John Stott reminds us that Jesus’ foot washing is an example of humble service; it was also a parable of salvation. At first Peter refused to let Jesus wash his feet. In that case, Jesus said, Peter could not be in fellowship with him. And so next Peter requested the washing of his hands and head as well. And Jesus responded (John 13v10), “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean.” This washing is a picture of salvation: first there’s the bath and then there is a regular washing of the feet. When we first come to Jesus in repentance and faith, we are given a bath. Theologically it’s called “justification” (we receive a new status) or “regeneration” (we are born again), and spiritually this is acted out in baptism, which is unrepeatable. But in the course of our Christian lives we continue to fall into sin and we get splattered with mud in the dirty streets of the world: What we need is not another justification or bath but a daily forgiveness.