John 13:9

"Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.”"

Key Reflection

Peter's statement reflected his initial reluctance to accept the humility and service required of a true disciple, while Jesus' response underscored that true spiritual cleansing comes through receiving such humble service and submission to His will.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 9. Not my feet only, &c. Peter, with characteristic readiness and ardour, saw now that everything depended on this. His whole salvation, the entire question of his attachment to his Master, was involved. If to refuse to have his feet washed was to be regarded as evidence that he had no part with Jesus, he was not only willing, but desirous that it should be done; not only anxious that his feet should be cleansed, but his hands and his head--that is, that he should be cleansed entirely, thoroughly. Perhaps he saw the spiritual meaning of the Saviour, and expressed his ardent wish that his whole soul might be made pure by the work of Christ.

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