“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
Reminiscent of his statement to Jesus when the Lord started telling them that He was going to Jerusalem to be handed over to the chief priest and put to death on a cross (Matt 16:22), Peter rebels against the wishes of Jesus. True, the motivation of Peter is love for Christ, but it is also an unwillingness to submit to the humiliation of the cross. MacGregor notes that “Peter is humble enough to see the incongruity of Christ’s action, yet proud enough to dictate to his Master.” Westcott wisely observes that “The first condition of discipleship is self-surrender.”
Matthew 16:22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
So Jesus, who has been waiting with the basin while Peter has been telling Him what He will do and what He will not do, answers with “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” It is not that the act of washing would produce fellowship with Christ, but that refusing to submit to it would deprive him of it.
Peter cannot imagine Jesus washing his feet. The concept does not fit with his view of Who Jesus was and what Jesus would or could do. We, too, can be like Peter. We cannot imagine that Christ can or will do anything which is inconsistent with what we know, or rather, what we think we know of Him. But, again like Peter, we shall understand it later.