A Matter of Service: Washing My Sister's Feet
In John 13, we read about one of the most memorable incidents in the Bible. It was the night before Jesus’ betrayal and crucifixion. It was an intense time in His life and He turned His full attention to His disciples.
Though no one spoke of it, everyone in the room faced the same dilemma; everyone felt the same awkwardness. The custom was that the host would station a slave at the door to wash the feet of the dinner guests as they arrived. The servant knelt with a pitcher of water, a pan, and a towel, and washed the dirty feet of each guest as he or she prepared to enter. If a slave was unaffordable, then it was customary for one of the early arriving guests to graciously take upon himself the role of the servant and wash the feet of those who arrived after him.
So, though no one spoke of it, everyone faced the same dilemma: someone really should wash their feet. A few awkward moments passed and then Jesus, without saying a word, slipped away from the table where they were all sitting, silently pulled off his outer tunic, and with the towel, pitcher and pan in hand, knelt at the feet of the disciples pouring water from the pitcher over each pair of feet.
Jesus continued washing until all the feet of his sheepish, embarrassed disciples had been washed, and then He returned the pitcher, towel, and basin with the dirty water, to their place by the door. Jesus’ action was an example for all of us.
In John 13:14, Jesus said, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet”. Do you see that?... You also should wash one another’s feet. Jesus took care of his disciples to the end just as we are to humble ourselves and take care of one another to the end.
I believe that His deed and words also carry additional meaning. Jesus was taking another opportunity to vividly reinforce a lesson he’d tried many times before to get into their heads, and it was this – in the words of Mark 9:35, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
If Jesus, our Lord and Teacher, washed his disciples’ feet, we also should serve each other, there should be no task, no role, no effort that we will not do for each other. It’s not enough to say, “Oh, sure, I would scrub floors for my sister”, or “I wouldn’t hesitate to serve my sister”.
Jesus didn’t say, I have set before you an example that you should be willing to do as I have done for you, He said, I have set before you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”
When you and I do not serve each other—because we’re unwilling to forgive, because we won’t swallow our pride, because the task is somehow beneath us, because it’s easier to let someone else do it, whatever the reason, we are not modeling a servant ministry as Christ did that night when He washed the feet of His disciples.
When we wash the feet of another, when we humbly serve a brother or sister, when we give and expect nothing in return, when we cook a meal, sweep a sidewalk, offer a ride, mop a floor, empty a bedpan, pay a compliment, surrender the spotlight, shoulder the blame, share the burden,
we are blessing not only that person, we are blessing the very heart of Jesus.
Jesus says, not only to the Twelve, but to us:
• Cloth yourself in humility toward one another.
• For if anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last and the servant to all.
• Serve one another in love.
• Do as I have done
• Wash one another’s feet.
Let us continue to be more like Jesus, modeling His actions and washing the feet of our sisters. What an experience for us today as we washed one another’s feet!!
Scripture References: John 13:1-7; John 13:14; Mark 9:35
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