Jesus told him, “Whoever has already bathed needs only to wash his feet, and he will be completely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus said to him, “Someone who has bathed only needs to have his feet washed, but is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you.”
- KJV Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
- NKJV Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”
- NASB Jesus *said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet; otherwise he is completely clean. And you are clean—but not all of you.”
- NLT Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus says the one who has bathed needs only to wash his feet and is wholly clean, though not all of them are. It distinguishes the once-for-all cleansing of salvation from daily cleansing, while hinting at Judas.
Overview
Many Christians read the 'bath' as the decisive cleansing of regeneration, complete and not repeated, while the foot-washing pictures the ongoing cleansing from daily sin (cf. 1 John 1:9). The believer's standing before God is settled, yet daily fellowship requires continual confession. The ominous 'but not all of you' points to Judas, who was never truly cleansed.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 21
- John 15:3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
- 2 Cor 7:1Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
- 2 Cor 5:17Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!
- Num 19:19–21The man who is ceremonially clean is to sprinkle the unclean person on the third day and on the seventh day. After he purifies the unclean person on the seventh day, the one being cleansed must wash his clothes and bathe in water, and that evening he will be clean.
- Eph 5:26–27to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
- Lev 17:15–16And any person, whether native or foreigner, who eats anything found dead or mauled by wild beasts must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening; then he will be clean.
- Num 19:12–13He must purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third and seventh days, he will not be clean.
- Num 19:7–8Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; after that he may enter the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean until evening.
- 1 Th 5:23Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your entire spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- 2 Cor 5:21God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
- Lev 16:28The one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and afterward he may reenter the camp.
- Eph 4:22–24to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
- Rom 7:20–23And if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
- Lev 16:26The man who released the goat as the scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may reenter the camp.
- Jas 3:2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body.
- 1 Jn 1:7–10But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
- Heb 9:10They consist only in food and drink and special washings—external regulations imposed until the time of reform.
- Matt 6:12And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
- Eccl 7:20Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
- Song 4:7You are altogether beautiful, my darling; in you there is no flaw.
- Jer 50:20In those days and at that time, declares the LORD, a search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for Judah’s sins, but they will not be found; for I will forgive the remnant I preserve.
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Original language
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