In the twenty-third chapter of Leviticus, it states:

37These are the feast days of LORD JEHOVAH, so that you shall proclaim them announced and holy, and you shall bring gifts in them to LORD JEHOVAH: burnt peace offerings and fine wheat flour and drink offerings and sacrifices; it is right day by day: 38Apart from the Sabbaths of LORD JEHOVAH and apart from your offerings and apart from your gifts and apart from all of your vows and apart from all your offerings that you are giving to LORD JEHOVAH.

(37-38). For the benefit of the whole world, Israelites rehearsed what it should look like 

• to understand that a Sacrifice would be offered like no other, which had come before or would ever come again
• to worship God
• to trust God.

34Therefore you shall not be concerned about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be concerned for itself. A day’s own trouble is sufficient for it (Matthew 6:34).

9And he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” I shall therefore joyfully boast in my sufferings, that the power of The Messiah may rest upon me (II Corinthians 12:9).

The rehearsal and proclamations through the sacrifices, offerings, feasts, and sabbaths of the Israelites were demonstrations of how to substitute a sacrifice for our work, letting the manifold implications of the Atonement be sovereign—satisfying our need for God’s saving grace each day. In spite of the rehearsals, religion did not recognize the Son of God and was hostile toward Him.

36But one of the Pharisees came asking him to eat with him and he entered the Pharisee's house and he reclined. 37And a sinner woman who was in the city, when she knew that he was staying in the Pharisee's house, she took an alabaster vase of ointment. 38And she stood behind him at his feet, and she was weeping and she began washing his feet with her tears and wiping them with the hair of her head. And she was kissing his feet and anointing them with ointment. 39But when that Pharisee who had invited him saw, he thought within himself and he said, “If this one were a Prophet, he would have known who she is and what her reputation is, for she is a sinner woman who touched him.”

40But Yeshua answered and he said to him, “Shimeon, I have something to tell you.” But he said to him, “Say it, Rabbi.” 41And Yeshua said to him, “One landowner had two debtors; one debtor owed him 500 denarii and the other 50 denarii.” 42“And because they had nothing to pay he forgave both of them. Which of them therefore will love him more?” 43Shimeon answered and he said, “I suppose that he who was forgiven most.” Yeshua said to him, “You have judged correctly.” 44And he turned to that woman and he said to Shimeon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house, yet you gave no water for my feet and she has washed my feet with her tears and has wiped them with her hair.” 45“You did not kiss me, but look, from when she entered, she has not ceased to kiss my feet.” 46“You did not anoint my head with oil, but this one has anointed my feet with oil of ointment.” 47“On account of this, I say to you, that her many sins are forgiven her because she loved much, but he who is forgiven a little loves a little.”

(Luke 36-47). Religion was skeptical and dishonoring of LORD Jesus, not only as a Savior, One having authority to forgive sins, but also as a Prophet (Luke 7:37-39). 

Since the Israelites, like all other Oriental peoples, wore sandals instead of shoes, and as they usually went barefoot in the house, frequent washing of the feet was a necessity. Hence among the Israelites it was the first duty of the host to give his guest water for the washing of his feet (Gen. xviii. 4, xix. 2, xxiv. 32, xliii. 24; Judges xix. 21); to omit this was a sign of marked unfriendliness.

(Emil G. Hirsch, Wilhelm Nowack, Solomon Schechter, ‘Feet, Washing Of.’ The unedited full-text of the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, V:5, P: 357, 29/04/2021). Religion kept the souls of men under its dominion from humbling their souls in the presence of our only Savior, the Holy Lamb of God—Jesus, the Christ. 

“…no one is allowed to approach a king or prince without due preparation, which includes the washing of the hands and feet,” and yet, the Holy Lamb of God—“The King of Kings and The Lord of Power—” was not given water to wash His feet (Emil G. Hirsch, Wilhelm Nowack, Solomon Schechter, ‘Feet, Washing Of.’ The unedited full-text of the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, V:5, P: 357, 29/04/202; Revelation 19:16, Aramaic Bible in Plain English). Priests understood this, which is why the failure of religious, legal authorities regarding this matter is so plain.

Though we are ambivalent about it, humans have freedom, and the rehearsals did not make all hearts ready to receive Jesus Christ. But the Israelites were preparing us to accept foot-washing by LORD Jesus Himself—total washing away and forgiveness of our sin debt, so that we could become joint-heirs with Him, adopted into a royal family as priests, prophets, and sovereigns over the raging nations of the earth (John 13:8; Romans 8:17; Psalm 2:1).