“He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” – John 13:6-7 (ESV)
On a very important night Jesus is with His disciples observing the Passover meal as was the practice of following their Jewish Law. This was indeed the last supper and not only for Jesus but for the disciples. What was about to happen, Jesus’ death and resurrection would fulfill the requirements of the Law for the sake of righteousness. Jesus was willing to be the perfect and final blood sacrifice for sin. Foot washing was a normal act of hospitality, and the disciples thought Jesus was doing that. But Jesus was symbolizing what was about to happen for all who believe in Him. Peter, failed to see beyond the humble act itself to the symbol of necessary spiritual cleansing. Jesus responded with this promise: unless the Lamb of God washes away a person’s sin they will have no share with Him. It was for this reason that Jesus, who saw the whole, said to Peter, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Two verbs are translated as ‘understand.’ The first one is knowledge by intuition or by reflection, the second is knowledge by observation and experience. Do we understand how we should?
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