Reference

John 13:10

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.
8

Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.

9

Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

10

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.

11

For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.

12

So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?

Why This Verse Was Tagged

Symbolic / Spiritual Interpretation
Keyword Match
90% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Counter-Arguments

The strongest case that this verse does not belong in this theme.

Symbolic / Spiritual Interpretation

The immediate context of Jesus washing the disciples' feet, and Peter's initial resistance to it, suggests a literal act of physical cleansing. While Jesus immediately pivots to a deeper meaning, the initial interaction is grounded in a physical reality. Therefore, one could argue that the "clean/unclean language" is initially literal before being imbued with symbolic meaning, rather than being purely symbolic from the outset.