Thoughts on Washing

The Rejoice devotional entries of both yesterday and today referred to washing. Yesterday's words were linked to a passage in Exodus 30:17–21. The relevant portion of that was that one of the articles made for worship within the Tent of Meeting or Tabernacle was a bronze basin on a bronze stand. The Chief Priest, Aaron, and his sons were to wash their hands and their feet with water in this basin before they entered the Tent of Meeting or went to offer sacrifices on the altar "so that they may not die." (NRSV)

First off, this seems rather harsh. Wash or die! Of course, when we put this in context, we realize more. When God had originally called Moses when he was tending the flock on the slopes of Mount Horeb, northeast of Egypt, he was told to take his shoes off as he approached a burning bush out of curiosity because it was holy ground. Those who have ever attended a Muslim mosque will know that it is a practice to remove one footwear before entering. Indeed, in some mosques, there are facilities to also wash your hands and feet before entering the to worship.

All of this points to the fact that when we go to worship in whatever sanctuary or place, we are entering the presence of God, who is pure and holy, and as such, cannot by his nature, abide anything unholy or unclean in his presence. Now, of course, simply washing with water does not change our nature or the way we look to God. However, washing then is a symbol of our making a commitment of awe, reverence and respect as we enter the presence of God. It was also a regular ritual for ordaining and concentrating priests for service.

Indeed, we can think about baptism in this way. We generally regard it as a symbolic act of washing to demonstrate that we have put our faith in the saving work of Christ on the cross, and the efficacy of that in cleansing as such, that we can be welcomed into God's presence. More than that, we are told that by this act of faith we are adopted back into his family as sons and daughters. The act of baptism for us as Protestants and Anabaptists is a declaration of this change that we have chosen to experience and receive.

At the same time, I think this ritual speaks to a commitment to follow Jesus, which means to serve. This can be seen to arise out of the passage used as a basis for the Rejoice write up on the day after the one referred to above - John 13:1-11, which is the story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples.

This act took place on the eve of Jesus's last celebrating the Passover meal with his closest followers prior to his execution the following day. In his own words, Jesus described this as an act of the deep love he had for his disciples. He was  also demonstrating that his washing their feet symbolized in his eyes that they were clean and fully acceptable to him. As Miss Hostetler writes in her peace for the day, Peter, of whom we read at the idea of Jesus washing his feet, saw this as "an honour he was not worthy of a blessing he did not deserve." Jesus response had an element of rebuke in it, saying that if he did not let him wash his feet, he could not be part of Jesus. Jesus was here pointing to deeper layers of meaning of this act. The element of acceptance, belonging, love and affection. As Hostetler further rights, "to be in relationship with our heavenly parent, we must accept the gifts offered to us.” 

Again, with his command that his disciples should continue to do this to one another, I think we further see this as a call to service to one an other, a demonstration of the unity and love we share as brothers and sisters in God’s new family.

The fact that this involved washing another's feet is also often seen as an act showing great humility. Christ also brought out this meaning in his comments, following what he did when he told his disciples that he had "Set [them] an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” If he, their Lord and master was willing to do this for them, how much more ought we to do it to one another.