The Gospel of the Abundant Atonement

John 13:1-17

"Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, 'Lord, are You washing my feet?' Jesus answered and said to him, 'What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.' Peter said to Him, 'You shall never wash my feet!' Jesus answered him, 'If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.' Simon Peter said to Him, 'Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!' Jesus said to him, 'He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.' For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, 'You are not all clean.' So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, 'Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.'"

Why did Jesus wash Peter's feet on the day before the feast of the Passover? Just before washing his feet, Jesus said, "You do not understand now, but you will know after this." Peter was the best of Jesus' disciples. He believed that Jesus was the Son of God and testified that Jesus was the Christ. As Jesus washed his feet, there must have been a good reason for doing so. When Peter confessed his belief that Jesus was the Christ, it meant that he believed Jesus to be the Saviour who would save him from all his sins.

Why did Jesus wash the disciples' feet before He was crucified?

Because He wanted them to understand His perfect salvation.

Why did He wash Peter's feet? Jesus knew that Peter would soon deny Him three times and that he would continue to sin in the future.

If, after Jesus went up to Heaven, Peter had had any sin left in his heart, he wouldn't have been able to be united with Jesus. But Jesus knew all of His disciples' weaknesses and He didn't want their sins to come between Him and His disciples. Therefore, He needed to teach them that all their iniquities had already been washed away. That was the reason He washed His disciples' feet. Jesus, before He died and left them, wanted to make sure that they would stand firm on the gospel of His baptism and also, the complete remission of all their lifelong sins.

John 13 talks about the perfect salvation that Jesus had fulfilled for His disciples. While washing their feet, Jesus told them about the wisdom of the gospel of His baptism through which all men could be washed of their trespasses.

"Do not be deceived by the devil in the future. I have taken away all your sins with My baptism in the Jordan River and I shall take the judgment for them on the Cross. Then, I shall be resurrected from the dead and fulfil the salvation of being born again for all of you. To teach you that I have already washed away even your future sins, to teach you the original gospel of the remission of sins, I am washing your feet before my crucifixion. This is the secret of the gospel of being born again. You should all believe thus."

We should all understand the reason why Jesus washed the disciples' feet and know why He said, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this." Only then can we believe in the gospel of being born again and be born again ourselves.

Next Part He Said in John 13:12

Source: The New Life Mission Website http://www.goodbookforyou.com).