‘Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”’ (John 13:8-9).
by the glamour of being in the inner circle of ‘the Christ’ and all that might mean, but he wasn’t so keen on being identified with a loser, someone who had given in to the idea of being killed by corrupt authority figures (v 31). So it isn’t surprising that when, at the Last Supper, on the evening prior to the Crucifixion, Jesus knelt to wash Peter’s dusty feet, Peter protested again. For him, everything about the action was wrong – Jesus kneeling, Peter sitting, the Lord serving, the disciple being served. Peter’s view of the Kingdom of God didn’t stretch to the King doing the work!
The reply Jesus gave, in effect, gave Peter an ultimatum, because it meant he could no longer avoid uncomfortable truths about the nature of Jesus and his Kingdom. ‘Unless I wash you, you have no part with me’. It was a case of all or nothing. If Peter wanted to belong to Jesus, to be part of him and all he stood for, he would need to become like him. He would have to surrender his thoughts and dreams of glory, and embrace the loving, serving nature of his Master. Peter asked for an even fuller washing – head, hands and feet – but had he understood the lesson?
Peter’s reaction may not have been spontaneous this time. He had been given time to think about it while he observed the other disciples having their feet washed (John 13:2-5). He wanted to talk about it. ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ (v 6). Jesus understood his confusion and took time to reassure him: ‘You do not realise now what I am doing, but later you will understand’ (v 7). Tellingly, this wasn’t enough to quell Peter’s concerns and out came embarrassing defiance: ‘No, you shall never wash my feet’ (v 8). Peter had taken his stand! HEAD, HANDS AND FEET 7