Washing Feet

By Craig Ashton Jr., February 24, 2024

Did you see the Super Bowl ad about washing feet? This controversial ad shows people washing the feet of others who are different from them, an act reminiscent of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet:

So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 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 . . . “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”

John 13:4–5, 13-15

Because the disciples walked in sandals on dusty streets, their dirty feet were typically washed by servants, but Jesus took the role of a servant and washed their feet to symbolize God’s unexpected love. Jesus washed the beloved disciple John’s feet the same way He washed Judas the betrayer’s feet. This symbolic act shows the lengths Jesus is willing to go to wash and cleanse us. Jesus loved Judas, even though Judas was planning to betray him. Jesus loves sinners. No one is excluded from His love.

I wonder if Jesus would have acted differently had Judas been a drunk, a punk rocker, a Muslim, a gay man, or a despised prostitute? Would He have thrown in the towel and walked away, saying they were too vile, filthy, and unworthy? We say that Jesus is a friend of sinners, yet we often say and do things that suggest sinners do not belong—that they are too dirty and smelly to have their feet washed by Jesus. The truth, however, is that Jesus washed Judas Iscariot’s feet the same way He washed Simon Peter’s feet. He washes feet no matter how smelly or dirty they are.

The act of foot washing is more than a lesson in humility and putting aside our differences, as important as those are. The upper room experience begins in John 13, where the cross is in sight and we are told that Jesus loved the disciples to the end—perfectly. Jesus put on a towel and poured water into a wash basin. He then knelt and washed the smelly and dirty feet of not only His friends but also His betrayer. God is a friend and lover of sinners, and Jesus said that those who have seen Him have seen the Father (John 14:8–9). The act of foot washing exemplifies what God’s love is like. It is an act of love to friend or foe—even to the point of giving one’s life for another. Jesus believed in such love—an extreme and radical love that washes away a multitude of sins.

Sometimes, our hypocrisy and holier-than-thou attitudes subvert the purity and beauty of such a foot-washing ritual. Instead of feeling morally superior, we are called to follow the example of Jesus. His love speaks tenderly to human hearts, inviting us to repent with full assurance of acceptance, forgiveness, and inclusion. When I picture God coming all the way down to wash my feet, I see that He loves and accepts me unconditionally, and this allows me to see myself as I really am. Like Peter, I cannot see how truly deep and serious sin is in my life until I allow God to wash my dirty feet. May this picture of God produce a more honest church culture. We cannot change and follow Jesus’s example unless we can see God coming all the way down, kneeling and washing our dirty feet. This transforms our view of God, and releases us from our sins.

I think the Super Bowl ad merely served to make Jesus seem hip and cool. I am glad to be a part of the tradition of washing feet, but unless we enter Christ’s spirit of love toward others, we are not truly washing one another’s feet as Jesus commanded!

May we fall forever into the love of Jesus.

Craig Ashton Jr.