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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power, and that He had come from God and was returning to God; so He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to Him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me.”
“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For He knew who was going to betray Him, and that was why He said not everyone was clean.
When He had finished washing their feet, He put on His clothes and returned to His place.
“Do you understand what I have done for you?” He asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
John 13:2-17
This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Jesus was God’s one and only Son. He was one with His Father and so He was always about His Father’s business. And He perfectly carried out His Father’s will and did so with flawless humility, all the way to the cross, a cross He would be nailed to and left to die in less than 24 hours.
As a reward for this selfless sacrifice, Jesus was elevated to the highest place of authority, placed over all things in heaven and on earth by His Father. Indeed, Jesus was always greater than any other man or woman but you would never have known He held such a lofty status by the way He carried out His ministry.
For if you were going to define the life of Jesus in just two words, I think you would be hard pressed to find any more appropriate description than this: humble Servant.
It’s true, right?
Jesus was the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords but yet He spent a great deal of His time, not with royalty or the rich and famous, but rather those who were marginalized or rejected by society. Yes, Jesus was a Jew but He didn’t push aside the Gentiles like the rest of His fellow countryman liked to do. Instead, He showed the world the truth embedded in His coming, a truth that God had sent Him to save all people, whether Jew or Gentile.
It was this attitude of humble servitude that we find Jesus trying to show His disciples, one final act for them to follow after He would leave them. And we get a sense that the disciples were surprised at what they saw their Master doing.
For the scriptures tell us that during the Passover meal in that Jerusalem upper room, Jesus got up, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist before pouring water into a basin. He then proceeded to wash His disciples’ feet.
Almost predictably, it was Simon Peter who had something to say about what Jesus was doing. He could not believe that Jesus, His Divine Leader, was going to wash his feet. This was completely counterintuitive to Peter who felt within that the roles should be reversed.
Jesus, sensing Peter’s confusion, tries to ease his concerns by acknowledging he wouldn’t completely understand now but would latter. In other words, comprehension would be delayed but it would come.
But we read where Peter was indignant, refusing to allow Jesus to wash his feet. In return, Jesus gets a little more forthright with one of His first followers, saying:
“Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me.”
Jesus’ words underscored the fact that His feet washing wasn’t optional. If Peter or any of His fellow disciples wanted to be on Jesus’ team, they would have to allow Him to be their humble Servant.
Well, we see that Peter gives into Jesus and makes what is almost a comical comment, saying “Then, Lord, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
Jesus had already told Peter that he wouldn’t understand and it’s obvious he didn’t because he thought Jesus would wash his whole body but Jesus reminded him he was already clean because he had bathed. The feet were the only part that needed washing because they easily dirtied as one walked from pace to place on dusty thoroughfares with only sandals on. Jesus assured Peter he was clean along with most of his peers, all that is except Judas Iscariot who Jesus knew would betray Him.
And with that, Jesus washed feet, one disciple after another until He had finished. He then got dressed and returned to the table to do one of the things He did best, teach His followers. He began His lesson with a simple question:
“Do you understand what I have done for you?”
It was a comprehension check kind of question but a loaded one because Jesus already knew His disciples didn’t understand. They were pretty much clueless as to what had just occurred. So Jesus went to work bridging their knowledge gap.
He starts by reminding them who He was. Yes, He was the Lord but He also was their Teacher and everything He had just done was to teach them all a valuable lesson, one He taught by example. For just as Jesus had washed their feet, they, in turn, were to wash the feet of their brother disciple. In other words, Jesus commands them (and those of us reading this today) to follow His lead and commit themselves to humble service. To reject His command would be akin to the disciple making a statement that they were too important or significant to do something so lowly, and this attitude would basically say that they were greater than their Master who didn’t believe He was too noteworthy to humble Himself and serve others.
And if this wasn’t a good enough reason on its own, Jesus makes sure the disciples know that they will be blessed if they obediently carry out His calling to humble service. It was a promise that was true then and it’s a promise that remains true today.
With this, these scriptures bring a couple questions before us to consider as we reflect on our lives.
First, are we answering the call from Jesus to engage in humble service?
This doesn’t necessarily have to be feet washing but it does need to be work to meet the needs of another person, work that shows you are not any better than they are, work that reflects the very Spirit of Jesus Himself.
Second, do we allow Jesus to serve us? Or are we like Peter, indignant, or worse yet, indifferent to the attempts of humble service provided by our humble Savior who is alive and well?
Jesus expects us to allow Him to continue caring for us as He sits at the right hand of God’s throne. He delights in helping His faithful followers and we should never reject His unbelievable graciousness and generosity.
Jesus, our Lord and Teacher, has not only told us what to do but He has shown us by example. All we need to do is walk in His footsteps as we answer His call to humble service.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
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