Skip to main content

Wash Each Other’s Feet


           

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.

         




   Washing a person’s feet is something that has lost significance in our society.  

Especially in first world countries.  

Almost everyone can wash their own feet.  

It’s no wonder that this narrative seems to have lost significance. 
          

While washing the feet of your guests when they visit is something that has 

fallen by the wayside, I hope that we can look at the principle behind it and 

see what the intent was.  

Was the intent that everyone goes around literally washing people’s feet?  

I don’t think that is what was meant.   

In this same narrative, he also says, “No servant is greater than his master, 

nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.”  

Jesus seems to be suggesting that leaders are to serve.   

But… serving is and can be humbling.  

Especially in our “me first” society that we live in.  

People want to do important tasks.  

But no one wants to do the less desirable tasks.  

Even then it was humbling, no one wanted to do this task.  

It can be humbling for the served as well.  

After all, who wants to admit that they need help.  

Even then it was a problem. 

Peter spoke for everyone when he said, “You aren’t washing my feet!” (Elaine 

Paraphrase).  

So, here’s the question.  

If we want to follow Jesus, how can we serve 

others and thereby wash their feet?  

I’m not sure what it will look like for you because each of us is different, for 

me, it looks like washing dishes or doing the laundry, cooking a meal, visiting 

a neighbor, offering a ride or walking with a friend.   

Let us remember to wash each other’s feet not just at Easter but as often as 

God provides opportunity

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Live Fearlessly

                                   As I was driving home today, I passed a person walking on the side of the    road.  Since it was cold, and snowy, I thought I should stop and offer the person a ride.  As I drove on by, I was irritated with myself for not stopping.  I could have and should have but I didn't. Why?  I was scared! Maybe that wouldn't bother you, but I'm willing to bet there are things that make you afraid.  It may be snakes or spiders that send the ticker into  overdrive.  Or maybe it's your job and finances that keep you up at night when you should be resting.  Then again perhaps it's relationships that consume your thoughts and energy.  As followers of God, we know that we are told not to be afraid.  Yet we often are afraid despite everything we know.   As I was driving away from a misse...

Tragedy: A Christian Response

I want to start by telling you a story.  We were new parents.  When Our oldest, a son, was about eighteen to twenty months we had another baby, a girl with brown hair and huge eyes.   One day as I went to feed her, my son who may have been two at the time wandered off to another part of the house.  The next thing I heard was a thud.  I grabbed my baby girl and ran to see what happened.  There was my son with a table on top of him.  He had pulled it over on himself and more blood than I had ever seen was running all over.   We put him in the car and dashed for the ER.  It was not a fun trip. He had a skull fracture and many stitches.  Fast forward about fourteen or fifteen years, I’m at a stop light and watch my youngest daughter about ten start across a street on a bike start across a street just as a truck comes around a corner into the path of the bike.  She hit the side of the truck and bounced onto the road....

Just A Word of Praise!!

  On Sunday, after church, we went to a town about thirty minutes away.   On the way we drove through an area where they were working on the road.  It was no big deal.  We had lunch, bought some food for the week, and drove back home.    Later, as we were on our way to church for the evening service, I heard the ominous flapping sound that a tire makes when it’s flat.  Yikes!  I pulled over and while I was debating how I was going to change a tire.  A car coming in the opposite direction drove by and stopped.   As the driver appeared from the vehicle, I recognized him as a neighbor and fellow believer.  He approached the car, and asked if I had an air compressor to inflate the tire.  My answer, “Yes, but I’m not sure how good it is.  I’ve never actually managed to inflate a tire using it. I may not be using it properly.”   I produced it from the trunk of the car and handed it to him.  Within...