The Washing of Feet
Irvin Himmel
On the night that Jesus ate the Passover with the apostles in the upper room in Jerusalem (John 13), He washed their feet and said, "If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him."Jesus did not "institute" the washing of feet on this occasion. We find such being practiced as early as Abraham's day. (Gen. 18:4) Our Lord gave a command that called upon His followers to show humility and extend hospitality, being lowly like their Lord andMaster. After the establishment of the church (Acts 2) the washing of feet is mentioned only one time in the Bible. In 1 Tim. 5:10 it is named with good works, the bringing up of children, the lodging of strangers, and relieving of the afflicted. From this we learn that the washing of feet is an act of service performed outside the assembly. There is no example of Christians coming together to wash feet. Those who try to place the washing of feet in the assembly of the saints (like the Lord's supper, for example) have no Bible authority for such practice.
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