Charles Spurgeon Commentary John 13:8-10

"Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is bathed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all." — John 13:8-10 (ASV)

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 washed needs only to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and you are clean, but not all.

We have often, in commenting, noticed Peter's fault; perhaps we have noticed that too much. Let us now notice Peter's excellence. I admire his humility in thinking it too lowly an office for Christ to wash his feet; it seems to me to be a most proper feeling which prompted him to ask, "Do you wash my feet?" It seemed an overwhelming condescension of love which he could scarcely permit. No doubt he spoke too positively when he said to Christ, "You shall never wash my feet;" but, still, his motive in speaking this way was a good one.

It was because he could not allow his Lord to stoop so low; he thought it ill manners to permit one such as Christ to wash the feet of one such as the poor fisherman, Peter. I have already said that there was something that was not right, and yet that was perfectly natural to this "rock" disciple, and this "dove" disciple, who was such a strange mixture of boastfulness and fickleness; yet do not forget how much good there was in him. I wish all of us were half as good as Peter. That was a grand utterance, "Do not wash my feet only, but also my hands and my head."

He meant, "Lord, let me have all the cleansing I can, not only such as the washing of my feet would bring, but such as the washing of my head and my hands also would bring. Let me be clear of everything which would prevent full fellowship with you, for I long to be one with you altogether."

Then our Savior meekly, gently, quietly explained that there was no need for the washing of his head and his hands, for his whole being had already been renewed by the one great act of regeneration. As he had been cleansed from sin by the free gift of pardon at the time when he first believed, there was no need of any repetition of the spiritual bathing. All that was required was the washing of his feet – a beautiful distinction always to be observed.

He who believes in Christ is fully forgiven.

He is like a man who has gone into the bath and washed, but when he steps out of the bath and puts his foot on the ground, he often soils it, so that, before he robes himself, he needs to wash his feet again. That is our condition as believers in Jesus; we are washed in His precious blood and are whiter than snow, but these feet of ours constantly touch this defiling earth, so they need every day to be washed. Christ our Lord Jesus said to Peter, He who is washed needs only to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and you are clean, but not all.