© 2017 General Church Education 3
Washing the Lord’s Feet
Luke 7:36-50
© 2017 General Church Education 4
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
© 2017 General Church Education 5
Ages 3-6 Washing the Lord’s Feet
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
© 2017 General Church Education 6
© 2017 General Church Education 7
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
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
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
© 2017 General Church Education 8
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.
© 2017 General Church Education 9
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 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
Ages 7-10 Washing the Lord’s Feet
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
© 2017 General Church Education 10
The Lord
The Woman
A Woman Is Forgiven
Stop Action Play
Masks
© 2017 General Church Education 11
Simon
Another
Guest
A Woman Is Forgiven
Stop Action Play
Masks
© 2017 General Church Education 12
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
© 2017 General Church Education 13
© 2017 General Church Education 14
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
© 2017 General Church Education 15
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
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 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
The fragrances of aro-
matic substances corre-
spond to qualities con-
nected with spiritual
love, or with charity and
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
© 2017 General Church Education 16
Ages 11-14 Washing the Lord’s Feet
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