Firstly, the act of washing the feet serves as a picture of Jesus' ultimate mission: to serve humanity through His humble death on a cross, a death that washes us clean from all sin. Secondly, Jesus intends His demonstration of humility to serve as an example to His disciples (and anyone who reads the passage).
In fact, Jesus himself, washes the apostles' feet to exemplify humility and servitude. The religious act of foot-washing is also practiced in Islam and Sikhism as part of ritual cleanliness. Within these religions, purity in worship is very important.
Denominations practicing ritual feet washing
- Roman Catholic In Catholic Church, the ritual washing of feet is now associated with the Mass of the Lord's Supper, which celebrates in a special way the Last Supper of Jesus, before which he washed the feet of his twelve apostles . ...
Multiple layers of meaning and possible interpretations, from the purely cultural to the deeply symbolic, are found in John’s account of the washing of the feet (John 13:1-20). The three most obvious meanings are based upon
Near Eastern customs of hospitality, Jewish customs of ritual washings, and the exemplum of Christ.,
×Feet washing is a
ritual practice in some Christian denominationsthat symbolizes the humility and service of Jesus, who washed the feet of his disciples before the Last Supper. Feet washing is also influenced by
Near Eastern and Jewish customs of hospitality and ritual purity, which involved washing the feet of guests or before entering a sacred place. Feet washing can have
multiple layers of meaning and possible interpretations, depending on the cultural and theological context.
