Scripture: John 13:1-17 (ESV)
Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled. ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”
The Humility of a King
One of the TV shows I sometimes enjoy watching is Undercover Boss. In the show someone from the upper management of a corporation pretends to be a new hire, often at the lowest paying positions. So the CEO might become a janitor in the store. The cameras follow them around as they listen to the stories of the employees and assess their work. Sometimes the other people the undercover boss ends up working with are shocked to find out that their “new” employ is actually their boss. Their willingness to do the lowly tasks just don’t fit their position. But that’s exactly what we see in this passage. Jesus, the King of kings, the one who has all the authority, the one who has created the universe, kneels down and washes the feet of his disciples.
This story begins the second part of the book of John. This is the “Book of Glory” where John focusses on Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection. Remember that John was written to give us evidence that is supposed to convince us to believe in Jesus. So in John’s mind he has given us all the evidence of Jesus’ signs and miracles, culminating on the greatest miracle of all: bringing Lazarus back from the dead. Now he turns his attention to the other piece of evidence, the death and resurrection account of Jesus. Interestingly this part of the book opens with Jesus washing his disciples’ feet.
Now we have to understand that in Jesus’ time, it was the job of the lowest servant to wash people’s feet. The reason for this is that people wore sandals, and the roads were dusty and often covered in animal manure and other unsavoury things. So feet got dirty quickly, and washing them was a really nasty job. And yet here we see Jesus, the Son of God, on his knees with a basin of water, washing the dirt off His disciples’ feet. What is perhaps even more surprising is that he does this knowing that he is about to go to the cross. In some ways this passage introduces us to the lengths to which Jesus will go to save his people. He is taking on the role of the lowliest servant in our passage. Soon he will take on even the role of the sacrificial lamb.
Of course, Peter, who always seems to have “foot in mouth” disease protests. “Lord, do you wash my feet?” He can’t wrap his head around the idea that Jesus, his Rabbi and Lord, would do something like this. But Jesus tells him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” What Jesus says to Peter here, is true of all of us. If Jesus does not wash us, then we have no share with him. This would of course soon happen as Jesus goes to the cross.
John directly points to this when he says “loved them to the end.” Even knowing what was about to happen, that one of his own disciples would betray him, that he would be abandoned by those closest to him, Jesus chose to love them. This is what makes Jesus’ love so different from the love the world shows. It doesn’t depend on our good works, it doesn’t matter whether we deserve it, it doesn’t matter that we are unworthy. He loves us anyway. And he does do in a way that will ultimately cost him his very life.
So where does this leave us? Well it calls us to respond with the same kind of love. To love someone requires sacrifice. Is there someone you can sacrificially love today?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me to the end. Help me to follow your example and serve others even when it costs us and when it it’s hard to serve. Help us be like you. Amen.
Spiritual Challenge:
Find a way to serve someone sacrificially today.
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