He Taught.

He Healed.

He Admonished.

He Washed away the flesh’s dirt—as on His disciples’ feet.

Even in His last, excruciating week.

Those thoughts gave me the acronym, THAW. Fitting, because what He did, at what cost, ought to have thawed the coldest heart. But, as C. H. Spurgeon said, “The same sun which melts wax hardens clay. And the same Gospel which melts some persons to repentance hardens others in their sins.”

The Light of Christ shining on men as He walked among them, and later hung on the cross, did likewise.

Betrayers with Dirty Feet

I am thinking right now about Judas, His betrayer. About the night Jesus washed His feet. I am wondering how he, after living so closely with Him for three years, could experience that gentle washing and receive His bread, dipped in the wine (John 13:5,26-27), then go right out and betray Him for a paltry few coins, as Psalm 41:9 and Zechariah 11:12-13 had prophesied.

Peter (as well as the other disciples) I can understand. He meant what He said in Mat 26:33,35, and Luke  22:33. He even acted upon those words when he whipped out that sword and whacked off the soldier’s ear (bad aim, but brave spirit). But when things went so counter to what he expected, when Christ actually rebuked him for the act and restored the severed ear, and all those soldiers stood there in the shadows looking at him, fear froze his heart and instantly he fled. As did the other disciples.

Heart-freezing Terror

That terror laid hold of him again as, standing in a courtyard later, he realized some of the people there recognized him. When pressed, he denied even knowing His most loving friend.

But not long after, burning shame thawed the fear-frozen heart. It left him self-loathing, but still Christ-loving. And the power of Jesus’ prayer (Lk 22:32) kept him, till he later saw Him as resurrected Christ, and melted in abject abasement before Him.

The Difference

That’s the difference between unrepentance and repentance: Judas and Peter. Both had remorse. Peter had repentance. Peter surrendered to receiving Christ’s forgiveness, just as, after initial resistance, he accepted His foot-washing.

And so, by the power of God’s grace, Peter was restored. From there he went on to live out courageously, by that same power now filling Him, Jesus’ commandment to “strengthen the brethren,” becoming an incalculably great gift to all believers, even us today!

How it Works

I know a repentant murderer, who one day received a prison visit from his victim’s father, who expressed his forgiveness and washed his feet.

Can you imagine the repentant’s emotion? Much like Peter’s. Just reading his written account of this incident to my home study group evoked sobs and tears.

What a picture of Christ’s intent in foot-washing, and His Father’s forgiving love—of how 1 John 1:9 works out in real life! If we have accepted Christ’s initial cleansing, like Peter we don’t need another full bath. But walking through this world, our fleshly feet can step into some pretty gross filth. Still, we can get clean again.

Full bath and foot-washing: gifts of the cross, to which human hearts either harden–or thaw.