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Jesus Washing Peter’s Feet,
Drawn by Ford Madox Brown (1821-1893),
Painted in 1852,
Oil on canvas
© Tate Gallery, London |
It was before the festival of the Passover, and Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to pass from this world to the Father. He had always loved those who were his in the world, but now he showed how perfect his love was.
They were at supper, and the devil had already put it into the mind of Judas Iscariot son of Simon, to betray him. Jesus knew that the Father had put everything into his hands, and that he had come from God and was returning to God, and he got up from table, removed his outer garment and, taking a towel, wrapped it round his waist; he then poured water into a basin andbegan to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel he was wearing. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus answered, ‘At the moment you do not know what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ ‘Never!’ said Peter ‘You shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus replied, ‘If I do not wash you, you can have nothing in common with me.’ ‘Then, Lord,’ said Simon Peter ‘not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!’ Jesus said, ‘No one who has taken a bath needs washing, he is clean all over. You too are clean, though not all of you are.’ He knew who was going to betray him, that was why he said, ‘though not all of you are.’
When he had washed their feet and put on his clothes again he went back to the table. ‘Do you understand’ he said ‘what I have done to you? You call me Master and Lord, and rightly; so I am. If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you should wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you.’ |
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| | Reflection on the Painting
Our Gospel reading today reads ‘Now he showed how perfect his love was’, and that is exactly what this passage of Christ washing the feet of his disciples is about. It is an act of love. The painterly composition is taken from an unusually low viewpoint. We literally look up to Christ whilst he is washing feet in all humility. Our humility should be even more humble than Christ’s humility. A surprisingly old and stern-looking Peter is sitting in front of Jesus. Peter has his hands folded together, looking intently at Jesus, in abhorrence of the act. As the Gospel reads, Peter is probably at the point of shouting ‘You shall never wash my feet!’ The rest of the apostles are simply watching, but they are in desolation. One apostle holds his head in his hands, another even bites on his hand. They fear the days ahead and are unsure about the events that are about to unfold. To the left of our canvas, we see a purse of money lying on the table next to the disciple who is undoing his sandals: Judas. Note how Judas is the only apostle who seems to be insensible to the general horror the other apostles are expressing… and he is undoing his sandals and betraying Jesus, literally behind Jesus’ back.
When our painting was first shown, critics objected to the picture’s coarseness. It originally depicted Jesus only semi-dressed, which caused an outcry. The painting remained unsold for several years until Ford Madox Brown reworked the figure in robes. The foot washing is not just a nice Gospel reading displaying the humility of Christ. It is about much more than that. It is about us all having a humble disposition that regularly places the needs of others ahead of our own needs. As such, the Gospel reading is about countering our selfishness. There is no other way for selfish sinners like ourselves to work towards this humble disposition, than through Christ himself. We must absorb the determined mind and embrace the humble heart of Christ, as depicted in our painting…
by Patrick van der Vorst
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