“Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.”
John 13:3-5 NLT
How can we ever get our mind around the fact that the God we worship, the Creator of all, was so interested in human beings that he took on the lowest of all jobs and washed their feet? Can we imagine it? Feet showing the signs of having walked long distances, complete with corns and callouses. Perhaps a bunion or two, and not smelling very good either. And yet Jesus, the Son of God, was prepared to wash them. He didn’t just wet those feet, though. Because Jesus did it, no item of dust or dirt would have remained and He would have cleaned between the toes as well.
Can we imagine the scene? Jesus was reclining at the table with His disciples, and then, without any explanation, He got up and “took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin”. I can just imagine the disciples looking at each other, wondering what Jesus was going to do next. One thing they must have realised by now was that Jesus was full of surprises. Feeding all those people, walking on the Sea of Galilee, healing the sick, raising the dead. Being around Jesus must have been a roller coaster of a ride through life for His disciples. We must also remember that Jesus washed Judas’ feet as well, in the knowledge that, very soon, Judas was going to betray Him to the Jewish authorities.
We must also remember that God doesn’t have favourites, and so what he was prepared to do for the disciples He would be prepared to do for us as well. The twelve disciples were reclining around a low table, but if I was there with them, making number thirteen, Jesus would have washed my feet as well. He has no favourites.
We read about Jesus’ servanthood and His humble attitude in Philippians 2:7-8, “Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross”. Occasionally we read about someone who willingly gave up a good career and became a lower paid helper, working perhaps with a charity helping homeless people. But with regard to Jesus, He gave up His divine life, and became a human being. More than that, as we see from the occasion when He washed His disciples’ feet, He became a slave in His service to His friends. There will never be anyone who will match up to what Jesus did at His father’s bidding. Isaiah could see Him coming, as we read in His prophecy. “My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care” (Isaiah 53:2-3). Jesus fulfilled that prophecy just for us. What a Saviour!
Dear Lord Jesus. We will never fully appreciate all that You did for us all those years ago, but we are so glad and grateful that You came. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 