Homily 70. On the Washing of Feet. #

St. John Chrysostom

“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). For this reason, Christ took flesh of our same substance, to teach us virtue through it. “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3). And Christ Himself says: “Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). And He taught this not only in words but also in deeds. Thus, they called Him a Samaritan, and demon-possessed, and a deceiver, and they cast stones at Him; and the Pharisees sometimes sent servants to capture Him, other times they sent other malefactors, and they themselves often reviled Him, all this while they not only had no cause to accuse Him, but on the contrary, continually benefited from His good deeds. Nevertheless, after all this, He did not cease to do them good both in word and deed. And when one of the servants struck Him, He said: “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?” (John 18:23). But this was how He behaved toward His enemies and malefactors. Let us see then how He deals with His disciples, especially how He now speaks regarding the treacherous disciple. Indeed, one would think He should be hated above all, because he, being a disciple and a partaker at the tables and suppers, having seen miracles and having received so much, treated Him worse than all—didn’t throw stones at Him nor revile Him, but betrayed Him. Yet see how He graciously accepts him: He washes his feet. By this also He intended to deter him from his evil intent. Surely, had He wished, He could have withered him as the fig tree, shattered him as the stones, and torn him as the veil; but He wanted him to abandon his wicked intent of his own free will. For this purpose, He washed his feet. Yet, this wretched and miserable man was not ashamed. “Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come” (John 13:1). He did not only then realize, but knew, says the evangelist, much before what He was to do.

“Pass over.” The evangelist profoundly calls His death a passing over. “Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end” (John 13:1). See how, intending to leave them, He manifests the strongest love? The words, “Having loved, he loved them unto the end,” signify that He omitted nothing that ought to be done by one who loves strongly. But why did He do this not at the beginning? He does what is more important at the end, to enhance their attachment to Him and to prepare great consolation for them in the upcoming tribulations. “His own” He calls them, because of His close communion with them. He calls others “His own” too, but as His creation, for example, when He says: “He came unto his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:11). But what does “which were in the world” mean? It means that He had “His own” among the dead, such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the like; but they were no longer in the world. Do you see that He is the God of both the old and new covenants? And what does “loved them unto the end” mean? By this, the evangelist indicates that He never ceased loving them; and this he calls the testimony of especially strong love. Indeed, elsewhere (such testimony) is called not this, but the laying down of one’s life for one’s friends; but that had not yet occurred. But why did He do this (washed the feet) now? Because it was much more remarkable then, when He seemed so glorious to everyone; and through this, He also left them no small consolation before parting with them. As they were to endure harsh sorrow, He thus offers them equivalent consolation. “And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him” (John 13:2). The evangelist says this in astonishment, showing that He washed Judas’ feet when he had already resolved to betray Him. By this, He also reveals the great malice of Judas—for neither partaking in the supper, which usually tempers malice, nor the fact that the Teacher continued to care for him until the very last day, deterred him.

“Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God” (John 13:3). Here he expresses his astonishment that He who is so great and so high, who came from God and went to God, who holds everything in His power—that He would undertake this task, despite all His greatness, and was not too proud to perform such an act. By the “giving over,” as it seems to me, he here understands the salvation of the faithful; and Christ, when He says: “All things are delivered unto me of my Father” (Matthew 11:27), means the same giving over. Just so, He says elsewhere: “Thine they were, and thou gavest them me” (John 17:6); and again: “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him” (John 6:44); and: “Except it be given him from heaven” (John 3:27). Thus, either this is expressed, or that the washing of feet could in no way demean, for He came from God and goes to God, and holds all things. And when you hear of giving over, assume nothing human. This only shows respect for the Father and unanimity with Him—for just as the Father gives to Him, so He gives to the Father, as Paul also shows when he says: “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father” (1 Corinthians 15:24). He speaks here in human terms, showing His great care for the disciples and revealing His unspeakable love for them—as He now already cared for them as his own, teaching them the mother of all virtues—humility, which He called the beginning and the end of virtue. And it is no accident that the words: “came from God and went to God” are added, but that we might know that He acted worthy of Him who came from there and goes there—dispelling all pride. And “riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments” (John 13:4).

See, how not only by washing feet does Christ show His humility, but also by other actions. He did not rise before lying down, but when all had lain down. Then He did not simply wash, but first laid aside His garment. But He did not stop there, He also girded Himself with a towel; and not satisfied with that, He Himself poured the water, and did not command another to fill it. Thus, He did all this Himself, to show that when we do good, we should do it not carelessly, but with all diligence. And it seems to me that He washed the feet of His betrayer first, since the evangelist, having said, “And began to wash the disciples’ feet” (John 13:5), then continues: “Cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?” (John 13:6). That is, with the same hands with which Thou opened eyes, cleansed lepers, and raised the dead? Indeed, this alone expresses very much, so why did Peter need to say anything more than: “Lord, dost thou?” In this one word was expressed everything. But one might justly ask: why did no one else hinder Him (from washing feet), but only Peter, which testifies to no small love and respect? What could be the reason for this? It seems to me that Christ first washed the feet of the betrayer, and then approached Peter, and that the others were already enlightened by Peter’s example. And that He really washed someone else’s feet before Peter’s is evident from the words: “Then cometh he to Peter.” However, the evangelist does not say this directly, but the word “began” hints at this. And although Peter was first, likely the betrayer, in his impudence, lay even above the chief apostle. His audacity is shown in other instances—for instance, when he dips with the Teacher (his hand in the dish), and when, despite rebukes, he feels no remorse. Peter, having once been rebuked before, and that for words which he spoke out of love, was so humbled that even then, being in anguish and trembling, he turned to another to ask; but this man (Judas), despite frequent rebukes, did not come to his senses.

Thus, when He came to Peter, “Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?” - Christ says to him, “What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter” (John 13:7). That is, (you will know hereafter) what benefit there is from this, how useful this lesson is, how it can dispose us to all manner of humility. What then does Peter do? He continues to resist and says: “Thou shalt never wash my feet” (John 13:8). What are you doing, Peter? Do you not remember the former words? Wast it not you who said: “Be merciful to thyself, Lord,” - and heard: “Get thee behind me, Satan” (Matthew 16:22-23)? Have you not been instructed even by this, and are you still impassioned? Yes, he says, but now an extraordinary and astonishing act is being performed. Since Peter acted thus out of great love, Christ again catches him with that love. As then He sharply rebuked him, saying: “thou art an offence unto me,” - so now He says: “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me” (John 13:8). What then does this fervent and ardent man say? “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head” (John 13:9). He is ardent in resistance, but even more ardent in showing agreement; and both are from love. But why did Christ not say why He did this, but used a threat? Because Peter would not have listened. If He had said: leave off, through this I want to teach you humility, - Peter would have promised a thousand times to be humble, just so that the Master would not do this. But now what does He say? That which Peter most feared and dreaded—that he might be cut off from Him. For this he often asked: “Whither goest thou,” - and on this account he said: “I will lay down my life for thy sake” (John 13:37-38). If he did not yield then, when he heard: thou knowest not now what I do, but shalt know hereafter, - how much less, if he had known. Therefore He said this, - knowing that if he understood this now, he would continue to resist. And Peter did not say: explain to me, and I will not resist; but - which was a sign of even greater ardor - he did not even want to know it, but again insisted on his own, saying: “Thou shalt never wash my feet.” When Christ used the threat, he immediately calmed down. But what does “thou shalt know hereafter” mean? When exactly “hereafter”? Then, He says, when in My name thou shalt cast out devils, when thou seest My ascension into heaven, when thou learnest from the Spirit that I sit at the right hand of the Father,—then thou shalt understand what is now being done.

What then does Christ do? When Peter said: “not my feet only, but also my hands and my head,” - Christ saith: “He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him” (John 13:10-11). But if they are clean, why wash their feet? That we might learn humility. Therefore He turned not to some other part of the body, but specifically to that which is least valued of all. What does “washed” mean? The same as clean. But were they clean? For they had not yet been freed from sins and had not yet received the Holy Spirit, since sin still reigned, the handwriting of ordinances was still in force, and the sacrifice had not yet been offered. Why then does He call them clean? Lest thou shouldst think they are clean in that they have already been freed from sins, He adds: “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you” (John 15:3), that is, ye are clean thus far; ye have already received the light; ye have already freed yourselves from Jewish errors. So also the prophet says: “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes” (Isaiah 1:16). Thus, he who has thus washed is already clean. And since the apostles had cast away all malice from their souls and dealt with Christ with a pure conscience, He therefore says, in accordance with the words of the prophet, that “he that is washed is clean.” By washing, He means here not the Jewish washing with water, but the cleansing of the conscience.

So let us also be clean; let us learn to do good. But what is good? “Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord” (Isaiah 1:17-18). Scripture often speaks thus about widows and orphans; but we do not think of it. Meanwhile, imagine what a reward! “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18). Widows are defenseless, and therefore He cares greatly for them. They could indeed enter into another marriage, but out of fear of God they endure the hardships of widowhood. Let us then extend a helping hand to them all, both men and women, so that we ourselves may never experience the harsh fate of widowhood, or, if we do, may have a full right to expect mercy for ourselves. The tears of a widow have great power; they can open heaven itself. Let us not then offend them, nor increase their misfortunes, but let us offer them every possible help. If we act in this way, we shall secure perfect safety for ourselves both in this life and in the future age. Not only here, but there they will serve as a protection for us; for the benefits we have shown them will deliver us from a large part of our sins and give us the opportunity to stand boldly before the judgment seat of Christ, which may we all attain by the grace and love towards mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

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