That final week: Jesus washed feet

Take a moment here. Stop rushing around. Take a few slow breaths in and out. Inhale. Exhale. Relax your shoulders. What we have right here is a wonderful account of Jesus’ love and compassion and I want you to enjoy it. It’s a familiar story, yes, and we can often just skim read familiar stories, gloss over the details, but I urge you to take your time. Read it slowly. Picture the scene. Imagine yourself in that situation.

It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

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 round 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 round him.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’

Jesus replied, ‘You do not realise 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 every one 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 13:1-17

Jesus knew his time had come. His whole ministry had been leading up to this point. He knew he had to face suffering and death. He had to leave all those he had become close to. Imagine for a moment how that might have felt.

He hadn’t got long left in this world. And he chose to wash his disciples’ feet.

He’d made friends. He’d created attachments. He’d been fully human. Just like us on so many levels.

He loved them to the end. And he chose to demonstrate this love by washing their feet.

The wheels had been set in motion. There was no turning back. Jesus knew exactly what he had to do. He knew exactly who he was. He was secure in his identity in God.

Secure enough to take on this humble role of washing his disciples’ feet.

Washing feet was a servant’s job. It was wet and messy, dirty and smelly. You had to kneel down before the person and take their feet in your hands – a very personal and intimate act if a friend chooses to do this for another friend. Can you imagine someone washing your feet, how that would make you feel? And feet that had been in just sandals on dusty roads would have been even more of a challenge!

Peter couldn’t handle it. It was all wrong. He knew who Jesus was. No way could he let the son of God bend down before him and touch his feet. It should have been the other way round. He wasn’t worthy. He didn’t deserve this. He struggled to let Jesus meet his needs, do this thing for him, demonstrate his love for him.

And yet Jesus washed Peter’s feet.

Peter was the impulsive one. ‘Wash me all over if this is going to bring me closer to you!’ He didn’t get it but he trusted Jesus and wanted all that Jesus had to offer.

Jesus knew one of his friends was going to betray him.

And yet he still found enough mercy and forgiveness and love within him to wash this disciple’s feet.

I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

Watch and learn.

I am your role model. You should do as I have done for you.

This way lies happiness. This path leads to blessing.

Serve those around you.

I don’t believe we are called to literally wash each other’s feet. But there are plenty of things that we probably find off-putting and humiliating and pretty disgusting that we may be called to do. All those things where our natural reaction might be to say ‘I’m not doing that!’, ‘You can’t expect me to do that!’, ‘I’m above doing something like that!’ Maybe you have a picture in you mind of what some of those things may look like for you.

Serve those around you.

This is our calling.

And there’s another challenge here too.

Allow others to serve you. Accept help. Accept love.

Maybe for some, this is the greatest challenge of all.

So today, let this story take a hold of your imagination and see what Jesus has to say to you through it.