April 22

Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity. — PSALM ii. 2.

If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. — JOHN xiii. 8.

EVERY act and every word of the Lord Jesus was an outward expression of his spiritual life, — a real, however minute part, of his sublime mission. In washing his disciples' feet, he at once revealed himself, and disclosed the social principle which lay at the foundation of his spiritual kingdom.

Long before this incident, Peter had openly accepted Christ as his Saviour, had confessed faith in him as his Messiah and Lord. It was therefore his duty cheerfully and unhesitatingly to submit to any and every expression of his Master's will. How could he have part in Jesus unless he practically recognized his authority? But in our Lord's words there was much more than this. His act was in itself the symbol of a higher truth. His word shed divine light on the symbol. That we may have a part in Jesus, we must not only embrace his atoning righteousness, we must be the willing subjects of his purifying grace. The feet, soiled by daily travel, must be washed, — washed, not by human hands, nor by our own, but by Christ's. The blood "in which we have redemption" is the blood by which we must be "cleansed from all sin."

K. M. Fenwick

I look to my incarnate God Till he his work begin, And wait till his redeeming blood Shall cleanse me from all sin.

TOPLADY.