Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1920-03-05


view Of his going to the Father, and
In love that cannot change.
Jesus knowing that the Father had
given all things into his hands, and
that he was come from God and went
to God; he riseth from supper" Oh.
think Of it'll These are the hands that
will not shrink from taking our soiled
feet in them to put away their stain.
1t was the Passover supper, tn, WELL
known type of his death. He must
rise from the dead to go back to God,
and no special amounting of the eye
is required to see in this rising from
supper figure of his resurrection
from the dead.
The scene that follows is the shad-
owing forth of his present service there
in the presence of the Father where he,
the girded Servant of our need, ap-
pears as Advocate on account of our
sins. This is emphasized by the Lords
words to Peter: "What do thou
knowest not now; but thou shalt know
hereafter and his later words to the
twelve: Know We what have done
unto you?" Certainly Peter and the
rest knew what he had done, If the
washing of their feet were all and had
no significance other than humility.
And when Peter cries out against
him: "Thou shalt never wash my
feet" he is met with this answer: eff
I wash thee not, thou hast no part
with me-" 1t is not, "f you do not
wash yourself" but 'If I wash thee
| not" 1t is not Peters sense of need,
not yours and mine, that leads the
Lord to serve him and US, but his own
sense Of our need. Peter could not
wash away sin, nor can /. There is
One alone who can. And because ]
am united to him, he must do 1t, for he
would be put to everlasting shame Il
he allowed the slightest stain to re
main for an instant upon the poorest
member of his mystical body.
He does not say, mo part in me,
| but with me-" TN Christ" is the
interchangeable position Of ever,
Christian, and it is because we are IL
him that he is so concerned about us
But with Christ is fellowship, and thai
this may be maintained, and restored
when broken, he must see to tn.
cleansing from the defilement Of ou
practical ways. The twenty-thir(
verse of the chapter reveals what tina
part with" him is: Now there wa.
leaning on Jesus bosom one of hi.
disciples whom Jesus loved" Tht
mention Of that disciples name herr
would have spoiled the whole story
for he is but the representative Of
them all, as verse one declares
"Having loved his own :. ne lovel
them unto the end" This is the hol,
intimacy to which he invites and wei
comes all his own.
Peter then goes to the other ex
treme, mot my feet only, but also m,
hands and my head" And to thil
the Lord replies: "He that is washed
needeth not save to wash his feet, bu
is clean every whit" Here are tw,
different words for wash" whose sig
nificance is not brought out in tn,
translation. The first means st,
bathe" and the second ito rinse" HI
that is bathed, with the washing O
regeneration" is clean every whit. I
is the judicial cleansing that his bloot
accomplishes once for all. The cleans
ing effected In the new birth is not re
peated. Now, for the saint, it is eth
washing of water by the word" H
died to make us clean. He lives t
keep us clean. We are made as cleal
SIS his precious blood can make us
We are kept as clean as the water ii
his basin and the towel In his hand
can keep us. The feet are the SYN
Dol of our walk, and it is in our wal
here on earth that we become defle6
needing his gracious ministry, ou
soiled feet in his blessed hands, wher
the responsibility becomes his 9Th
underlying imagery" says Doctor Sec
field, sis Of an oriental returning fror
the public baths to his house. His fee
would contract defilement and requir
cleansing, but not his body. So tn
believer is cleansed as before the LAY
from all sin once for ALL but need
ever to bring his daily sins to the Fe
ther in confession"