When God Washed Smelly Feet!

“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist.” ~John 13:1–4

We often use our identity and our circumstances as an excuse not to serve little people. We think to ourselves, I am above this kind of menial labor; somebody else should be doing it. Or, perhaps after a peculiarly hard day, we find ourselves resenting the expectations of others for our help with this or that around the house. We blurt out, “Can’t you see I’m under a lot of pressure at the moment?” or “This is not a good time!”

If anyone had a right to think this way, it was Jesus. He knew what was about to happen. Tomorrow, He would be despised by the people He came to save. Tomorrow, His best friend would repeatedly deny Him, a trusted disciple would betray Him, and all His disciples would forsake Him. Tomorrow, He would be stripped naked, beaten, and whipped within reach of death. Then rough-handed, uncouth Roman soldiers would kneel over His naked body and drive nails through His skin, sinew, nerves, and bone. Tomorrow, under the blazing heat of the Middle Eastern sun, He would be exposed for all to see. And before it is all said and done, tomorrow, men would curse Him and God would damn Him. Yet, knowing all that, tonight Jesus served those who should have been serving Him.

What makes this act of service all the more staggering is the fact that Jesus knew precisely who He was. Jesus washed His disciples’ feet knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, that He had come from God, and that He was going back to God. They should have been serving Him. Yet here He was, the King of the universe, serving them.

Most amazingly of all, Jesus stooped to this service with a heart that was full of love. These were not, after all, easy men to love. All of them were better candidates for the job than Jesus. But to a man, they were all simply too proud.  Even Peter, who tried to refuse Jesus’ act of service, did not offer to take over for Jesus at the dirty, smelly “foot” of the line. How often had they grieved Him with their asinine behavior, their stubborn refusal to believe Him? Yet here, tonight, Jesus’ only thought is, Who I am doesn’t matter. What I am about to do is no excuse to neglect their need. These are My friends, their feet are dirty, and I must spend Myself serving them. It’s simply staggering.

Compare that with yourself. I was struck by this thought today while reading Relationships: A Mess Worth Making. Listen to Paul David Tripp and Timothy Lane as they drive this point home:

When you think about your relationships, how many of them ultimately revolve around making sure your concerns are heard and your self-defined “needs” are met? Start with those you love the most. I am married and have four children, and most of the time I am committed to thinking about how they can make my life more fulfilling. I know this is true because of how easily I get irritated when I have to give up personal comfort to serve them. This is with people I say I love; I haven’t even begun to think about the difficult people. And let’s not even bring up our enemies! Do you see this in yourself? This is the first step to becoming a servant. You have to see how much of a servant you aren’t before you can start to become one. That is the abiding irony of the Christian life. Up is down, life is death, and power is found and expressed in serving. (Relationships: A Mess Worth Making, 119) 

By contrast, Jesus was utterly selfless in a moment when we would all have understood had He chosen to be preoccupied with Himself and what He was about to do for our poor sake. Think of it: this is the way Jesus is all the time. Isn’t He lovely? This is the way Jesus is when you approach Him with your burdens, fears, concerns, and sins. He is not less patient now or more gruff now at the Father’s right hand. Your Savior hasn’t become a grumpy old man. He remains the same yesterday, today, and forever. Believe it. Count on it. Don’t let the devil tempt you to despair of Jesus. He remains willing to do for you what you are not willing to do for others. Come to Him; He will neither fail nor disappoint you. Jesus won’t let you down.