John 13:4b-5
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.
It was a job for the lowest servant in the house. The bottom of the bucket. The last one in line. Yet, the God of the Universe stooped to take on the role and did the lowly task with precision and love. You can see that in the details of John’s writing. The Anglican Bishop, Richard Trench, noted that, “John’s account reads like that of an eye-witness who had watched with wonder and suspense — short staccato sentences.” How shocking it must have been for the disciples to see Jesus begin the process…and even more so to be the recipients of it.
What kind of attitude do you have when you have to perform some menial task for others? I must admit, sometimes I take pride when performing some “lowly” task for others. “Look at me, humbling myself to do this menial job. I’m providing such a wonderful Christian witness right now!” Ugh. I may not say it out loud, but my heart and mind speak clearly. As Jesus himself said in Matthew 6:2, “They have their reward.” The pat I gave myself on the back is the only prize for my “service.” Ugh, again.
Other times, I get it right, in both the action and the attitude. Holding the door open for strangers and greeting them with a smile. Clearing the dishes after dinner when it’s someone else’s turn. Choosing to empty the garbage can when the last person to use it chose not to. There is a beautiful freedom in a simple act of service, denying yourself to put others first…but there is also a message, just like there was when Jesus stooped to wash the disciples’ feet. “None of the disciples were interested in washing each other’s feet. Any of them would have gladly washed Jesus’ feet. But they could not wash His without having to be available to wash the others’ feet, and that would have been an intolerable admission of inferiority among their fellow competitors for the top positions in the disciples’ hierarchy. So, no one’s feet got washed” (Enduring Word Commentary).
Whose feet are we refusing to wash in our lives?
The Bible has much to say about humility…and the willingness to take the worst seat in the house rather than jockeying for the best one. Yes, Jesus was taking on the menial task of a lowly servant, but it took place in the shadow of his greatest act of service, as he was beaten, stripped, nailed to a cross, and left to die a very public and humiliating death. Washing the disciples’ feet was nothing compared to that, yet it stands to this day as a beacon for us to follow. Deny yourself. Put others first. Have a servant’s heart. Take up your cross each day. Follow the King. We must decrease. He must increase. When our daily routine caters to ourselves, there is no room left for others…let alone, Jesus himself.
The opening prayer in the Puritan prayer book, The Valley of Vision, includes this stanza, and it is a fitting way to end today’s devotional:
Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up
that to be low is to be high,
that the broken heart is the healed heart,
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is to possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive, that the valley is the place of vision.
Amen and Amen.
