a hymn, and went out into the mount of Olives. So where does that put me? My church does the foot washing last, not first. Is this wrong to do? Is this actually how it happened? As we have said before in John all it talks about is the foot washing, not the emblems. Does that mean John didn't document the taking of the emblems, but just the foot washing? Some believe that was all John was doing, writing down what was happening and not necessarily in chronological order.
Pray, read, and study for yourselves. I am going to have to pray and read again, and let God show me if it matters when we do the foot washing. Or is it, just, important to do the foot washing and the emblems? Especially since we no longer take part in a Passover meal.
Have a great week and God bless.
Starlight*
In Matthew, Mark and Luke, the scriptures tell that Jesus and his disciples were sitting at a table by themselves to take of the Passover meal. When the meal was finished Christ took bread and told them, eat this is my body, do in remembrance of me. Then he took a cup and filled it with unfermented wine, grape juice, passed it to his disciples and said, drink for this is my blood I will shed for you, do in remembrance of me. Before they took of the emblems, He told his disciples that one of them would betray him and he Jesus would be arrested and crucified. They kept asking him which one of them would betray him. Jesus said the one that dips sop with me. When they took the bread Judas Iscariot dipped with him. He immediately left and went out and went into the scribes and Pharisees to betray him. From my understanding Judas did not take part in the foot washing service. If that is first then, The other books are in error of him being at the table with Christ and the other disciples and taking of the emblems. The scriptures go on to say, they sang a song and went out into the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus took two of his disciples and went up Mount Olivet to pray. He was asking his father to take the cup from him. But God's will be done. Jesus came down to his two disciples which he took with him and found them sleeping. He was very hurt by their sleeping. He came down a second time and they were still asleep. The third time he came he said sleep on, for I have been put in the hands of those who will crucify me. Just as him and the two disciples came back down the mountain and into the Garden Judas and the men who would arrest him came with a lot of shouting. Judas was asked how they would know which man was Jesus. He said he would go up to him and kiss his cheek. So Judas ran up and said Master, and kissed his cheek. The centurions grabbed him, bound his hands and took him to be tried.
The tradition at the Church of God (7th Day) in Claremore, Oklahoma we do not observe the Passover. It was a tradition instituted for the Israelites after they came out of Egypt as free people. In Claremore we meet first in the sanctuary and sing a song or two or have a special, and some time a short devotion is given. We go into the dinning hall where tables are set up for us to take the emblems, we all gather around and sit at the tables. The sitting at a table tradition was started by my grandpa, Elder Ross Johnston. Unleavened bread (crackers) are broken prayed over and passed around. A scripture is read by an elder or deacon, a prayer given and we all eat at the same time. Then unfermented wine, grape juice is poured into small flutes one for each person and is passed around, a scripture is read, a prayer is given and we all drink at the same time. At the end of the emblems we divide into two groups, men and women to wash each others feet. In the women's room, we usually sing choruses as we wash each other's feet. We then, men and women alike, meet in the vestibule (entryway) of the church, sing God Be With You Till we Meet again, and go out of the church. I am sure it doesn't matter how you do your service, just as long as you take part of the emblems and the washing of one another's feet.
I believe Jesus instituted foot washing to show the disciples that no one is above anyone else. Whether it be Christ as Master, and man as servant. We are all the same in God's eyes. Below is some scriptures a person sent me. I looked the scriptures up in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and read them for myself. Please read through them on this blog, but also go to your Bible and read them for yourselves.
Cindy Buechner writes: "I am a member of the Church of God (7th Day) with headquarters at Salem, West Virginia. My husband is a minister and we live in San Antonio, Texas. Let me take a shot at why we do the foot washing first and the emblems second. John chapter 13 is where we see the details of the foot washing. Jesus is gathered with the 12 to celebrate the Passover with the traditional Passover meal. (Just a note: John does not write about the emblems and Matthew, Mark and Luke do not write about the foot washing.) John chapter 13 and verse 2 says, "And supper being ended." NIV says, "The evening meal was being served." New American Standard says, "During supper." The point is they are sitting together enjoying the Passover meal. Verse 4, "Jesus riseth from supper," and begins the foot washing. Verse 12 After he has washed all of their feet, he puts back on his garments and sits down again. Sat down for what? The continuation of the Passover meal. Further on as Jesus is talking with the disciples he tells them one of them would betray him. He said it would be the one who (vs26) He would give the sop. This was because they were sharing the Passover meal, dipping into the traditional parts of the meal. Since John does not write about the emblems, we have to go to the other gospels, to see how this fits in chronological order. In Matthew chapter 26: 20, Jesus is sitting down with the 12, he begins the discussion around who will betray him. Identifies him with the sop, and Judas goes out. Verses 26-28. After this, "as they were eating.... (again eating the Passover meal, not the Lord's Supper). Jesus implements the Lord's Supper (bread and cup). Mark is very similar in 14:12-21. And again (vs.22-25) After Judas leaves and the Passover meal continues, He implements the Lord's Supper. Luke does not cover, the foot washing, but, he also does not cover the topic of the betrayal. Instead as Jesus sits down with the 12 (22:7-18) He talks about the importance of this Passover meal. Note: And he took the cup in verse 17, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:" However, this is not the Lord's Supper cup because Luke talks about the bread and cup, "after supper" in verses 19 and 20 where Jesus
implements the Lord's Supper. The cup in verse 17 is one of the traditional cups that is shared during the Passover meal. The Passover meal has a defined process with several cups and specific foods that are eaten in a particular order that help tell the story of the Israelite difficulties while in Egypt that the Passover is to help them recall. The use of the word "supper" may be confusing to us, Because we call it the Lord's Supper, but, remember for the apostles the only "supper" they were familiar with up to this point was the Passover meal. Notice Matthew 26:30 and Mark 14:26, indicate that right after the emblems, they sing a hymn and leave. John writes about all the details Jesus discussed with the disciples after the foot washing and before the emblems and does not get to them leaving the supper until chapter 18. In Luke 22:21-23 and 24-30 seems not to match up with chronological order, however, the way Luke writes it seems more like he is just documenting there was a discussion about the betrayal - he does not say how it was resolved/who it was/etc, and he writes about a dispute over who was the greatest of the disciples, again, without an outcome. He seems to just be making sure those facts are documented, but, not in their fullness. Maybe Jesus implemented the foot washing to teach a lesson around who was the greatest. Luke seems to document a few other fragments of conversations, verse 31-38 prior to them leaving the supper. It does not look he was trying to make sure he documented these fully and maybe not necessarily in chronological order.
I received and email from Brother Del DeLong of the Salem, W. Virginia group. He said they do the foot washing first as an act of humility before taking the emblems. I always thought that Jesus broke the bread and passed the cup before washing the disciples feet. But the foot washing isn't mentioned in Matthew, Mark or Luke. He implemented the Lord's Supper during the Passover meal. The scripture says rising from the table He set aside his garments and took a towel and girded himself with it. He then poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet. After this was done he told them they should wash one another's feet. He then put back on his garments and sat back down at the table (Passover). The scripture then says they sang a hymn and went out into the mount of Olives, where He was betrayed by Judas, arrested and put in prison.
From studying this, I have come to the conclusion that during the Passover meal, Jesus got up from the table, set aside his garments, took a towel and girded himself and began to wash the disciples feet. He then sat back down, and implemented the Lord's Supper Service, breaking of the bread, and pouring and drinking of the wine to signify his body and blood. He then arose from the table once more, sang a hymn, and went out into the mount of Olives. So where does that put me? My church does the foot washing last, not first. Is this wrong to do? Is this actually how it happened? As we have said before in John all it talks about is the foot washing, not the emblems. Does that mean John didn't document the taking of the emblems, but just the foot washing? Some believe that was all John was doing, writing down what was happening and not necessarily in chronological order.
Pray, read, and study for yourselves. I am going to have to pray and read again, and let God show me if it matters when we do the foot washing. Or is it, just, important to do the foot washing and the emblems? Especially since we no longer take part in a Passover meal.
Have a great week and God bless.
Starlight*
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