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VW brought up John 13:10 in another thread. I did a study before but I never came to a satisfactory conclusion (at least not for myself). Perhaps someone can help me finish the study?
Questions:
1. Is Jesus echoing something along the lines of OSAS?
2. Or is he saying something like what VW suggests: "Jesus cleanses us from all of the unrighteousness of these deeds. The inner man, he is clean completely. He only needs his feet washed. He washes our feet in His blood also."
3. Or is Jesus saying something else?
Scriptural Implications:
If there is something deeper, it could redefine OSAS, break it, or support it.
Scriptural Context:
1. disciples are in the upper room partaking in the passover feast
2. they are arguing about who is the greater one in the Kingdom of Heaven. It has to do with seating order at the table - who gets to sit on the right hand side of Jesus has an extremely honourary position (we have to remember that at this point, the disciples believe Jesus to be their Messiah as in the king who will deliver them from the Romans. Sitting at the Jewish king's right hand side is a coveted position much like what happened with James and John in Matthew 20:20).
3. Jesus then wraps a towel around his waist and proceeds to wash all their feet.
4. I would imagine stunned silence though this is not Scriptural but just imagine, your future king - your Messiah - washing your feet. In those days, the job of feet washing was one of the lowliest positions anyone could have but it was a very important ritual for the Jews. Whenever you welcomed someone into their home, you would have a basin by the door for your guests to wash their feet. If you were a bit well off, your servant would wash your guests' feet. If you were very wealthy, you would provide perfumed oils instead of water for your guests' feet washing. Only in rare circumstances would the host wash his guests' feet - usually, if I recall correctly, if the host needed to truly honour his guest(s). For example, in Luke 7:36-50, a sinful woman washed Jesus' feet with her tears, wiped them dry with her hair, and then poured perfume on his feet.
5. so Jesus is washing feet one by one and he gets to Simon Peter.
6. Simon Peter asks (probably incredulously), "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus replies, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." Simon Peter says no and Jesus tells him that it must be done or he cannot be a part of Christ. So what does Simon Peter do? He says, ok fine but you have to wash everything - my head and my hands as well.
7. Jesus explains that only the feet need to be wash, the body is already clean.
8. not everyone in that upper room is "clean" because one person will betray him and we know that to be Judas Iscariot.
An interesting analogy is we are all on a spiritual journey. We start on this journey "clean" because we are saved. But as we travel, our feet will get dirty. If we don't clean/wash our feet, we might experience pain from boils and fungal growth. Our feet will also smell quite a bit. But once we clean/wash our feet, we can resume the journey because healing of our feet will take place. Though this is a great explanation on paper, it doesn't answer some questions:
1. Why is feet washing such an important Jewish practice?
2. Where else have we seen feet-washing? (The high priest washes his hands, feet, and head before he enters the Holy of Holies?)
3. What is the significance of feet-washing?
4. The Jews in ancient times understood it - do we still understand it?
5. Jesus says that his disciples will not understand why he is washing their feet now but that they will later. These people were brought up in a Jewish culture - they understand more about the culture than we do yet they don't understand what Jesus is saying and doing!
6. Is there no deeper meaning than to lead we must serve?
Related Interpretations:
There is a book written by Bruce Wilkinson named Secrets of the Vine: Breaking Through to Abundance. It's a popular book that circles among the Christian literary community along with his other book, The Prayer of Jabez. I will not go into the Jabez thing but in Secrets of the Vine, Wilkinson suggests the following about John 15:1-17.
Wilkinson explains John 15:1-17 with a vineyard analogy. He says a vinedresser came to him one day to explain the vineyard process.
- new branches from a vine tend to grow towards the ground because of gravity
- the branches will eventually touch the ground and get dirty. When it rains, the branches get muddied and mildewed. The branch becomes sick and useless.
- however, the vinedresser doesn't cut off the branch - he cleans the branches. the vinedresser goes about with a bucket of water and washes the braches. He then lifts up (Greek airo) the branch and hangs it on a trellis or tie them up around a trellis.
- then the branch begins to thrive and grow big leaves
- you need to prune the branch so that it grows big grapes; you can't have both big leaves and big grapes - only one or the other.
- the older the branch is, the harder you have to prune.
So Wilkinson explains away this passage. He identifies the characters: Jesus is the vine, God is the vinedresser/gardener, we are the branches, and sin is the dirt/mildew/mud. As we grow in Christ, we will eventually touch the ground and get dirty (sin). God then washes us and then lifts us up. Then we begin/continue to grow. As we grow, we get pruned. The older we are, the more vigorously we are pruned. Wilkinson associates all of this with discipline, chatisement, and blessings. In a nutshell, fruit brings blessings. No fruit brings discipline. He says this is why we need to confess our sins so that we are right with God (or better said, in God's "good graces"). Only then can we grow fruit. Because Jabez was more honourable than all his brothers, he was in God's good graces. Therefore, when Jabez asked God for something, God gave it to him without hesitation. This "theme" is seemingly echoed partway through John 15:16.
All of this seems to suggest that believers are already clean but can get dirty. When you get dirty, you need to be washed. Deja vu with feet-washing? The body is clean but the feet needs to be washed?
Additional Info on Viticulture:
- the vine is not a twirly little tendril; the vine is a honking tree trunk about waist to chest high.
- the older the branch, the harder you need to prune.
- you can train the branch to grow in a certain direction/way on the trellis.
- it is highly probable that all or most vinedressers in California go around with a bucket of water to wash the dirty branches.
Issues, Perhaps?
Wilkinson's analogy relies on a modern vineyard in California. John 15:1-17 takes place in a Palestinian landscape in ancient times. So the question to ask is this: is viticultural practices in ancient Palestine the same as it is in California? I don't know. I'm stuck here.
The Palestinian landscape is naturally terraced. It is on these natural terraces that you will find many of the region's vineyards. The vinedressers plant the vine on the terraces and manipulate/train the branches so that they grow over the edge of the terrace. By doing so, the branch doesn't touch the ground! Also, should the branch grow too low, vinedressers have this Y-shaped pole that pushes up the branch so that it doesn't touch the ground. But Wilkinson's explanation relies on us (the branch) getting dirty (committing sins). Same with the dirty feet explained by way of journey. Are modern Israeli vineyards all (or mostly on) terraces? Or are they on slopes? Or perhaps flat ground? Compared to ancient vineyards - are ancient vinedressing methods the same as modern Israeli vinedressing techniques? Or has things changed in the last ~2,000 years? If in ancient days, vineyards are only found on terraces, then it could suggest that the branch never or rarely gets dirty. That may present some problems with the interpretations on John 13:10 and John 15:1-17.
Can someone help me fill in the gaps?
Questions:
1. Is Jesus echoing something along the lines of OSAS?
2. Or is he saying something like what VW suggests: "Jesus cleanses us from all of the unrighteousness of these deeds. The inner man, he is clean completely. He only needs his feet washed. He washes our feet in His blood also."
3. Or is Jesus saying something else?
Scriptural Implications:
If there is something deeper, it could redefine OSAS, break it, or support it.
Scriptural Context:
1. disciples are in the upper room partaking in the passover feast
2. they are arguing about who is the greater one in the Kingdom of Heaven. It has to do with seating order at the table - who gets to sit on the right hand side of Jesus has an extremely honourary position (we have to remember that at this point, the disciples believe Jesus to be their Messiah as in the king who will deliver them from the Romans. Sitting at the Jewish king's right hand side is a coveted position much like what happened with James and John in Matthew 20:20).
3. Jesus then wraps a towel around his waist and proceeds to wash all their feet.
4. I would imagine stunned silence though this is not Scriptural but just imagine, your future king - your Messiah - washing your feet. In those days, the job of feet washing was one of the lowliest positions anyone could have but it was a very important ritual for the Jews. Whenever you welcomed someone into their home, you would have a basin by the door for your guests to wash their feet. If you were a bit well off, your servant would wash your guests' feet. If you were very wealthy, you would provide perfumed oils instead of water for your guests' feet washing. Only in rare circumstances would the host wash his guests' feet - usually, if I recall correctly, if the host needed to truly honour his guest(s). For example, in Luke 7:36-50, a sinful woman washed Jesus' feet with her tears, wiped them dry with her hair, and then poured perfume on his feet.
5. so Jesus is washing feet one by one and he gets to Simon Peter.
6. Simon Peter asks (probably incredulously), "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus replies, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." Simon Peter says no and Jesus tells him that it must be done or he cannot be a part of Christ. So what does Simon Peter do? He says, ok fine but you have to wash everything - my head and my hands as well.
7. Jesus explains that only the feet need to be wash, the body is already clean.
8. not everyone in that upper room is "clean" because one person will betray him and we know that to be Judas Iscariot.
An interesting analogy is we are all on a spiritual journey. We start on this journey "clean" because we are saved. But as we travel, our feet will get dirty. If we don't clean/wash our feet, we might experience pain from boils and fungal growth. Our feet will also smell quite a bit. But once we clean/wash our feet, we can resume the journey because healing of our feet will take place. Though this is a great explanation on paper, it doesn't answer some questions:
1. Why is feet washing such an important Jewish practice?
2. Where else have we seen feet-washing? (The high priest washes his hands, feet, and head before he enters the Holy of Holies?)
3. What is the significance of feet-washing?
4. The Jews in ancient times understood it - do we still understand it?
5. Jesus says that his disciples will not understand why he is washing their feet now but that they will later. These people were brought up in a Jewish culture - they understand more about the culture than we do yet they don't understand what Jesus is saying and doing!
6. Is there no deeper meaning than to lead we must serve?
Related Interpretations:
There is a book written by Bruce Wilkinson named Secrets of the Vine: Breaking Through to Abundance. It's a popular book that circles among the Christian literary community along with his other book, The Prayer of Jabez. I will not go into the Jabez thing but in Secrets of the Vine, Wilkinson suggests the following about John 15:1-17.
Wilkinson explains John 15:1-17 with a vineyard analogy. He says a vinedresser came to him one day to explain the vineyard process.
- new branches from a vine tend to grow towards the ground because of gravity
- the branches will eventually touch the ground and get dirty. When it rains, the branches get muddied and mildewed. The branch becomes sick and useless.
- however, the vinedresser doesn't cut off the branch - he cleans the branches. the vinedresser goes about with a bucket of water and washes the braches. He then lifts up (Greek airo) the branch and hangs it on a trellis or tie them up around a trellis.
- then the branch begins to thrive and grow big leaves
- you need to prune the branch so that it grows big grapes; you can't have both big leaves and big grapes - only one or the other.
- the older the branch is, the harder you have to prune.
So Wilkinson explains away this passage. He identifies the characters: Jesus is the vine, God is the vinedresser/gardener, we are the branches, and sin is the dirt/mildew/mud. As we grow in Christ, we will eventually touch the ground and get dirty (sin). God then washes us and then lifts us up. Then we begin/continue to grow. As we grow, we get pruned. The older we are, the more vigorously we are pruned. Wilkinson associates all of this with discipline, chatisement, and blessings. In a nutshell, fruit brings blessings. No fruit brings discipline. He says this is why we need to confess our sins so that we are right with God (or better said, in God's "good graces"). Only then can we grow fruit. Because Jabez was more honourable than all his brothers, he was in God's good graces. Therefore, when Jabez asked God for something, God gave it to him without hesitation. This "theme" is seemingly echoed partway through John 15:16.
All of this seems to suggest that believers are already clean but can get dirty. When you get dirty, you need to be washed. Deja vu with feet-washing? The body is clean but the feet needs to be washed?
Additional Info on Viticulture:
- the vine is not a twirly little tendril; the vine is a honking tree trunk about waist to chest high.
- the older the branch, the harder you need to prune.
- you can train the branch to grow in a certain direction/way on the trellis.
- it is highly probable that all or most vinedressers in California go around with a bucket of water to wash the dirty branches.
Issues, Perhaps?
Wilkinson's analogy relies on a modern vineyard in California. John 15:1-17 takes place in a Palestinian landscape in ancient times. So the question to ask is this: is viticultural practices in ancient Palestine the same as it is in California? I don't know. I'm stuck here.
The Palestinian landscape is naturally terraced. It is on these natural terraces that you will find many of the region's vineyards. The vinedressers plant the vine on the terraces and manipulate/train the branches so that they grow over the edge of the terrace. By doing so, the branch doesn't touch the ground! Also, should the branch grow too low, vinedressers have this Y-shaped pole that pushes up the branch so that it doesn't touch the ground. But Wilkinson's explanation relies on us (the branch) getting dirty (committing sins). Same with the dirty feet explained by way of journey. Are modern Israeli vineyards all (or mostly on) terraces? Or are they on slopes? Or perhaps flat ground? Compared to ancient vineyards - are ancient vinedressing methods the same as modern Israeli vinedressing techniques? Or has things changed in the last ~2,000 years? If in ancient days, vineyards are only found on terraces, then it could suggest that the branch never or rarely gets dirty. That may present some problems with the interpretations on John 13:10 and John 15:1-17.
Can someone help me fill in the gaps?