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When you have developed your faith to such an extent that you can stand on the promises of God, then you won't need medicine. That's the reason I don't take medicine.
-- Frederick Price, Faith, Foolishness, p. 88
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by Gary Amirault
Jesus washed the disciples' feet. The lesson most of us Christians have learned from this through reading the account in John, from a Sunday school lesson, a sermon or some other form of teaching is that we are called to be servants to one another. “The greatest among you will be your servant.” (Matt. 23:11) While that lesson is certainly true, I think there is something deeper here as well. Just as there are layers of rock in the earth, so, too, are there often layers of truth in the Bible.
As the reader may recall in this story (John 13:3-17), Peter didn't want Jesus to wash his feet. He felt he should be washing Jesus' feet. Peter was actually embarrassed to be in a position where his Lord and teacher was playing the role of a servant to him. Those of you who have ever participated in a ceremonial foot washing service can probably testify along with me that our egos have a difficult time with this. During Jesus' time, the lowest slave would wash the feet of those higher up the chain. (John 13:3-17) In those days, feet got much dirtier than they generally do today, especially in the Western world. Most of the roads were simply dirt which meant that one would often stir up dust that stuck to the feet or walk in mud. If one had shoes, they were open-toed sandals. Animal dung was everywhere. Feet really got dirty in those days. Though people did not bathe every day, the feet were another matter. Jesus told Peter that if he didn't let him wash his feet, he would have “no part in Him.” What was Jesus saying?
When a person is “born from above” they become a part of the body of Christ. Jesus prayed that even as He and the Father were one, so too, we should become one with Jesus and He with us. (John 17:20, 21) We become the feet of Jesus here on earth while He is seated in heavenly places. Just as our feet get dirty simply by walking the earth, so too, our minds get dirty from interacting with a world full of sin, death and darkness. One cannot walk down a major street in a typical large city without being bombarded with psychologically sophisticated advertisements filled with enticements designed to seduce our eyes, flesh and pride. View just about any media and you will be bombarded with images aimed at emptying your wallet. Drive down a highway. Notice the billboards. What are the half-clad Amazon sized images trying to do to you? Sell you alcohol, sell you cigarettes, appeal to your lower senses to indulge in things that will ensnare you into the realm of the flesh and pride. Our conscience is constantly being violated, especially in the Western world. Millions go into some religion hoping to escape from the filth only to be seduced by more subtle deceptions. We are going to get deceived. We are going to make mistakes. We need to come to Jesus to wash us each day so that our conscience gets cleaned and our communication with Jesus and His body, that is, believers, stays clear and clean. A hardened heart or defiled conscience will hinder our ability to walk in the purity of the Holy Spirit.
Click here to read the entire article
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Re: Spiritual Foot Washing (Score: 1)
 by tom-g on Tuesday, March 06 @ 10:12:15 PST
(User Info | Send a Message) | Interesting sermon Virgil,
It would probably get rave notices in a Cleveland Town Hall meeting, or an AA meeting, maybe even be welcomed in a Emergent session.
I don't think it measures up to Mother Theresa or Albert Schweitzer or Mahatma Gandi, but if he keeps practicing who knows.
I didn't see anything there that would turn the world upside down, that would get him stoned or beaten nor have a restraining order put out against him so that he had to leave town.
But, his biggest sin was that I also didn't see any Preterism there. But, what the heck, maybe I expect too much from a non PP columnist. Was I supposed to be Preteristically (how do you like that word?) edified by this column?
Tom
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