To understand an icon, we must never forget the meaning of the measures mentioned in the Bible from Genesis onwards: down, up, right, left, and so on. So evil is symbolised by an animal from below: the serpent; and good is symbolised by an animal from above: the dove. "You are from below, I am from above" (John 8, 23) said Jesus. To understand an icon, we must never forget the meaning of the measures spoken of in the Bible since Genesis: down, up, right, left, etc.
Evil is symbolised by an animal from below: the serpent; and good is symbolised by an animal from above: the dove.
"You are from below, I am from above" (John 8:23), Jesus will say.
On this icon Jesus places himself lower than his disciples, taking the place of the servant. But what servant?... Peter protests: read John 13, 6ff. Jesus says to him: "If I do not wash you, you will have no part with me", "You do not know what I am doing now, but later you will understand". But who doesn't understand a foot washing? What is there to understand later? This gesture of Jesus goes much further than a simple act of humility.
Then Peter asked Jesus to wash his head too - the gesture shown on this icon. Jesus replied that this was not necessary. By washing his feet, Jesus washes our stocking: our evil. To understand this gesture, we need to refer to Isaiah's Servant in chapter 53. It is a great mystery of love. Jesus takes our evil and lifts it up high on the Cross.
Jesus will ask: "You too must wash one another's feet". When we see evil, we have a tendency to condemn and Jesus asks us to wash, to carry high with the Lord, on the Cross, to carry instead of condemning.
Later, Peter, the Apostles, Paul understood, since Paul asks us in his letter to the Galatians: "Carry one another's burdens" Gal 6,2.
Sister Marie-Paul
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