Christ Washing the Feet of Peter
by Ford Maddox Brown
The theme of this painting depicts one of the stories from the life of Jesus Christ. The story of the Footwashing takes place, the day before his death on Thursday evening, when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, before the Passover Seder (Feast), identified in Christianity as the Last Supper. In those days, washing the feet of those attending a feast was a usual practice, but it was usually only performed by servants or slaves. It was an act of humility and love.
The story of the footwashing is told in KJV John 13:1-16:
1Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him; 3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; 4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. 5 After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. 11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.
12 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? 13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. 16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
Jesus' washing the feet of his disciples symbolizes humility and service to others, but more importantly, the act symbolizes how, when we are in relationship with the Christ within, that the Christ Consciousness increases and purifies our understanding of spiritual teachings, how those teachings cleanse and elevate our souls, and how we may by following those teachings be released from bondage to the lower self, the false ego that tries to direct our lives.
The act of the footwashing also symbolizes that the Christ within is actually our loving servant. We may ask any good thing of the Christ and it will be done. In Jesus' time, one identified oneself as belonging to the school of a teacher by name as in, "I am a disciple of... Hillel or Shammai or... Jesus. Jesus spoke to his disciples at the last supper saying that if we ask in his name it would be done meaning that if we ask in his name we are asking in the spirit of his teaching and in love.
In, John 16 (KJV), he is reported to have said:
22 And you now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man takes from you. 23 And in that day you shall ask me nothing. Truly, truly, I say to you, Whatever you shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. 24 Till now have you asked nothing in my name: ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full...be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Easter occurs close to the Spring Equinox. Passover occurs at this time as well. Both celebrate a release form bondage, release from suffering and the resurrection of the Spirit. In the ancient world the Equinox signaled the end of Winter, the beginning of Spring and the return of the ever increasing Light of the Sun. As the days of Spring wear on, so the days lengthen until the Sun reaches its apex at the Summer Solstice and begins to decline again. So do we spiritually reach a peak and then begin to go inside again.In the Ancient world, the Spring Equinox began a new cycle and a New Year. It ended a period of self-reflection and the emergence within our consciousness of the resultant wisdom gained from that reflection over the year.
In the Esoteric Tradition, Easter celebrates all of these things, but especially, the rebirth of the Soul and Spirit into new awareness, new understanding, and new wisdom.The forty days of Lent represent the days Jesus spent in the wilderness in quiet reflection after his baptism. During this period he looked at how he would spend the remainder of his life and faced a number of temptations (Matthew 4:1-2, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-2).
When Jesus was baptized he actually came out into the world publicly and allowed himself to be recognized as "a son of God" of the House of David, a Messiah, an anointed one. Because of his familial standing he knew that he could use his position to start a war to obtain the throne of Israel or he could teach as a Rabbi. He went into the desert to decide what was best for the people.
Traditionally, the exoteric teachings of the mainstream church purport that Jesus was tempted by an exterior entity named Satan, however the esoteric tradition perceives the story as symbolic of the inner struggle that we all must face when faced with the temptation to do something that is not really good for ourselves or all. In the story of the temptation, after the devil left him, an angel came to minister to Jesus.
The angel represents the voice of God, which is always, wise, loving, kind, merciful, and compassionate. Jesus further said that his disciples should fast "when the bridegroom shall be taken from them" (Matthew 9:15), a reference to his Passion. He was teaching the disciples to go within to find their answers when he was no longer there.
In these days, the false stories of Jesus are gradually being debunked. What remains, whatever the true or false history concerning his life, is relative to ours. It does not matter whether the story is absolutely true; what matters is the teaching. Let us Love One Another as He Loved Us and Loves Us...
"We
must go within to find our answers and recognize we are forging a new
path. We must question all we have learned, we must discern for
ourselves what is truth and what is not. Ultimately we are the only
authority. Only out of a framework such as this may creative thought
arise towards a World of Peace, Love, and Prosperity....." Gnostic.Org
