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© 2017 General Church Education 3

Washing the Lord’s Feet

Luke 7:36-50


Ages 3-6 Washing the Lord’s Feet

New Church Concept Washing

‘To wash’ signifies to be

purified from evils and

falsities, which is to be

regenerated. Therefore

‘a person that has

bathed’ signifies a person

who has been purified or

regenerated in respect to

the spiritual. This is done

by a life according to the

goods and truths and

doctrine from the Word.

To the extent that this is

done, the person is puri-

fied or regenerated; for

to live according to the

goods and truths of doc-

trine from the Word is to

will them and so to do

them, which is the same

as to be affected by them

and to love them. See

Arcana Coelestia 666

Discover the joy of having your feet

washed, or of serving others by washing

their feet.

1. Do you ever walk outside in sandals, or

bare feet? What happens to your feet?

2. When the Lord was on earth people’s

feet were often dirty because roads

were made from hard packed dirt, and people wore sandals. When it rained

the paths became muddy, and mud stuck to people’s shoes or feet. When

the weather was dry, the roads became dusty. So people’s feet were almost

always dirty. If you were visiting someone they would offer to wash your

feet when you arrived. It was how people made guests feel comfortable.

3. One day Simon, a Pharisee, invited Jesus to have dinner with him. Did Simon

wash the Lord’s feet when He arrived? (No—the Lord said that he had not.)

Do you think the Lord’s feet would have been dirty? (Probably)

4. A woman who had not been invited came in. Simon and his other guests

knew that she had behaved badly, so they called her a “sinner.” Have you

every behaved badly, or done something wrong? Everyone makes mistakes.

This woman had come to the Lord to say she was sorry. She wanted Him to

forgive her. Have you ever asked to be forgiven? What happened?

5. It is important to ask for forgiveness and to say we are sorry if we have done

something wrong—and it is especially important for us to ask the Lord to

forgive us, because He alone can forgive.

6. How did the woman show she loved the Lord? (She washed His feet with her

tears and dried them with her hair. Then she put sweet smelling oil on

them.) She must have loved Him a lot! Imagine using your hair to wipe the

Lord’s feet.

7. Let’s discover how the Lord’s feet must have felt when they were cleaned.

Wash the children’s feet or have them wash each other’s feet. As feet are

being washed encourage children to enjoy the sensation of the water and

the smell of the soap, to think of being cleaned.

8. The Lord’s forgiveness can wash away bad attitudes and feelings, which al-

lows us to make a fresh start—to try again. We need to let Him wash us and

make us clean so we can go to heaven.

Foot Washing Activity

Materials Needed

plastic tub or bowl suitable for

washing feet, warm water,

allergy free soap and lotion,

towel

optional: wet wipes

Prepare in Advance

Gather materials. If it is not

possible to wash with water

use wet wipes. Choose wheth-

er the teacher will wash the

children’s feet, or the children

will wash each other’s feet.

For a Group



New Church Concept Fragrance

The fragrances of aro-

matic substances corre-

spond to qualities con-

nected with spiritual

love, or with charity and

faith. In heaven angels

experience the most fra-

grant aromas corre-

sponding to their per-

ceptions arising from

their love. Consequently

we read in many places

in the Word that Jeho-

vah smelled a sweet

odor. See Apocalypse

Revealed 394

This activity introduces children to a variety of

fragrances and concludes with them making a

scented “alabaster” flask from white play

dough.

1. What kinds of things smell good? (cookies,

flowers, fruit, spices, perfume, etc.)

2. We’re going to smell some things and try to

guess what they are. Have children close

their eyes. As a group, smell one thing at a time. Hide each item in a pa-

per bag so it’s difficult to peek. Encourage the children to guess what

each sample is.

3. The Lord loves pleasing smells. Do you know that when we do what the

Lord teaches, our lives smell pleasant to Him! Heaven smells wonderful

because everyone there loves the Lord and does what He teaches.

4. The woman in our story was sorry for mistakes she had made. She came

to the Lord to ask Him for forgiveness—to say she was sorry. She brought

a beautiful alabaster flask of sweet smelling oil to anoint the Lord’s feet.

5. Alabaster is a soft white stone that is easy to carve into beautiful shapes.

We are going to make a flask that is white, like alabaster, and smells won-

derful, like the fragrant oil the woman brought.

6. Give each child a small ball of play dough. Optional: sprinkle a little gold

or silver glitter where children are working. The children can roll the play

dough in it, mixing it into the clay to add sparkle to the finished project.

7. Show the children how to form pinch or coil “flasks.”

8. As each child finishes a flask, put a few drops of spice or fragrance inside

the pot. When we smell the lovely fragrance we can imagine becoming a

wonderful fragrance before the Lord by doing His commandments.

Scented Alabaster Flask

Materials Needed

samples of things that smell

good, e.g. vanilla, cinnamon,

banana, apple, orange, laven-

der, perfume; brown paper

bags for hiding scented ob-

jects; commercial or home-

made play dough (recipe be-

low); small amount of fragrant

oil, or cinnamon or vanilla to

add to finished projects

optional: white, silver or gold

glitter

Play Dough Recipe video directions at www.newchurchvineyard.org/resource/

video-play-dough/

Ingredients: 1 cup flour, ½ cup salt, 1 tablespoon cream of tartar, 1 cup water

Put ingredients in saucepan. Stir until mixture is smooth with no lumps. Heat, stir-ring constantly, until a ball is formed. Turn play dough out onto a table and knead until cooled. Store in an air-tight container. Will keep for several months.

Prepare in Advance

Make or purchase play dough.

Optional: purchase white, sil-

ver or gold glitter. Gather fra-

grant things and something to

put them in so they can be

smelled but not seen.

For an Individual or Group

http://www.newchurchvineyard.org/resource/video-play-dough/

http://www.newchurchvineyard.org/resource/video-play-dough/



Ages 7-10 Washing the Lord’s Feet For an Individual or Group

Create a miniature book to re-tell the story of the

woman who washed the Lord’s feet with her tears

and wiped them with her hair.

1. One day the Lord was eating at the home of

Simon, a Pharisee, when a woman came in.

What did the woman do? (She knelt behind

the Lord, washed His feet with her tears and

dried them with her hair.)

2. Why might the woman have done that? (To

clean the Lord’s feet; as an act of devotion;

she was humble; she knew she had sinned.)

3. Had Simon washed the Lord’s feet when He

arrived? (No—he did not do any of the things

the woman did.)

4. How did Simon react to the woman? (All He could think about was that

the woman had done something wrong.)

5. What did the Lord say to the woman? (“Your sins are forgiven”; “Your

faith has saved you. Go in peace.”)

6. When we tell the Lord we are sorry for what we have done wrong He for-

gives us—just as He forgave the woman.

7. We are going to make a book to tell this story.

8. Give each child an Alabaster Flask Story Book page (p. 8), and colored

pencils or markers.

9. Have children color the pictures.

10. Using scissors cut around the pages as shown, being careful not to cut

the pages apart.

11. Fold the book so the pages are in the right order to tell the story.

12. Optional: Make the book smell fragrant by putting a drop of vanilla or

perfume on it.

Alabaster Flask Story Book

Materials Needed

Alabaster Flask Story Book

page p.8; colored pencils,

crayons or markers

optional: fragrance to make

the book smell like fragrant

oil, e.g. vanilla, perfume, etc.

Prepare in Advance

Print a copy of the Alabaster

Flask Story Book for each

child. Gather supplies. Make

a sample Alabaster Flask

book.

New Church Concept Fragrance






faith. In heaven angels

experience the most

fragrant aromas corre-

sponding to their per-

ceptions arising from

their love. Consequently

we read in many places

in the Word that Jeho-

vah smelled a sweet

odor. See Apocalypse

Revealed 394


Alabaster Flask

Story Book

Cut Out

Assembly Directions

1. Cut out the four

attached flask shapes

including the center.

2. Fold the paper in half

along the tops of the

flask shapes so pic-

tures show on both

sides.

3. Fold the paper in half

again to make a flask-

shaped booklet.

4. Make sure the pic-

tures are in order.

(See small gray num-

bers at the bottom of

the flask shapes.



’To wash’ signifies to be purified from evils and falsities, which is

to be regenerated. Therefore ‘a person that has bathed’ signifies

a person who has been purified or regenerated in respect to the

spiritual. This is done by a life according to the goods and truths

and doctrine from the Word. To the extent that this is done, the

person is purified or regenerated; for to live according to the

goods and truths of doctrine from the Word is to will them and so

to do them, which is the same as to be affected by them and to

love them. See Arcana Coelestia 666


Act out the story of the woman wash-

ing Jesus’ feet using simple masks.

Stop to talk about the story as it un-

folds.

1. We are going to act out the story

of a woman washing Jesus’ feet as

He was having dinner at the home

of Simon, a Pharisee.

2. Choose children to act out parts

with masks: Simon the Pharisee,

the Woman, and the Lord. All other children may be seated around the

table as dinner guests. (There is one mask for an unnamed dinner guest

which can be used if you wish.) Position the Lord, Simon and the woman

near each other at the table.

3. Hand out masks. The children will hold their masks to their faces when

the story is about the character they are playing.

4. Read the story from A Sinful Woman Is Forgiven Script (p. 12), reminding

the children to hold up their masks as the story progresses. Pause to talk

about the action in the story.

5. Finish by sharing a snack.

A Woman is Forgiven Stop Action Play

For a Group

Materials Needed A Woman Is Forgiven Stop

Action Play Masks pp. 10-11,

A Sinful Woman Is Forgiven

Script p. 12, scissors

optional: low table; cushions

to sit on floor; popsicle sticks

or straws and tape to make

handles for the masks; snack

food for a “dinner”, e.g.

grapes, crackers, water, etc.

Prepare in Advance Cut out A Woman Is Forgiven

Stop Action Play Masks. Read

A Sinful Woman Is Forgiven

Script and choose some of the

questions for discussion.

Optional: Set up the room

with a low table, or cushions

around a space on the floor.

Tape handles on the masks.

Prepare snacks to share as

the “dinner”.

New Church Concept Weeping & Tears

Both ‘shedding tears’

and ‘weeping’ signify

grief on account of falsi-

ties of doctrine or reli-

gion, but ‘shedding

tears’ grief of mind, and

‘weeping’ grief of heart

on account of falsities.

See Apocalypse Ex-

plained 484.3


The Lord

The Woman

A Woman Is Forgiven

Stop Action Play

Masks


Simon

Another

Guest

A Woman Is Forgiven

Stop Action Play

Masks


Masked Characters

Story Stop and Talk Questions (Choose a few for discussion)

Simon and Jesus Simon the Pharisee asked Jesus to eat with him. He went to Simon’s house and sat down to eat.

Did Simon love Jesus? (Yes! He wanted Jesus to come to his house and made a special meal for Him.)

Woman A sinful woman heard Jesus was there and brought a flask of fragrant oil.

Did the woman love Jesus? (Yes, she brought precious oil for Him.)

Woman and Jesus

She stood at Jesus’ feet, behind Him, weep-ing.

Why do you think she was she crying?

Woman and Jesus

She started washing His feet with her tears, and wiping them with her hair. She kissed His feet and anointed them with fragrant oil.

Simon When Simon saw this, he thought, “If Jesus is a prophet, He would know this woman is a sinner.”

Did Simon know the woman? What did Simon call her? What is a sinner?

Jesus and Simon Jesus said, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” Simon said, “Teacher, say it.”

How does the Lord talk to us? Do you listen to the Lord, like Simon?

Jesus “Two people owed a man money. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. They could not pay, so the man forgave them both. Which of the people will love the man more?”

Who do you think loved the man more?

Simon and Jesus Simon said, “The one he forgave more.” Je-sus said, “You are right.”

Who showed more love of Jesus—Simon or the woman?

Jesus, Simon and the Woman

Jesus turned to the woman and said to Si-mon, “Do you see this woman? You did not wash My feet when I came to your house, but this woman has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.”

Would you have washed Jesus’ feet like that? Why did the woman wash Jesus’ feet? (They were dirty from the road.)

Jesus, Simon and the Woman

“You did not kiss Me, but this woman has not stopped kissing My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with oil.”

“Her many sins are forgiven, because she loved much.”

Why did the woman kiss the Lord and anoint His feet? How can we show we love the Lord?

Jesus and the Woman

Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”

The Lord forgives us when we have done what’s wrong if we say we are sor-ry, pray to Him and try not to do it again.

Other Guests Some people sitting at the table said, “Who is this who forgives sins?”

Did people know that Jesus was the Lord?

Jesus and the Woman

Jesus said to her, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

A Sinful Woman Is Forgiven Script



Washing the Lord’s Feet

Our view of the Lord and others

can sometimes be clouded by

selfishness. Selfish attitudes in

ourselves prompt us to notice

selfishness in others and pre-

vent us from seeing the Lord

and others clearly. To see clear-

ly, we must approach the Lord

and ask for His forgiveness.

The woman who stood behind Jesus and washed His feet with her tears pic-

tures the way we can cleanse our minds so we can clearly see and embrace

the Lord. Students will explore the relationship between evil and forgiveness

by writing selfish attitudes on sticky notes and using them to cover

someone’s feet. Through guided discussion a “woman” removes the notes so

that “the Lord’s” feet are seen.

The Lord’s feet stand for the Word—the part of Him that touches the earth.

The dirt on His feet pictures evils in us that cover Him and stand between

Him and ourselves. The woman used her tears and hair to wash the Lord.

This act of love stands for her taking true ideas (tears) she knew to help her

see and accept responsibility for her evils and repent of them.

1. Brainstorm behaviors students find annoying in others, e.g. lying,

cheating, boasting, etc. (Note: It is often easier to see annoying behaviors

in others than in ourselves; but what we see in others generally shows

things we struggle with too.)

2. Give each student 4-5 sticky notes and a pen or pencil. Invite students to

write one annoying behavior or bad habit (evil) on each sticky note. Pro-

vide more sticky notes as needed.

3. Choose a student or the teacher to be “the Lord.” Seat “the Lord” in the

group and invite students to put their bad habit sticky notes on his or her

feet. Option: “The Lord’s” shoes may remain on or be taken off.

4. Ask students whether they see the Lord’s feet. What is blocking them?

5. The dirt on the Lord’s feet stands for attitudes that blind us to His good-

ness in our lives—for example wanting qualities we do not have (e.g.

Ages 11-14 Washing the Lord’s Feet For a Group

Materials Needed

pad of small sized sticky

notes, pens or pencils

Prepare in Advance

Purchase or gather supplies.

New Church Concept Weeping & Tears

Both ‘shedding tears’

and ‘weeping’ signify

grief on account of falsi-

ties and from falsities,

but ‘shedding tears’

grief of mind, and

‘weeping’ grief of heart

on account of falsities.

Grief of mind is grief of

the thought and under-

standing, which pertain

to truth, and grief of

heart is grief of the

affection or will, which

pertain to good; and as

there is everywhere in

the Word a marriage of

truth and good, both

‘weeping’ and ‘tears’

are mentioned in the

Word when grief is ex-

pressed on account of

falsities of doctrine or of

religion. Apocalypse Ex-

plained 484.3


Ages 11-14 Washing the Lord’s Feet For a Group

good looks, intelligence), opportunities (e.g. vacations, sports) or things

(e.g. bike, bedroom) we want, etc.

6. The Lord’s “feet” represent the Word—the lowest part of Him, where we

can go to meet him. Our own feet are the lowest or most natural part of

our bodies. The Lord is willing to be with us in that lowest part, to cleanse

the lowest part of us.

7. So how do we go about removing the evil? First we must take an honest

look inside ourselves, measuring our actions against true ideas we know

from the Word. We must see bad attitudes and habits for what they are

and accept responsibility for them. We must ask the Lord’s forgiveness,

and His help in not doing them again. And just as He told the woman her

sins were forgiven; He immediately forgives!

8. Ask for a volunteer, a “woman,” to take the “sins” off the Lord’s feet. As

the sins are removed, acknowledge them by reading them aloud, tearing

them up, and throwing them away.

9. When the Lord was in the world He washed His disciples’ feet. When Si-

mon Peter, a disciple, objected, the Lord said, “If I do not wash you, you

have no part in Me” (John 13:8). He meant that by washing the feet—the

lowest part of our lives—we would be made clean. All He asks is that we

recognize selfish actions, admit that we have done them, and try not to

do them again.

Washing the Lord’s Feet continued


‘To wash’ signifies to be

purified from evils and

falsities, which is to be

regenerated. Therefore

‘a person that has

bathed’ signifies a per-

son who has been puri-

fied or regenerated in

respect to the spiritual.

This is done by a life ac-

cording to the goods

and truths and doctrine

from the Word. To the

extent that this is done,

the person is purified or

regenerated; for to live

according to the goods

and truths of doctrine

from the Word is to will

them and so to do

them, that is to be

affected by them and to

love them. See Arcana

Coelestia 666

New Church Concept Fragrant Oil






faith. See Apocalypse

Revealed 394

New Church Concept: Because She Loved Greatly

Good people out of the good treasure of their hearts bring forth

what is good. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth

speaks. (Luke 6:45; Matthew 12:35) In the Word, the heart means

our will, and since this is the source of our thinking and speaking,

it says that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

And Jesus said of the woman who had washed his feet with

anointing oil that her sins were forgiven because she loved greatly;

and later added, “Your faith is saving you” (Luke 7:46-50). We can

see from these words that when our sins are forgiven—that is,

when they are no longer there—our faith saves us. See Doctrine of

Life 51

http://newchristianbiblestudy.org/multi/e_9275_8013/b_cv_29057

http://newchristianbiblestudy.org/multi/e_9275_8013/b_cv_30615

http://newchristianbiblestudy.org/multi/e_9275_8013/b_cv_29007-29003



Forgiveness Experiment

New Church Concept Viewing from Good

To forgive means to re-

gard someone not from

the viewpoint of evil,

but from good. The Lord

is goodness itself and

views everyone from

good. Heavenly Secrets

7697, 2360.5-7

Materials Needed pitcher of water, bowl, ground

pepper, liquid soap

option: bring supplies for each

student to do the experiment

Prepare in Advance Watch this experiment at

www.newchurchvineyard.org/

resource/video-forgiveness-

experiment/. Decide whether

to show the video in class or

do the experiment live

(recommended).

For Individual or Group

Simon the Pharisee invited the Lord to dinner. A

sinful woman, who was not invited, came and

showed her love for the Lord by washing His feet

with her tears, wiping them with her hair and

anointing them with fragrant oil. The Lord said

her sins were forgiven. When we come to the

Lord with love in our hearts, He forgives us too.

This experiment shows how forgiveness works.

1. What would happen if we never made a mistake? (We would not see our

faults or be able to fix them. Because of this, we would not reject evil or

grow closer to the Lord.)

2. What is the first step to take when we see we have done something wrong?

(Recognize the mistake by telling the truth and saying “I’m sorry.”)

3. Let’s try an experiment to see how saying sorry changes the way forward.

Give each student a dish or cup. Pass a pitcher of water and have students

pour water into the dishes until they are about half full.

4. Look at the clear water. How does water help us? (We use water to clean,

cook, keep cool, stay healthy, etc.) Water corresponds to true ideas from

the Word. How do true ideas help us? (True ideas give us an accurate pic-

ture of right and wrong that can cool tempers, clean thoughts, etc. When

we do what the Word teaches our minds can be clear and clean.)

5. Pass around a container of ground pepper. Sprinkle pepper into the water

and see what happens. (Watch the pepper spread over the surface of the

water.) Self-centered thoughts and actions are like the pepper. They can

spread throughout our mind and make us feel unclean. The woman who

came to the Lord was sorry about what she had done—about her sins.

6. When we have done something wrong we should tell the truth about it, say

we are sorry and try not to do it again. Pass around the soap. Put a drop of

soap into the dish and watch what happens to the pepper. (It will scatter to

the edges, leaving clear water around the soap.)

7. Saying we are sorry when we have done something wrong, or forgiving oth-

ers when they have hurt us helps our minds become clear again. The things

we have said or done do not completely disappear, but move further and

further to the edge of our lives. If we try to stop doing them, the Lord will

hold us in goodness, and our sins will almost disappear.

New Church Concept Forgiveness of Sin

The Lord forgives every-

one his or her sins. He

does not impute a sin-

gle sin to anyone—and

He never takes venge-

ance. The reason is that

He is love itself and

goodness itself. See

True Christian Religion

539, 409

http://www.newchurchvineyard.org/resource/video-forgiveness-experiment/



Documents

Washing the Lord’s Feet - New Church Vineyard · washing feet, warm water, allergy free soap and lotion, towel optional: wet wipes Prepare in Advance Gather materials. If it is