Symbolism and the Washing of Feet

By: J. Stapley - September 27, 2005

The ordinances of the Mormon Church are steeped in symbolism. Baptism – the burial and resurrection. The Lord’s supper – His flesh and blood. The holy endowment – the atonement of Christ. Another ordinance, now rare, but initiated by Jesus, also bears obvious symbols. However, it is the product of the ordinance that escapes the cursory analysis and paints the symbolism with vivid and stirring color.

There are three ordinances whose methodology is prescribed by scripture. Baptism (1), the Sacrament (2), and the ordinance of Washing the Feet. There are actually several ordinances that could be considered by this appellation, but it is the primary ordinance described in the Doctrine and Covenants (3) that is the subject of this essay.

This Washing of the Feet was revealed as a prerequisite for the School of the Prophets, but figures prominently in what we now call the Kirtland Endowment. Wilford Woodruff described his experience:

After being in the upper room [of the Kirtland Temple] about two hours we again Joined the congregation of the Saints in the lower Court & the house came to order for the business of the day. the veils were closed & each apartment commenced the duties of the day the washing of the feet of the anointed was the first business that was performed. The twelve assisted our presidency in washing the feet Elder Heber Kimble one of the twelve apostles attended to the washing of my feet & prophesied upon my head & pronounced me clean from the Blood of this generation this as it was with JESUS when he washed his deciples feet. great were the blessings that rested upon us in this ordinance. (4)

Joseph Smith described the events in the History of the Church (5) and several other accounts add additional insight:

There was one ordinance, viz, the washing of feet, that we had not yet observed but did perform it according to revelation, which belongs only to ordained members and not the whole Church.

For particulars read the private history of Joseph the Seer.

After this washing of feet came the anointing with holy oil, which was performed by Joseph Smith Senior among the presidents, then the presidents of each quorum proceed to anoint the members thereof, in their proper time and place. (6)

The winter after I [Jonathan Hale] arrived in Kirtland, I was chosen to be one of the third quorum of seventies was ordained under the hand of Elder Harren Aldrich. On the 4th of April, a number of the seventies met at my house to receive their washing to prepare for the anointing. I received my washing under the hands of Elder Joseph Young, one of the presidents of the seventies. I received my anointing on the 5th of April under the hands of Elders Joseph Young and Harren Aldrich and received a great blessing.

April the 6th, which was the solemn assembly, then I [Jonathan Hale] received the washing of feet by Elder Heber C. Kimball and he pronounced me clean of the blood of this generation. I had traveled up to this time 2740 miles mostly on foot. (7)

We see by these accounts and the text of the Doctrine and Covenants that the purpose of this ordinance is to pronounce individuals clean of the blood and sins of their generation. In Kirtland, the ordinance was performed in conjunction with what was frequently called the Holy anointing.

It is in this light that the symbolism of the ordinance becomes increasingly beautiful. Spencer Kimball eloquently described this to a student audience:

As I lay abed I thought of many things, including the life of the Savior, and its divine examples. Never before did I come so close to the “washing of feet” ordinance. I saw those Disciples, perhaps far from the sanitary facilities of the day. They had likely walked in their open sandals through streets where no modern equipment had gathered refuse-where no streams of water had cleansed gutters-where camels and horses had lounged-where sheep and goats had been driven where humans had spit and drunkards had sprawled. Through these streets the disciples had come into this house for the feast of the Passover, and their Master and Lord was with them.

He could have instituted an ordinance by washing their faces, or anointing their heads with oil. He could have kissed their brow, parted them on the back, or stroked their beards. But he did not – upon His bended knees, with water from His basin, He bathed their soiled and dusty feet, and with His own towel He dried their hard and calloused ones. (8)

It is only by performing service that we are pronounced clean from the blood and sins of a generation.

____________________

  1. D&C 20:73-74
  2. D&C 20:76-79
  3. D&C 88:139-141
  4. The Kirtland Diary of Wilford Woodruff by Dean C. Jessee BYU Studies, vol. 12 pg. 390
  5. Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints vol. 1 pg. 323-324 & vol. 2 pg. 430-431 & 475-476
  6. John Whitmer, The Book of John Whitmer, typescript, [Provo: BYU Archives and Manuscripts]
  7. Aroet Hale, Autobiography, BYU Special Collections, Writings of Early Latter-day Saints pg. 3
  8. Spencer W. Kimball, January 16, 1963, BYU Speeches of the Year, 1963 pg. 12

19 Comments

  1. So when, if ever, is this ordinance performed in the Church today, and how come nobody ever talks about it (apart from certain auspicious blogs)?

    Comment by Steve — 9/27/2005 @ 11:21 pm

  2. As I understand it, the School of the Prophets is still held – reinstated by John Taylor, I think. The Kirtland endowment is interesting in that it was in many ways less than we have, but also more. In reality, however, the highest ordinances of the Temple still carry all the blessings had in Kirtland.

    Comment by J. Stapley — 9/27/2005 @ 11:28 pm

  3. As to why we don’t talk about them…If you go back to the 19th century, they talked about it quite liberally. A couple of reasons are that we don’t talk so openly about the temple in general anymore and also not so many experience this ordinance as in times passed.

    Comment by J. Stapley — 9/27/2005 @ 11:31 pm

  4. Isn’t the Initiatory, in a sense, an extension\continuation of the ordinance of washing of feet?

    Comment by matt witten — 9/28/2005 @ 12:22 am

  5. By the way, beautifully said, regarding service.

    Comment by matt witten — 9/28/2005 @ 12:23 am

  6. Actually, I think the initiatory ordinances of the temple are best viewed as prequels…and thanks.

    Comment by J. Stapley — 9/28/2005 @ 12:39 am

  7. I was under the impression that whenever a new apostle is called into the Quorum of Twelve they still do the foot washing ceremony. But, unfortunately, I cannot recall what the source of this impression is.

    For what its worth, the Seventh Day Adenvtists do still practice foot washing for the entire congregation in their quartely sacrament services. They separate adults from kids and then males from females, then half sit while the other go around washing all their feet, and then they switch. I was fortunate enough to witness such a ceremony and was favorably impressed at the humility displayed by a number of the participants.

    Comment by Kurt — 9/28/2005 @ 7:19 am

  8. The Bickertonites practice the washing of feet. A discussion of the topic led by a member of that church can be found here.

    Comment by Last Lemming — 9/28/2005 @ 9:39 am

  9. That didn’t turn out like I expected. Click on “Comment by Last Lemming” above to go to the referenced discussion.

    Comment by Last Lemming — 9/28/2005 @ 9:41 am

  10. J., so for you, the second anointing would be the washing of feet? I know this is a sensitve topic, so I’ll not say more.

    Comment by matt witten — 9/28/2005 @ 10:08 am

  11. Does anyone want to engage the fact that before Jesus washes the feet of the disciples in John 13, Mary washes his feet in John 12? Hard to fathom that those are not related. . .

    Comment by Julie in Austin — 9/28/2005 @ 10:23 am

  12. (To speak more precisely (the difference probably matters), she anoints Jesus’ feet with ointment and wipes with her hair but Jesus washes with water and wipes with a towel.)

    Comment by Julie in Austin — 9/28/2005 @ 10:24 am

  13. Indeed Julie, they demonstrably are. Those at Kirtland who recieved this ordinace were sealed up into eternal life. Joseph talks about this in the History of the Church. I think Heber C. Kimball’s journal is one of the best places to see how Mary’s washing of Jesus is connected.

    Comment by J. Stapley — 9/28/2005 @ 10:31 am

  14. On the topic of other faiths performing foot washings, the Rev. Canon Samuel Wells was installed as the new dean of Duke Chapel this week. The service ended with Wells washing the feet of twelve members of the Duke and Durham communities. Details here (scroll to bottom).

    Comment by Bryce I — 9/28/2005 @ 3:35 pm

  15. j.,

    can you provide the hc cite?

    Comment by Julie in Austin — 9/29/2005 @ 9:00 pm

  16. Heber C. Kimball Journal, entry entitled “Strange Events, June 1842,” unnumbered pg. 114, LDS Church Archives. Also in On the Potter’s Wheel: The Diaries of Heber C. Kimball pg. 55

    Comment by J. Stapley — 9/29/2005 @ 10:35 pm

  17. The washing of feet is also practiced in many Christian churches on Maundy Thursday, during Holy Week, so named because it was the Dies Mandatum or Day of the New Commandment (to love one another). The washing is usually accompanied by the Ubi caritas, a 9th century gradual text, either chanted or in one of many more recent choral settings.

    Comment by Bill — 9/30/2005 @ 1:26 am

  18. In addition to the CoC (RLDS back when this took place), there is at least one other ‘spin off’ church that performs the washing of the feet. I have no documentation, and honestly, I can’t remember the name of the church (I’m so helpful that way), but I was doing a Tupperware party for this woman, and noticed a scripture from Alma on her wall. When I inquired if she were LDS, she told me that no, she was a member of a different church that held the BoM to be scripture. During the party, she and several other women there mentioned having gotten pedicures in anticipation of the washing of the feet ordinance that was to be performed the next day. IIRC, they were even going to get to use the temple for it.

    As to why it is not performed as an independent ordinance today, hasn’t it been integrated into the endowment? Rather, is not the same purpose accomplished therein? I don’t want to say anymore than that, but you know what I mean.

    Comment by Naiah Earhart — 3/28/2006 @ 12:00 pm

  19. I found a record, a while back, of a 19th century black Baptist congregation that did a washing of the feet. I’m actually pretty surprised to hear about the CoC. LAst I heard, they weren’t doing that. To answer your question about if it is still performed, Naiah, it is and as a sepperate ordinance.

    Comment by J. Stapley — 3/28/2006 @ 12:12 pm

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