Foot Washing

.... Jesus had a problem with His disciples. For years, He had taught them to be servants both to God and to men, but the irresistible lure of ambition kept clouding their minds. Repeatedly, He'd caught them arguing amongst themselves as to which of them should be the greatest (Mark 9:33-34; 10:37; Luke 9:46); and on each of those occasions He had given them examples in correcting them:

.... "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

(Mark 10:45)

.... Jesus had told them plainly; He had corrected them on each of those occasions, yet they always seemed to come back to this argument. And even now, at the last supper, He had caught them in the argument again (Luke 22:24).

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.... Something about a person’s dying words carry a special weight, and there were several lessons that Jesus saved for the context of this final hour. Now He would do something to settle this argument in their hearts once and for all. Arising from the table, He gird Himself with a towel and began to wash the apostle's feet: a way of honoring another person that is very humbling, personally (John 13:13-17).

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.... The apostles were dismayed that the Lord Himself would wash their feet! And finally His example of servanthood got through to them:

.... "You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you."

(John 13:13-15)

.... The apostles were mortified with humility and understood His lesson at last. It was the very essence and concept of the life He had lived. Never again would this argument arise among them, as the true focus of servanthood prevailed.

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.... The ceremony of foot washing takes the motivation of Jesus, in His dying hours, and translates it into an application. But should foot washing be considered an ordinance? Jesus offered it as an example that should be repeated, so technically we would have to say ‘Yes’. But the heart attitude behind foot washing, that we should serve each other without selfish ambition, is the true lesson and should be employed in every application of our lives and at all times.

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.... A foot washing ceremony is something you may rarely see as a Christian. There is no prescribed interval, nor is it driven by outward events, but it seems to emerge only on occasions when the Lord’s own heart may prompt us to do so. But when this does happen, it is one of the most humbling things you will ever see and it seldom fails to bring tears, appreciation, and restoration. For by it, the issues of our pride are humbled before Jesus’ own example of humility in the very hour of His death is called again to our remembrance.

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Daily Bible Reading: Matthew 25