What Jesus Did! 'Words or Deeds?' — John 13:6-9

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"

Jesus replied, "You don't understand now what I am doing, but someday you will."

"No," Peter protested, "you will never ever wash my feet!"

Jesus replied, "Unless I wash you, you won't belong to me."

Simon Peter exclaimed, "Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!"

— John 13:6-9 NLT

Key Thought

Peter hasn't learned the lesson. Jesus wants his disciples to demonstrate their faith and love. Talk is cheap. Peter is a big talker. Even in this moment of Jesus' example and sacrifice, Peter wants to talk big. Jesus, however, stoops low and washes Peter's feet, too. Peter does not understand at this moment, but he will later and for the rest of his life. [1] He will then live to demonstrate his faith and loyalty and not just talk about it!

[1] See, for example, Peter's later teaching on service and humility: 1 Peter 4:10-11, 5:5-6.

Today's Prayer

Lord God, please forgive me when my deeds don't match up to my worship words. I know that kind of hypocrisy is revolting to you. I know that it turns my stomach when I recognize my own hypocrisy. So, dear Father, I ask that you forgive me, and please also help me become the person I say that I am and that I want to be. Humble me gently until I am like Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

4 Related Resources by Heartlight

I Doubt It: Dirty Feet & Open Hands
Article by Phil Ware
Learning the art of loving and sacrificial service in a room full of dirty feet. Phil Ware continues his series called, 'I Doubt It,' focusing this week on Jesus' tender act of washing the disciples' feet.
God at Our Feet
Article by Cathy Messecar
Here's a place it's hard to imagine God, but it is the place God often chose to be! Cathy Messecar challenges us to see the God of Abram, our God, in a new way, the God who will bless and bow to serve us as well as the God who calls us to obey and follow.
Love before Nightfall
Devo: A Year with Jesus
"Dear Beloved, Satan tries to mess up every act of genuine love. What you read in the verses below is one of My most precious moments with My closest...."
Christ at the Center
Virtual Worship by Demetrius Collins & Phil Ware
We choose to follow our Lord's example and submit our desires to the needs of others. Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in an online, DIY, worship through words and music using YouTube videos to celebrate Father's Day and Juneteenth, and also focus on the practical ways we live in relationship with others with Christ at the center of

Illustration

Illustration of John 13:6-9 NLT — "Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!"

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Praying with Paul
Features the apostle Paul's writings turned into daily, powerful prayers.
'Committed Servants' (2 Co. 8:24)
"Dear Father, to whom all honor is due, Let your hand of power rest on your committed servants; sustain them and let them never grow slack or less..."
Daily Wisdom
A daily devotional featuring wise counsel found in Scripture.
Colossians 4:6
"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."
God's Holy Fire
A daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
'Authority!' (Ac. 13:9-10)
"Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the eye. Then he said, "You son of the devil, full of every sort of..."
Spiritual Warfare
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
'Diversify Your Good Works for God' (Ec. 11:5-6)
"Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity....."

About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

More What Jesus Did!