John Calvin Commentary John 13:10

"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 13:10 (ASV)

He who is washed needs not to wash more than his feet, but is altogether clean. First, He says that believers are altogether clean; not that they are in every respect pure, so that no stain remains in them any longer, but because they are cleansed in their chief part; that is, when sin is deprived of its kingly power, so that the righteousness of God holds superiority. This is just as if we were to say that a body was completely healthy because it was not infected with any universal disease.

Therefore, it is by newness of life that we must testify that we are the disciples of Christ, for He declares that He is the Author of purity in all His followers.

Again, the other comparison was also applied to the matter at hand, so that Peter would not dismiss the washing of the feet as foolish. For, just as Christ washes from the head to the feet those whom He receives as His disciples, so also, in those whom He has cleansed, the lower part remains to be cleansed daily.

The children of God are not completely regenerated on the first day, so that they aim at nothing but the heavenly life. On the contrary, the remains of the flesh continue to dwell in them, with which they maintain a continued struggle throughout their whole lives.

Therefore, the term feet is metaphorically applied to all the passions and cares by which we are brought into contact with the world. For if the Holy Spirit occupied every part of us, we would no longer have anything to do with the pollutions of the world. But now, by that part in which we are carnal, we creep on the ground, or at least fix our feet in the clay, and therefore are to some extent unclean.

Thus Christ always finds in us something to cleanse. What is spoken of here is not the forgiveness of sins, but the renewal by which Christ, in a gradual and uninterrupted process, delivers His followers entirely from the sinful desires of the flesh.

And you are clean. This statement may be considered the minor premise in the syllogism, and therefore it follows that the washing of the feet applies to them with strict appropriateness.

But not all. This exception is added so that everyone might examine himself, and so that Judas might perhaps be moved to repentance. Christ also intended by it to take an early opportunity to strengthen the rest of the disciples, so that they would not be perplexed by the atrocity of the crime which was soon to be revealed.

Yet He purposely refrains from naming him, so that He might not close the gate of repentance to him. Since that hardened hypocrite was utterly desperate, the warning served only to aggravate his guilt.

But it was of great advantage to the other disciples, for through it the Divinity of Christ was more fully revealed to them, and they also perceived that purity is no ordinary gift of the Holy Spirit.