MEDITATION VIII.

The Foot-washing.

He riseth from supper, and layeth aside his garments; and he took a towel, and girded himself. Then he poureth water into the bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. So he cometh to Simon Peter. He saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt understand hereafter. 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. For he knew him that should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.-St. John xiii. 4-11.

1. JESUS RISING FROM SUPPER.

SUPPER was now apparently going on. It was evidently their ordinary meal. Jesus calls their attention to some new act which He is about to perform. He rises from the supper-table. When He does so, we must imagine that all the rest would rise too. It is not likely that they would treat His rising with inattention or disrespect. How must they have wondered as to what Jesus was going to do!

We may see them, therefore, standing round the stool on which the supper-bowl was placed. The interruption to the meal is signified expressly by the first two Synoptics. St. Matthew says (xxvi. 21), 'as they were eating,' and then repeats the phrase before narrating the consecration (ver. 26), as if to mark that they had settled down a second time to go on eating. Similarly St. Mark (xvi. 18) says,

'as they were sitting at supper and eating.' He also reiterates the phrase, as they were eating' (ver. 22).

Jesus rose from the supper-table of earth to prepare the supper-table of heaven. He would have us rise along with Him. We are to let the heavenly banquet break the course of earthly life. 'Lift up your hearts: we lift them up unto the Lord.' So the Church calls us to stand attentive. At the original Passover the Israelites were to stand as if ready for their departure. We must have our minds and hearts erect, ready to go forth from earth to the Home where Jesus leads.

Jesus lays aside His garments. We must see Him laying aside the human nature wherewith He had clothed Himself when He came forth from God to join us as in earthly fellowship.

He takes a linen cloth and girds Himself. The towel seems to represent the cleansing power of the spiritual Body wherein He rises from the grave, the sacramental agency of grace.

The bason was there, according to Jewish custom, that those who were at the table might wash their hands. A servant would have brought it round, to pour the water over their fingers, soiled with the food. The servile offices of the Jewish Temple are now to be transformed into the divinely filial offices of the Christian Church. Jesus now, as the Son of God over His own house, comes round to cleanse His people. He pours water in the bason. He infuses cleansing virtue into empty Jewish types.

He began to wash the disciples' feet. The

Jewish washing was for the fingers only, purifying the flesh when soiled with what it touched. This washing is for the feet, purifying the walk of daily life from the defilements of this weary world.

He wiped them with the towel wherewith He was girded. The water represents the Holy Ghost. The towel represents the sacramental touch of Christ's risen Body, wherewith He in His life of glory is clothed, so that He ministers to us as the High Priest of good things to come, purifying our conscience from dead works to worship the living God, with works set free from all the stains of earthly life.

How must we cherish this cleansing! We cannot sit down in the kingdom of heaven unless Jesus has thus cleansed us. We must remember that we can only claim our part therein as having been cleansed by Him. We must do all our actions in the world, as those who are cleansed by the touch of the Humanity glorified by His resurrection in the power of the Holy Ghost.

O Jesu, make me ever mindful of the purity which Thou requirest of all those who sit down with Thee at Thy Table. How great is that condescension, wherewith Thou didst humble Thyself even to death upon the Cross, when Thou hadst assumed our human nature to act in the form of a servant! How great is that mystery wherewith Thou, who art our Lord and Master, hast now girded Thyself in order to cleanse us by the Divine grace of holy ordinances ! Help me by Thy continuing grace to live in the virtue

of those holy ordinances of the New Covenant whereby Thou dost cleanse me. Let me not sit down again to earthly needs without remembering that I have received this heavenly cleansing.

My son, thou hast seen the outward humiliation of My Passion. It is for thee, by gratitude in faithful love, to cherish the power of My Resurrection. Think not that thy cleansing was an earthly cleansing. The power of My Resurrection has touched thee, and thou must remain in the truth of that Resurrection, lest the foul stains of earth defile thy feet as before. Holy Jesu, grant me evermore to walk in holiness. As Thou hast washed my feet, I desire to have them ever sandalled with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Since Thou hast cleansed my feet, let me ever walk in separateness from this world of my pilgrimage. No earthly power can keep me separate and pure. Thy grace which cleanses alone can enable me to walk in holiness.

2. SIMON PETER.

When Jesus came to wash the feet of the disciples, He began with St. Peter.

We can well understand the resistance which this Apostle would make to such an act of outward abasement upon the part of the Master. He would regard it only in its outward appearance. It would seem to him utterly unworthy. Whatever might be that new condition of things upon which they were

to enter, it was he who must serve Jesus. It was not fitting that Jesus should serve him.

Jesus assures him that the action is a mystery. It contains a hidden purpose and power. We may think of the other Apostles looking on and wondering. Especially we may think of John as he hears these words, having his mind carried onward to meditate upon the possibilities of the opening dispensation.

Not improbably they may all have come forward to stand, so that Jesus might come to them in turn. They must all have felt that the mingled feelings with which they came to this supper were soon to have a strange issue. To see their Master acting as their Servant implies that they are to enter with Him into a new sphere of fellowship altogether different from the associations of earthly life in which they have accompanied Him hitherto. They themselves need an entire transformation. They see Him requiring Peter to submit to this foot-washing at His hands, and they feel that something is being done which is no mere act of the moment. They will know the motive, they will know the result, by-and-by.

They watch with the more interest because it is not yet their turn to have the act done upon themselves. How will Simon submit? What will be the result? When will the result be evident?

They would see the necessity of submission. Peter, as the object of the action, lost the thought of the larger duty in the immediate sensation of personal bewilderment. That seemed to him to be