During Jesus’ lifetime, it was usual for people to have their sandals removed, and their feet washed, by the household slaves. The custom was for the second to lowest ranked slave to remove the shoes, and for the lowest one to do the foot washing.
Jesus chose to do both tasks himself. Why? Discover the answer in the Bible reading below.
The last Passover for Jesus was about to start yet he was still teaching His disciples this is on the 14th of Nisan.
Washing of feet and washing of hands were some of the numerous customs of the time in greeting a guest to your home.
What we call the last supper whose proper name is The Passover Seder meaning “order, arrangement.”
If the anointing of Jesus’ head by an unknown woman and the Last Passover including an evening meal was on a Tuesday, with the crucifixion on the Wednesday’ that allows for three days and three nights in the tomb before Jesus’ resurrection. This also means there were two Sabbaths that week one a regular Sabbath. The other Sabbath one of the number of Special Sabbaths.
Background Reading:
Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
Now before the Passover Festival, Jesus realized that his hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 By supper time, the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray him. 3 Because Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into his control, that he had come from God, and that he was returning to God, 4 therefore he got up from the table, removed his outer robe, and took a towel and fastened it around his waist. 5 Then he poured some water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel that was tied around his waist.
6 Then he came to Simon Peter, who asked him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus answered him, “You don’t realize now what I’m doing, but later on you’ll understand.”
8 Peter told him, “You must never wash my feet!”
Jesus answered him, “Unless I wash you, you cannot be involved with me.”
9 Simon Peter told him, “Lord, not just my feet, but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus told him, “Whoever has bathed is entirely clean. He doesn’t need to wash himself further, except for his feet. And you men are clean, though not all of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him. That’s why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
12 When Jesus had washed their feet and put on his outer robe, he sat down again and told them, “Do you realize what I’ve done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right because that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you must also wash one another’s feet. 15 I’ve set an example for you, so that you may do as I have done to you. 16 Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, a servant isn’t greater than his master, and a messenger isn’t greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you understand these things, how blessed you are if you put them into practice! 18 I’m not talking about all of you. I know the ones I have chosen. But the Scripture must be fulfilled: ‘The one who ate bread with me has turned against me.’ 19 I’m telling you this now, before it happens, so that when it does happen, you may believe that I AM. 20 Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, the one who receives whomever I send receives me, and the one who receives me receives the one who sent me.”
John 13:1-20
Read also: Matthew 26:20, Mark 14:12-16; Luke 22:18-38 and Luke 22:21-23.
More Information:
Remember that the washing and cleaning of people’s feet and sandals was an unpleasant task because they got covered with foul-smelling excrement from the roads and paths.
Passover is always celebrated at the full moon during the month of Nisan. It is the first month of the Jewish religious calendar.
Other slides in this module:
- New moon
- Blind man eyes healed
- Zacchaeus, the tax collector, waited for Jesus up a tree
- Blind Bartimaeus eyes healed
- Mary – First of two anointings by two different women
- The Triumphal Entry
- Palm tree leaves and cloaks
- Jesus Curses a Fig Tree
- Jesus taught in parables – The Lamps of the Ten Bridesmaids
- Jesus predicts His crucifixion
- Jesus anointed at Bethany by an unknown woman
- Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
- Full Moon
- Passover
- Sandal, Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
- Judas at Jesus’ last Passover
- The upper room discourse, Jesus comforts His Disciples
- Jesus spoke three prayers of intercession: one for Himself; one for his disciples; and one for all believers
- Jesus prays for Himself
- Judas and soldiers came at night to arrest Jesus
- Peter cuts off an ear
- Jesus Arrested
- Jesus was on trial six times
- First trial – Annas the Father-in-law of Caiaphas the High Priest
- 2nd Trial – Jesus taken to the High Priest Caiaphas
- Day of Jesus’ death?
- The Cock Crow – Peter Disowned Jesus
- Third Trial of Jesus before The Sanhedrin
- 4th Trial – Jesus before Pontius Pilate for the first time
- 5th Trial, Jesus before Herod Antipas the Governor of Galilee and Perea
- 6th trial – Jesus in front of Pontius Pilate for the second time
- Jesus, the Crucifixion walk
- The Cross or the Crucifixion
- Thick Darkness
- The Roman Centurion
- Jesus is Buried
- Roman Soldiers guard the Tomb
- They made sure by sealing the tomb
- Jesus stays in the tomb three days and three nights
- The Feast of Unleavened Bread
- The Feast of First Fruits
- First Fruits or Resurrection Sunday
- The open empty tomb or the Resurrection
- He is not Here, He has risen – The Resurrection
- Jesus Has Risen Indeed – The Resurrection
- Come See Where He Lay
- Peter Looks – He has Risen Indeed
- On the Road to Emmaus
- The end of the 1st weekly Sabbath
- The start of the Second week
- The Second Sunday or 8 days after the First Fruits or Resurrection of Jesus
- Jesus makes a special appearance for Thomas
- Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish
- The end of the 2nd weekly Sabbath
- The start of the third week
- The Third Sunday after First Fruits or Resurrection Sunday
- The end of the 3rd weekly Sabbath
- The start of the fourth week
- The Fourth Sunday after First Fruits or Resurrection Sunday
- The end of the 4th weekly Sabbath
- The start of the 5th week
- The Fifth Sunday or 29 days after Feast of First Fruits
- The end of the 5th weekly Sabbath
- The start of the 6th week
- The Sixth Sunday or 36 days from First Fruits
- Jesus was seen by over 500 people
- 40 Days
- Ascension Day – Back to Heaven for Jesus
- Matthias replaces Judas
- The end of the 6th weekly Sabbath
- The start of the 7th week
- The Seventh Sunday or 43 days from First Fruits
- The end of the 7th weekly Sabbath
- Start of the 8th Week
- 8th Sunday
- 50 Day
- Pentecost Fire
- AD32
- Questions and Answers 1-15
- Questions and Answers 16-30
- Questions and Answers 31-45
- Questions and Answers 46-61
- Easter-Timeline
- Background Information – Easter
- Resources: Easter or Palm Sunday To Pentecost
- Next Module – Acts of the Apostles » »