And at the time of supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot of Simon to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was departing to God, arose from the supper, shone off His outer garment, and taking a towel, girded Himself; Then he poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and wipe them with the towel with which he was girded.

 The Evangelist, amazed that Christ washed the feet of the one who dared to betray Him, says: "When the devil had already put into the heart of Judas." Thus to the end He took care of the correction of the traitor. And the words: "at the time of supper" are not set without purpose, but to show the inhumanity of Judas, since participation in the supper did not change him. "Jesus, knowing that the Father has given all things into His hands," that is, He has entrusted to Him the salvation of the faithful, and it is necessary to show them all that pertains to salvation, among other things, and to wash the feet of the disciples, for by this humility is legitimized... And in other words: knowing that the Father has committed all things to Him, and that He has come forth from God and is departing to God, and His glory will not diminish if He washes the feet of His disciples. For He did not steal glory in order to fear losing it, and therefore not to undertake any humble work. A similar feeling is experienced by those who do not have true nobility. Since they have stolen glory for themselves, they do not even want to bend down, so as not to lose what does not belong to them and what they have stolen. But He was the King of all and the Son of God. For this is the meaning of the words: "He came from God," that is, from the essence of the Father, and again "departs to God." Therefore His glory, when He is so high and so great, will not diminish if He washes the feet of the disciples. Note, I beseech you, that if humility is the work of one who proceeds from God and departs to God, then pride will obviously be the work of one who proceeds from demons and departs to demons. But when you hear that "the Father has delivered up to Him," do not think that the impotence of the Son is revealed here, but oneness of honor and oneness of mind with the Father. For if because it is said that the Father has delivered up to Him, the Son appears to you to be powerless, then imagine the Father also to be powerless. For to Him also, as the Apostle says (1 Corinthians 15:24), the Son will deliver up the kingdom. But this is not the case; and "tradition" signifies, so to speak, the unanimity and co-operation and goodwill of the Father. Note also the superlative degree of humility. For He does not wash before supper, but when all are seated, He alone rises, and the rest rest. He lays aside His garments, teaching us to make ourselves unhindered and easy to serve. He girds himself with a towel, doing everything Himself - both washing and rubbing. He pours in water, and does it Himself, and does not order someone else to do it. All this is an example and a law for us as to how we should serve, namely, with all diligence, to do everything ourselves, and not to use the service of others.

     He came up to Simon Peter, and he said to Him, "Lord! Do you wash my feet? Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing, you do not know now, but you will understand later." 

The Lord does not wash Peter's feet first, although he had primacy over the disciples, but perhaps the traitor, being impudent and shameless, reclined higher than Peter, and the Lord washed his feet. Where does this come from? From the following. "He began," it is said, to wash the disciples' feet and wipe them, "then" comes to Simon Peter. From this it is clear that the Lord did not wash Peter first. For if the Lord had not washed someone before Peter, the Evangelist would not have said, "He comes to Simon Peter." None of the other disciples would have dared to accept washing before Peter, and the traitor could have dared to do so. For if the Lord had begun to wash one of the other disciples, this one, whoever he was, would not have admitted the Lord and would have said the same thing as Peter: "Lord, shall Thou wash my feet?" This means that of the other disciples, the Lord washed the traitor first, then Peter. And the rest, enlightened by the example of Peter, naturally did not contradict, but accepted such a high honor given to them by the Lord. Consider also the power of the words of the Apostle Peter.

However, after you have cast out demons in My name, when you have seen My ascension into heaven, when you have learned from the Holy Spirit that I sit at the right hand of the Father, then you will understand that He Who humbled Himself to the point of washing your feet, He is the One who gives you such power over the demons, and ascended and was glorified with the Father, not in the least degraded by humility. And therefore you yourself have implanted in yourself humility, which does not humiliate, but elevates more.

     Peter said to Him, "You will never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, he has no part with me." Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord! not only my feet, but also my hands and head. 

Peter deeply respects his Teacher, and therefore he reveres Him, and does not accept His ministry. Although on other occasions Peter received a rebuke from the Lord (Matt. 16:22), and in order to avoid that reproach he would now have to accept washing from the Lord, nevertheless, since the work now being done by Christ is very important, Peter resists, and does not think that the Lord may again reprimand him even more severely, as if he were disobedient. What about Christ? He does not say to Peter, "I teach you humility, and for this I wash your feet." For Peter would have told Him, even with an oath, that I would have humility even without washing my feet. What does the Lord say to him? Which, according to the Lord's knowledge, could especially touch Peter's heart, He makes it seem to be a certain threat. "If," he says, "I don't wash you, you have no part with Me." Since Peter, more than all the other disciples, desired to be together with Christ, which is why he asked Him where He was going, and out of love promised to lay down his life for Him (John 13:36, 37), the Lord shakes his soul with a real threat. "If," he says, "I don't wash you, you have no part with Me." Peter, having heard such a terrible threat, as he was firm in his resistance, was just as strong, and still more, in expressing his consent; for he also gives his head to wash. In both cases, he is guided by love: he resists washing because he greatly reveres the Lord; agrees because he does not want to be separated from Him. But I beseech thee, that when thou seest that a man insists on his own out of ignorance, and with an oath promises, "I will not do such-and-such," and then, out of respect for the oath, abides in that which he has not discussed well, and because of this suffers harm in soul or body, then make good use of the example of the Apostle Peter, who insisted on his own, but when he saw it, that his persistence could separate him from Christ, he lagged behind her.