John 13:1-17 Darby Translation 

13 Now before the feast of the passover, Jesus, knowing that his hour had come that he should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, loved them to the end.

2 And during supper, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas [son] of Simon, Iscariote, that he should deliver him up,

3 [Jesus,] knowing that the Father had given him all things into his hands, and that he came out from God and was going to God,

4 rises from supper and lays aside his garments, and having taken a linen towel he girded himself:

5 then he pours water into the washhand basin, and began to wash the feet of the disciples, and to wipe them with the linen towel with which he was girded.

6 He comes therefore to Simon Peter; and *he* says to him, Lord, dost thou wash *my* feet?

7 Jesus answered and said to him, What I do thou dost not know now, but thou shalt know hereafter.

8 Peter says to him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, Unless I wash thee, thou hast not part with me.

9 Simon Peter says to him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

10 Jesus says to him, He that is washed all over needs not to wash save his feet, but is wholly clean; and ye are clean, but not all.

11 For he knew him that delivered him up: on account of this he said, Ye are not all clean.

12 When therefore he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, having sat down again, he said to them, Do ye know what I have done to you?

13 Ye call me the Teacher and the Lord, and ye say well, for I am [so].

14 If I therefore, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet;

15 for I have given you an example that, as I have done to you, ye should do also.

16 Verily, verily, I say to you, The bondman is not greater than his lord, nor the sent greater than he who has sent him.

17 If ye know these things, blessed are ye if ye do them.

 

When you are going to another's home for supper you usually take take a shower and put on clean clothes.

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It was the same in Jesus's time. But most wore sandals. And walking the streets going to the supper, wearing sandals, your feet got dirty. 

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The owner of the home would often supply water and have a servant wash the feet of the guests. Jesus was doing this as if He were a servant. And He told the disciples to do the same.

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Jesus was going to he cross die for our sins. When we accept Him as Lord our sins are washed away. We are clean. And as Jesus told Peter, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."

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But when we walk in our daily life, we do sometimes sin. We are still clean, because Jesus has cleansed us. But a part of us has become "dirty". Sometimes we don't notice it. And sometimes when we do, it is hard for us to stop when we do notice. But Jesus told His disciples to do for one another "as" He had done. 

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What Jesus "was" going to do was die for their sin. "As" He had done was teach, set an example for them in His daily life, forgive them when they had disappointed Him, and most important, love them so much.

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And Jesus said, "as I have done, you should do also."