To be in the enjoyment of the presence of Jesus, and share with Him His own joys, is everything to the heart that knows and loves Him. Such it was to Peter, and he readily seized time force of the Lord's words, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me," and in eagerness to possess himself fully of the blessing proposed in the Lord's words, he replies, " Lord not my feet only but my hands and my head." His desire being, that not only his feet might be clean, but his whole person fitted for association with his Savior. He had the consciousness, not merely that his feet needed washing, but that his whole nature and being required cleansing. Occupied with his own feelings, he was in ignorance of the work of grace that had already been wrought in him by the Lord. He was in just the state of souls in which thousands-of Christians are at this moment, i. e., confounding practical sanctification with actual sanctification-the cleansing of the' person with the cleansing of the ways, or, as it is sometimes put, standing with state.
Peter's reply becomes the occasion for the Lord to state plainly this difference, " He that js washed needeth not Save to wash feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean." One whose body is washed all over in the morning or bathed, (a different word in the original being used for this to that which is used for washing the feet,) need; only during the day to cleanse time feet, wirier in Eastern countries, where sandals only are used become defiled, with walking, before partaking of the refreshments provided by the host. The one NV ha entertains provides Water for the washing of, the feet of his guests, but not water for the bath, which would imply uncleanliness of person. The Lord refers to this custom in His rebuke to Simon for treating Him with neglect in this respect, " Thou gavest me no water for my feet."
Time spiritual significance therefore of the Lord's reply to Peter is very plain. As to the washing of the person the disciples were clean—they were regenerate. By the washing of regeneration they were " clean every whit." They were already possessed of a new life and standing before God which nothing could make more perfect. " Born of water and the Spirit" they possessed a "divine nature" which had fitted them once and forever, as to their persons, for God's presence, so they had at all times title to fellowship with God in the holiest, but in order practically to enjoy this fellowship, and to have the consciousness of being in the holiest with Jesus, they needed to have their feet washed from the defilements contracted in their walk through an evil world, and this would be done, not by the application of time word to their persons, but by the application of the word by the Spirit to their hearts and consciences, so that they would practically judge and separate themselves from that in their thoughts and walk which was inconsistent with the nature and character of God, and thus would they be enabled to have part with Jesus in the heavenly blessedness into which, as man, He had entered for them.
' We, would note here, that it is not with blood that either the person or the feet are washed. In both cases it is " the washing of the water by the word." In the one case for standing,—a once completed act that cannot he repeated; in the other, for state which, being a question of communion or enjoyment, would need to be repeated as often as any defilement in the walk was contracted.
A reference to the typical consecration of the priesthood in connection with the laver, of which this is clearly the blessed antitype, will make this clear. We read in Ex. 29, and 4th verse, " And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernable of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water." Then their coats were put on them, and subsequently blood was put upon the tip of the right ear, the right thumb and the right toe-. They were sprinkled with the -holy anointing oil, and the requisite sacrifices having been offered, they were once and forever sanctified "to minister—in the priests office."
Their standing as priests was complete, and thus their title to enter the holy place always valid, but their practical ability to enter the holy place, and minister at the altar before the Lord, depended upon something beside, and that was the daily use of the lacer, as described in Ex. 30;17-21 "Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat when they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not: or when they come near to the altar-to' minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the Lord: so shall they wash their hands and their feet that they die not." 'Their assumption of time priest's office connected itself with the washing of their persons in the water of the laver at the time of consecration; this ability to practically exercise their office connected itself with the washing of their hands and feet at the laver on every occasion of priestly service.
It is this washing of the feet in the laver for communion and service that the Lord's action in washing His disciple's feet sets before us. The present, living service of Jesus from the glory by which, through the action of the word on their consciences, He separates " His own, that are in the world," from defilement, which as already sanctified ones, they have contracted in it in their walk; so that they may have part with Him in the service and worship of God, as priests with Himself inside the holiest.
All believers, little as they may know it and enjoy it, are perfected priests before God. Their bodies have been washed " with pure water." The blood of Christ has been sprinkled on them, and they have been anointed with the Holy Ghost. Their consecration is a complete and finished act, and they are unchangeable, as Peter says, "a holy priesthood." They are the true sons of Aaron; but to have part with the true Aaron,-with Christ, now in the holiest in heaven, their feet must be washed constantly at the laver.
Christ is the laver. Believers do not wash their own feet. He does it for them. It is according to His knowledge of what suits the presence of God that He washes their feet. This action, in love and intelligence, is all from Himself. Our salvation, and consecration to the priesthood is a simple, sovereign act of Christ's love. We are passive in His hands as to it. We know when it has been done, and bless Him for it on the discovery of what has taken place. So our communion depends on Christ and not on ourselves. It is a simple, sovereign act of love on His part that washes our feet, and restores us to communion. What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter." Restored to communion, and power for service, when it has been lost through carelessness, we know Who has restored us. We bless Him for it. It is all we can do. " Clean every whit" before God, even when out of communion, we know ourselves to be. Unhappy because out of communion, we feel that our feet want washing; we look at Jesus and find Him at 'our feet washing them; we realize His grace in this action, and again our hearts are happy, as again in conscious association with Himself; we have " part" with Him.
Blessed and precious Savior, ever keep our hearts in the sense of Thy grace and love, while humbled in heart in the sense of all that, as to our hearts and ways, makes Thy service so ceaselessly necessary.
(Continued from page 68.)