“Welcome to your new job! The first thing you’re going to do is sit down here and I, your boss, will wash your feet.”
“Hello, students, before we start our lessons, I’m going to wash everybody’s feet.”
Has this ever happened to you? Probably not! Certainly, this would be most unexpected today, just as it was in ancient times, when it was a slave who washed the feet of his master’s guests. And, yet, Jesus proceeds with a surprising demonstration.
On the night before his crucifixion, Jesus “showed his disciples the full extent of his love” (13:1). Once gathered around the dinner table, Jesus removed his outer robe, wrapped a large towel around his waist, took a basin of water and proceeded to wash the dusty feet of each of his closest friends and followers.
“Lord, why are you going to wash my feet?” exclaimed a confused Simon Peter. Seizing the teachable moment, Jesus explained his actions in terms of serving others. “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because it is true. And, since, I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow . . . Now do these things. That is the path of blessing” (13:14, 15, 17).
The path of blessing! Exciting! What is this path, what are its blessings, and how can I act this out in my life?
The Path of Serving:
1. See the need & meet it, without thought of rank, status, or job description! “I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet” (13:14).
2. Serve with humility, by choice! “Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better as yourself. Don’t think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing. Your attitude should be the same as Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave” (Philippians 2:3-7). (This is different from being a “doormat”, where you are forced to follow commands.)
3. Set aside pride! “The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 23:11-12).
4. Love others AS Christ loves us. “Just as I have loved you, you should love each other” (John 13:34).
The Blessings of Serving:
1. Confidence before God! By our loving actions, we will know that:
“we are living in [God’s] truth”;
“we will be confident when we stand before the Lord [against condemnation]”;
“we will receive whatever we request because we obey God and do the things that please him” (1 John 18-22).
2. Joy! “Those who obey God’s commands [to love one another as Christ loved us] live in fellowship with him and he with them” (1 John 23-24). What is more joyful than this?!
My Path of Blessing:
Wherever I am, if I see a need and can fill it myself, then I am do that. In my home, I am to lovingly care for family needs and humbly complete household chores, even if some on them seem like drudgery! In my community, both near and global, I am to look for ways to increase the well-being of others through donating my time, money and/or possessions either directly through personal contact or indirectly through charities. With my focus upon Christ & his love for others, I know that God will lead me on his path of blessing. Joy can only be the natural result!
Lord, I praise you for the glorious riches that come to your faithful disciples! Thank you for your Spirit that lives within my heart who directs my actions. “For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need” (Philippians 4:13). As I serve others as you did, Lord, may my confidence strengthen and my joy overflow! May my love for others brightly reflect your love for me! Oh, Lord, how I long for these blessings – keep me on your path! Amen.
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