FEET WASHING and COMMUNION

I have noticed that almost every believer who observes these two ordinances does so by partaking Communion before Feet washing. They would quote John 13:4 or Bro. Branham's statement to support their practice. However, we don't follow that in our Local Assembly. We observe Feet washing before we partake the Lord's Supper. And we are being accused of deviating from the true pattern, but we believe we have adopted the right practice according to the Gospel records.

As to the other questions which I was asked concerning ordinances, I reproduce below the Questions and Answers which were printed in 1980.

Q.1 – What are the importance and significance of Water Baptism, Feet washing, and Communion?

Water Baptism, Feet washing, and Communion are three ordinances that God has instituted in His Church. Three is the number of completion in God. Though it does not give one salvation, Water Baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ is obligatory in a Christian's true confession of his acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word. It is in Water Baptism that we receive the Name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38; 8:12,16; 10:48; 19:5) and are called Christians. As Christ Himself was identified with us in His Water Baptism by John the Baptist, so must we be identified with Him in His Death, Burial and Resurrection (Rom.6:3-5).

Our Lord said, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (Jhn.14:15). This does not only apply to Water Baptism or to certain laws but also to every word that God has spoken. And it applies also to Feet washing and Communion.

As Water Baptism is our identification with Christ, so is Feet washing our identification with one another that we may serve and care for one another in humility. Read John 13:12-17.

The third ordinance is Communion. Three parties are involved here — Christ, you and the members of His Body. The unleavened bread is that Body of Christ broken for us — that mystical Body of Christ, the believers. Thus, the need to discern the Body and to tarry for one another. (See 1 Cor.11:20-22, 27-34; 10:16,17.) The Cup of blessing is the partaking of the Blood of Christ which He had shed for us that we might have life.

We partake of the Bread and Cup in remembrance of Christ and His Death till He comes. (See 1 Cor.11:24-26.)

Q.2 – Could it be proven from Scriptures that Feet washing and Communion must be carried out together on the same night?

No. The Three Ordinances are distinct and separate. But some Christians feel that, because Christ instituted Feet washing and Communion together on the same night He was betrayed, the two ordinances must always be carried out together. We cannot strain at the gnat and swallow the camel because of that. We could not find one place in the Scriptures which says that it is mandatory. In 1 Corinthians 11, Saint Paul has not taught that the two ordinances must be carried out together. If it is mandatory, Paul would have pointed it out and would not have omitted it in all his epistles.

One good reason why most Bible-believing churches carry out the two ordinances together is because both ordinances are very closely linked in their significance and importance — it is Christ and you and the members of the Body of Christ. And this brings us to the third question.

Q.3 – Is the Lord's Supper to be taken before Feet washing?

As I have mentioned before, the Three Ordinances are distinct and separate in themselves. So it does not really matter whether Feet washing or Communion comes first. They could be held on separate days or nights. But Communion or the Lord's Supper must be taken only at night. For obvious reason, it is called the Lord's Supper and not the Lord's Breakfast, or the Lord's Lunch, or the Lord's Dinner, as the denominational churches seem to think, the way they are having the Communion. If we have eyes to see we would realize that it was our Lord's last meal at supper time that the Communion was instituted just before His betrayal, trial and death. His death was not at the cross. He faced His death in the garden of Gethsemane. For there He took the bitter cup willingly. (Read Luke 22:41-44.)

The other two ordinances may be conducted in the day or at night.

However, we want to follow closely the examples that are recorded in the Bible. Only then could we be sure that we are on safe ground.

Now, the precious brethren who believe that Communion should be taken before Feet washing do so because of the record in John 13:2,4-5. Because the K.J.V. Bible reads “And supper being ended… he riseth from supper, and laid aside His garments and took a towel, and girded Himself. After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet…”, they concluded that the Lord's Supper (Communion) was instituted by Christ and partaken by the disciples before our Lord washed His disciples' feet. Well, it appears to be like that, but it was not so. The “supper” mentioned in verse 2 is not the ordinance of the Lord's Supper (Communion). It was just merely a supper and Christ's last meal at the table prepared by His disciples for the Passover that was to be killed at evening time towards the 15th day of Nisan (Ex.12:1-6), that was between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. of the 14th day. Christ, our Passover, died just after 3 p.m. (9th hour – Mk.15:34-39).

Look at some other versions of the Bible, e.g. Interlinear Greek-English New Testament, Amplified New Testament, or the Diaglott and we will see that verse 2 should be rendered as “And during supper...” showing that it was while eating supper that Christ got up, girded Himself and washed His disciples' feet. It was much later, after the feet washing, that Jesus instituted the Communion.

Now, for more facts let's compare the Gospels. According to some Christians the sequence of the events in John 13 is as follows:

1st The Lord's Supper (?) – verses 2-4.

2nd Feet washing – verses 5-17.

3rd Christ foretold His betrayal and indicated the disciple who would betray Him by the dipped sop – verses 26-27.

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke do not have record of the feet washing. Matthew and Mark recorded Christ's announcement of His betrayal by the dipped sop and the institution of the Lord's Supper (Communion). The sequence of the events is as follows:

1st Christ's foretelling and announcement of His betrayal by the dipped sop – Matt.26:23,24; Mk.14:20,21.

2nd The Lord's Supper – Matt.26:26-28; Mk.14:22-24.

Looking closely at the two lists we should realize that the dipping of the sop to point out the betrayer took place only after the feet washing, as John recorded it, but before Christ instituted the Communion, as Matthew and Mark showed. Thus, the “supper” of John 13:2-4 could not have been the “Lord's Supper” for Christ could not have instituted it twice — before feet washing, and again after announcing the betrayer by the dipped sop. The sequence of events would then be as follows:

1st Christ's Last Meal at supper with His disciples.

2nd During supper He got up to wash the feet of the disciples.

3rd After Feet washing, back at the supper table, He foretold His betrayal and revealed the betrayer by the dipped sop.

4th Then He took the Bread and the Cup and instituted the Communion (the Lord's Supper).

Q.4 – Is it true that one cannot wash the feet of the opposite sex?

There is no Scriptural record of mixed Feet washing in the Church. But there are records of women washing the feet of men and not men washing the feet of women.

Let us take a look at some cases of women washing men's feet. In 1 Timothy 5, we have Paul's instructions concerning widows, both young and old. On whether a widow should be accepted as a ward by the Church, Paul said, “Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man, well reported of for good works; if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints' feet, if she have received the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work. But the younger widows refuse for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry, having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith” (vv.9-12).

Here we could see that women, young and old widows, did wash the saints' feet in the early Church. The word “saints” includes men. We know the fact that it was customary for the Jewish women to wash the feet of their guests. Abigail, whom King David married, washed the feet of David's servants that were sent to fetch her. (Read 1 Sam.25:41.) In the Books of Luke 7:36-38 and John 12:3 are the records of Jesus' feet being washed with tears and anointed with ointment by women. If it was wrong for a man's feet to be washed by a woman, the Pharisaical priests would have rebuked Christ, or that Christ Himself would have refused to let those women wash His feet.

Traditional history tells us that it was a custom that visitors' feet were washed when they visited a house as sandals were the common footwear. It was usually the task of a servant to wash the visitors' feet. Otherwise it was an act of honouring the guest highly, or the expression of one's humility. That was precisely what our Lord Jesus was trying to teach His disciples by His action — to honour every member in the Body (1 Cor.12:12-27) and to humble oneself (Jhn.13:13-17).

You will realize that the Jewish customary washing of feet has been carried over into the Church as an ordinance just like the other two ordinances — Water Baptism, a Jewish rite and sign of religious purification and consecration; Communion, the Jewish Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread.

I must give a cautionary word of advice on woman washing man's feet. The pastor of each Local Assembly should exercise spiritual discernment on whether to allow this practice in his assembly as we are living in an age of confusion, immorality and spiritual darkness.

Finally, I must stress that the answers presented here are meant to be an eye-opener and not meant to be a dispute of truth and error to condemn any one. For as children of God we want to be led by the Spirit of the Lord.