Read: John 13:1–20
So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. John 13:14–15
We are repulsed at the thought of someone having to wash us. It might be the single greatest fear of aging—that we would not be able to care for or clean ourselves! It is through this most intimate and personal act of washing that Jesus chooses to demonstrate how we are to care for one another. We are to get down on our hands and knees to help people get clean. This means that as followers of Jesus no task is beneath us when it comes to tending to others. We wouldn’t have believed it unless we had seen it for ourselves—Jesus, Lord and Savior, washing the dirt off of sweaty, smelly, and misshapen feet. Leading by example, Jesus tells us to take care of people according to His example. Get down on our hands and knees, get up close and intimate with others, and do whatever we can to help people out.
Have you ever washed someone’s feet?
Dear Lord, truthfully, the only feet I willingly wash are my own. The thought of washing someone’s feet is uncomfortable to me because it is such a personal, intimate, and culturally foreign act. But You, Lord, want me to get that close to people. You want me never to flinch at an opportunity to care for others. You want me to follow Your example. You have served us all, and You call us to do the same. Help me to humble myself so that kneeling before others is a natural act for me. In Your name, I pray. AMEN.