Feet washing
This week I met up with a few friends over coffee. We looked at John 13, which is all about ‘the last supper’. Jesus had gathered his closest friends (the disciples) as it was the night before he was betrayed and handed over to the Romans to be crucified. Jesus did an unusual thing by washing the disciple’s feet. This task was quite normal back then, but it was a menial task done by the servants of the household, which baffled the disciples! Afterwards Jesus said...
“‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ he asked them. ‘You call me “Teacher” and “Lord”, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.’”
He was not asking them to literally wash each’s feet, but he was using this as a graphic illustration to show them servanthood. Jesus, God on the earth, the great teacher and miracle man was demonstrating the way he wanted then to live. If Jesus could humble himself in this way then so should the disciples, and so should we! There are three aspects of this that I believe we can apply to our lives:
1. Seeking to serve people in our everyday lives.
2. Humbling ourselves before God accepting our need for Him.
3. Humbling ourselves with one another, not being proud or stubborn, but realising that a there are times when we need help from others.
Happy feet washing!
Gary Bastin - Hope Community Church leader
Washing Feet is a painting by Aaron Spong https://pixels.com/featured/washing-feet-aaron-spong.html