Jesus said to him, 'One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, but not all of you' — the distinction between bathing (complete immersion) and washing feet is crucial: the disciples have been bathed in the word Jesus has spoken, sanctified by encounter with him, yet they walk through the world and gather dust. The footwashing is not repeated baptism but ongoing purification from the world's contamination, a sign of present grace in the midst of their incomplete journey. The ominous final clause—"not all of you"—introduces Judas obliquely, the one whose feet are washed yet whose heart remains unwashed, showing that external cleansing cannot of itself transform intention or choice.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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