Bearing all this in mind, perhaps we can furnish a reason for the foot washing episode described by John. It certainly was an outstanding action by the Lord. He knelt and washed His disciples' feet at the time they were passing from the old, typical redemption of Israel to the new, present, actual and eternal redemption of God's people. The Lord was deliberately intending to end the repetitious Passover and the annual attestation to their priesthood it implied. No longer was their meal to consist of slain lamb and herbs of bitterness eaten behind doorways sprinkled with blood within, and under which Jehovah their almighty Saviour stood for their protection.
Instead the meal which was established only in unleavened bread and a cup of wine was eaten with and in the presence of the Lord who was in the midst. They saw the Lord, heard Him and handled Him and He saw and heard and handled them; they were in true fellowship and were proclaiming that fact. They were the first priests of the new order; seeing what He did and doing it as He said they bore testimony to permanent, personal redemption. Their act symbolised complete reconciliation to God for the purpose of regeneration into His communion, in which every man is a priest communing with his God and with his fellow-priests, one glorious family, nation, temple, body. So it was that the Lord brought in and established in symbols the real communion for His Church for the rest of time.
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G.W. North (1913 - 2003)
G. W. North was born in London England in 1913. As a young man he became aware that the Lord was calling him into the work of the ministry. At timely stages the Lord placed folk in his path who were able to direct him into the truth of heart purity and a more expansive understanding of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He held pastorates in Kent and Bradford. By the late 1960s, following a significant period of ministry in Liverpool, he began a more itinerant ministry. This led him to many parts of the world, and occupied him until well into his eighties. His powerful preaching and the unique sense of the Lord's presence, which seemed to brood over his meetings, were always intensely challenging.The true secret of his remarkable ministry stemmed from his personal communion with the Lord Jesus. To him, 'entering the holiest' was not merely a theological concept; it was a distinct spiritual reality - and the central feature of his spiritual life. It was here, in the place of worship, that his revelatory ministry found its source. He preached from understanding and conviction. He was never the echo of another, nor did he take on board the ebb and flow of various contemporary emphases. He was not a man of 'books'; he soaked himself in Scripture and allowed it to saturate his heart and mind. Truly, this is a man who has lifted up a standard for the people. Mr North went to be with the Lord on 29th April 2003, shortly after his ninetieth birthday.