“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 around 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 around him.”– John 13:3-5 (NIV)
I have to say I am not all that excited about feet.
Maybe you are a lucky person who has perfect feet– great shape, elegant toes, perfect toenails, no dry skin or abrasions. I am not one of those lucky persons. I don’t like my short, stubby toes. Also, feet can get sweaty. Some feet are cracked, dry, have corns or calluses, even warts. They are not always the most attractive parts of our body, and many would probably agree with me that we would not want someone washing them for us.
What I find amazing about the passage in John (above) is that Jesus is the Son of God, and He does the ordinary, unpleasant task of washing His disciples’ feet before their meal. This menial and lowliest of tasks was pushed off onto the servant of the house, and considering people in Bible times walked around in sandals in dust and sand, it must have been a much-despised job. Imagine the dirt, and sweat, and smells…. filthy feet, dirt under the toenails, dried cracked skin….ugh. My skin crawls thinking about it. But Jesus took on the role of a servant and did this job for His disciples.
I think of how Jesus could have said—“Hey….I am the Son of God. You have to wash my feet… no way I’d stoop to that level.” But the plain truth about Christ is that He did stoop to our level, He left heaven and glory to come to earth and live among us, dirt and all. He enters our lives and meets us where we are at. In our messes of life, our sin, our dirt….He meets us, not wrinkling up His nose, but loving us just as we are. He washes us clean in baptism, purifies us with His blood, and offers us eternal life with Him.
I’m not excited about feet, but I am excited about Jesus’ willingness to enter my life where I am at, wash me clean, and invite me into a relationship with Him. How about you?
Prayer–“Lord Jesus, thank you for coming to earth and meeting me where I am at. Wash me clean of my sins so that I may live with you forever. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
Prayer For All Days 