This is a great point. We are supposed to be imaging the actions of Jesus here, and Jesus was always so very concerned with maintaining social boundaries, with obeying society’s dictates about what is “appropriate” and “inappropriate,” with keeping his distance from women when the local culture would tsk-tsk him for speaking or having contact with them, and *especially *with never shocking anyone by his conduct.
How do we then explain Jesus’ talking with the Samaritan woman at the well?
Jews had nothing to do with Samaritans. Jews would not have even gone into Samaria, but would have traveled to the East of the Jordan river so they would not have had to even enter their land. Not only that, but the woman was a harlot, a sinner with five husbands who was shacked up with a man to whom she was not married. People usually drew water from wells in the cool of the morning, but the woman came to the well at noon in the heat of the day - she was avoiding the other Samaritan women who knew she was a harlot.
Jesus not only talks with the woman whom the Samaritans themselves probably want nothing to do with, but stays as a guest in the Samarian village for two days. Eating with non-Jews would have been a scandal and would have left Jesus defiled and ritually impure. For a Jew to talk with, eat with and stay as a guest of Samaritans was unheard of.
The same is true of washing feet. What Jesus did in washing the disciples feet would have broken every rule of propriety in his time. In washing the disciples feet, Jesus was breaking social customs in a radical way.
Jesus was a rabbi. Rabbis have complete control over their students. To become a disciple of a rabbi was to give complete obedience to your master.
Jesus was also a king. Riding a donkey into the city was what Old Testament kings did when they were annointed. Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem amidst shouts of “Hosannah to the Son of David!” was not only the people’s acclamation of Jesus’ royal kingship but his acceptance of it. The magesty and authority of the king cannot be underestimated. Kings paid homage to no one.
The lowest and most worthless slave washed feet. Although big cities like Jerusalem had some form of sewage system, in most parts of the ancient world people simply threw human waste into ditches in the middle of the street. Livestock lived in close proximity to people as well and so there was the issue of dung. Remember that passover was approaching and there would have been tens of thousands of lambs in Jerusalem being inspected for sacrifice at passover. Every house would have had a lamb. Lamb dung would have been everywhere. Feet would have been filthy, to put it mildly, and the lowest and most worthless slaves, the ones who their master didn’t care if they lived or died, were given the job of washing feet.
So here is Jesus - Rabbi and King, Son of David - girding himself with nothing but a towel, assuming the place of the lowest and most worthless slave as he washes the feet of his students and royal subjects. Peter was indignant.
Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” (John 13:8)
Jesus actions broke social customs in a radical way.
***When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.” *
(Luke 7:39)
Jesus allowed a prostitute to touch him, and did it right in the living room of a Pharisee who had invited him to dinner!
Jesus touched lepers, and ate with tax collectors and sinners and the pharisees reviled him for it. I think social propriety was one of the least of Jesus’ concerns.
-Tim-
