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SERVE IT UP (1)
'Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.' John 13:8
Feet are generally a bit rank. (Please write to us if you disagree, with a full and detailed explanation.) And in the first Century AD, they were most certainly minging. Imagine living in a town without slabs of concrete pavement to keep your feet from the dirt and grime beneath. Then imagine wearing only sandals, all day, every day. On the last night of His life, Jesus did a job that was normally done by the lowest rank of servants and would have definitely been seen as one of the worst jobs in the house.
After His last dinner with the disciples, Jesus got down on His knees and washed their donkey-dung-caked feet. 'Why?' you might ask. 'Maybe He knew what Judas was about to do and thought "If you're going to betray me, at least have clean toes and make it a dignified betrayal!"' No. To His disciples, Jesus said, 'Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as "Teacher" and "Master," and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other's feet. I've laid down a pattern for you. What I've done, you do' (vv. 14).
In other words, in order to serve God in a Jesus-like manner, we need to serve each other. Jesus made himself the lowest by washing feet, so nothing should be seen as being beneath us when it comes to serving others.
What now? Read through Luke 22:24-27, where the disciples argue about who should be seen as the greatest among them. See how Jesus answers them!
written by Bob Gass
'Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.' John 13:8
Feet are generally a bit rank. (Please write to us if you disagree, with a full and detailed explanation.) And in the first Century AD, they were most certainly minging. Imagine living in a town without slabs of concrete pavement to keep your feet from the dirt and grime beneath. Then imagine wearing only sandals, all day, every day. On the last night of His life, Jesus did a job that was normally done by the lowest rank of servants and would have definitely been seen as one of the worst jobs in the house.
After His last dinner with the disciples, Jesus got down on His knees and washed their donkey-dung-caked feet. 'Why?' you might ask. 'Maybe He knew what Judas was about to do and thought "If you're going to betray me, at least have clean toes and make it a dignified betrayal!"' No. To His disciples, Jesus said, 'Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as "Teacher" and "Master," and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other's feet. I've laid down a pattern for you. What I've done, you do' (vv. 14).
In other words, in order to serve God in a Jesus-like manner, we need to serve each other. Jesus made himself the lowest by washing feet, so nothing should be seen as being beneath us when it comes to serving others.
What now? Read through Luke 22:24-27, where the disciples argue about who should be seen as the greatest among them. See how Jesus answers them!
written by Bob Gass
