5 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

2 Kings 21:1-23:20
John 12:37-13:11

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

John 13:4-5 (CSB): “So he got up from supper, laid aside his outer clothing, took a towel, and tied it around himself. Next, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel tied around him.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

The streets and major walkways of first-century Israel were filled with all sorts of unpleasant surprises. When a traveler needed to relieve themselves, they went to a private area away from the public. But if their donkey, or camel, or whatever needed to relieve themselves, any place was fair game.

Imagine that you are transported back to the first century. Imagine that it’s a beautiful day and you are enjoying an engaging conversation with the person who is walking beside you. You don’t notice until it’s too late, when you step into a “present” left behind by someone’s beast of burden. It squishes between your toes and finds its way between the sole of your foot and your sandal. The putrid aroma and the nasty slime clinging to your foot bring the conversation to an abrupt end.

But the ordeal isn’t over. You were going to your friend’s house. And there is no way you are stepping into his living area with the nastiness on your feet. Fortunately, one consolation is that your friend has a slave who will clean your feet as soon as you arrive. You won’t have to touch the filth. The servant will get himself dirty as he gets you clean.

Like it or not, that was common in first-century Israel. A menial slave would clean the feet of those who were coming into their master’s abode.

When we arrive in the upper room where Jesus observed His very last Passover meal and His first Lord’s Supper with His disciples, we realize that they all have dirty feet. There was apparently no slave to do the work and the disciples were certainly not going to shame themselves by cleaning everyone else’s feet. And that’s when Jesus shocked them all!

John 13:4-5 (CSB): “So he got up from supper, laid aside his outer clothing, took a towel, and tied it around himself. Next, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel tied around him.”

In this one act, Jesus was (among other things) demonstrating how His followers must humbly serve others. If Jesus had asked His disciples for a volunteer to wash feet, I’m certain that not a single person would have offered. So, Jesus, their respected Rabbi, did the task. He demonstrated that if He was perfectly fine with washing feet, then they should be just as fine washing each other’s feet.

This is a lesson we all need to be reminded of. We need to be reminded that as Jesus-followers, we are not to insist on being served. Instead, following Jesus means that we are the initiators. We humbly serve others. In fact, the way up is down. The way to greatness is down on your knees, “washing feet.”

Matthew 20:26-28 (CSB): “It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Go back and read Jesus’ words again. He isn’t condemning a desire to be great. Instead, He merely seeks to clarify how we become great in the Kingdom of Heaven. We do so by humbly serving others.

Who might you serve today in your desire to become great in the Kingdom of Heaven?

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to cause you to see how unjust it was for Jesus, God in the flesh, to humbly serve others.
  • Then, ask God to help you follow Jesus’ example. If He did it, then we certainly can, too.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into what it meant for Jesus to wash His disciples’ feet, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What was the significance of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)