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.

following = Apparently the two are too shy to approach Jesus and just followed behind Him instead, but Jesus does something that is very typical of Him: He turns and speaks to them and in doing so He meets them half-way. He makes it easier for them to join Him. He is the One who takes the initiative and so it is always with God. When we begin to turn and to seek Him, He takes the first step toward us and meets us more than half way. He never makes us keep blindly searching for Him. An example of this is the parable of the prodigal son which Jesus told to show us what the heart of the Father is like toward those who repent. Do you remember what the father did when he saw his son approaching on the road? He ran out to meet him! (Luk 15:20)

Luke 15:20  So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“What do you want?”  (“What seek ye?” KJV) is what Jesus asks them. This is the very first question Jesus asks after beginning His ministry as Messiah and is a fundamental question which we would do well to ask ourselves. What do we want out of life? What are our goals? What is important to us? If we can answer these questions, then we can know where and how to invest our time and effort. But this is a question which Jesus asks us as well as those two following Him. What is your answer to Him?

Note that He didn’t need to ask because He already knew, so why did He ask? (And why does He ask us today?) Perhaps for two reasons:

1. to make our desires clear in our own minds.
2. to make us more able to receive from Him (John 16:24).
   
   John 16:24  Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

“Rabbi” = a Hebrew term meaning “my great one” and used as the address of a disciple to his teacher.

“where are you staying?” = What were they really asking here? Were they just passing the time of day with Jesus by asking about where He lived?  Do you think they really had any interest in where Jesus was staying? Remember that their question was in response to His question, “What seek ye?”  Their immediate desire was for a quiet place and a long talk with this Lamb of God; their long term desire was to be His disciples. What they were really saying was, “You, Lord, are what we are looking for. You are what we want.” Is this how you answer when Jesus asks you what you are looking for? He wants us to seek Him for Himself and not just for what He can do for us.