washing feet – Moment to Moment (Bible blog)

The ultimate servant

The Bible is full of pictures concerning Jesus and his work on the cross, starting from God’s promise of someone to come stomp on the serpent’s head even while getting his heel struck in the process, to Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, to the tabernacle sacrifices.

And this is not even including all the prophesies made by Isaiah, and the ones made by David in the Psalms.

And now, just before the cross, Jesus gave two more pictures.

One, of course, is communion which we’ll get to in a few blogs. But the other is right here in this passage. And because of the beauty of the picture Jesus painted, I would be remiss in not talking about it.

It says that Jesus got up from the meal, he took off his outer garments and wrapped a towel around his waist.

What was this a picture of? The apostle Paul tells us in Philippians chapter 2.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (Philippians 2:5-7)

Jesus, though he was God, made himself nothing. The NASB puts it this way, “He emptied himself.”

He took off the outer garments of his glory and became one of us. But not only did he become one of us, he wrapped a towel around his waist, and in so doing, took the very nature of a servant.

Paul goes on to say,

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:8)

Just as Jesus humbled himself and washed the feet of his disciples, so did he humble himself, going to the cross, that our sins might be washed away by his blood.

That’s why when Peter objected to Jesus washing his feet, Jesus replied,

Unless I wash you, you have no part with me. (John 13:8)

In other words, “Peter, you’re messing with my picture here. Just as I am washing your feet, so will I need to wash away your sins. And unless you allow me to wash away your sins, you will have no part with me. You cannot have a relationship with me.”

After Jesus finished washing their feet, he then put his clothes back on and returned to his place at the head of the table. And in the same way, Paul tells us,

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and underr the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

Now Jesus asks us the same thing that he asked his disciples.

Do you understand what I have done for you? (John 13:12)

Do you? Do you understand all that Jesus gave up and sacrificed for you so that your sins might be forgiven? If you do, then Jesus tells you,

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.

Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. (John 13:13-15, 17)

Jesus was the ultimate servant. And he calls us to be like him. Are you?

True leadership

Trying to harmonize the gospel accounts at this point is a little sticky. I get the impression that things were not always told in chronological order and that there were little asides thrown in.

This passage in Luke, in my opinion, is one of them.

It says that at the meal that the disciples started arguing with each other about who among them was the greatest.

I don’t know how this argument started, but at a guess, it started when they were deciding the seating arrangements after arriving at the upper room to celebrate the Passover.

In their culture, the person sitting to the right of Jesus would be considered the most important, and the person sitting to his left would be second most. And the further you sat away from Jesus, the less important you were considered.

And so it may be that they were arguing about who should sit next to Jesus.

Peter may have been saying, “Hey I’m the leader of all you guys. I should sit there.”

John may have replied, “Yeah, but Jesus loves me more.”

Even Judas might have gotten into the act. “Everyone knows I’m the most important. I handle all the money.”

How long Jesus watched this, I don’t know, but perhaps after everyone finally settled down into their places, with some still grumbling about where they were sitting, Jesus did something that shocked them all.

It was customary in situations like this meal, that someone would wash the feet of the others. With everyone wearing sandals on dirt roads, feet could get pretty filthy.

Usually, a servant would do the washing, but in circumstances where a servant wasn’t present, typically it was the lowest person on the totem pole who would do this.

John, being the youngest, might have been expected to do so. But he apparently somehow managed to weasel his way right next to Jesus (John 13:23) and was not about to give up his place to do a “servant’s job.”

And after this big blowup, none of the others were inclined to do so either.

Jesus could have rebuked them. But instead, Jesus “showed them the full extent of his love.” (John 13:1)

He got up, took off his outer clothing, wrapped a towel around his waist, and started washing their feet and drying them.

How embarrassed the disciples must have been that Jesus was doing the job that one of them should have been doing.

After Jesus had finished, he sat down and asked them,

Do you understand what I have done for you… 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. (John 13:12-14)

He continued,

The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors.

But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest and the one who rules like the one who serves.

For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table?

But I am among you as one who serves. (Luke 22:25-27)

He then concluded,

I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. (John 13:15-17)

What was Jesus telling them? These were the men that Jesus had chosen to have great responsibility.

The day will come when they will sit on thrones and judge the 12 tribes of Israel. They will have the privilege of sitting at Jesus’ table and eating and drinking with him. (Luke 22:28-30)

But as he had pointed out earlier, leadership is not about lording it over people. It’s about servanthood.

Jesus served them by washing their feet. Jesus served them and all of us by dying for our sins. So now he tells us that as leaders we are to do the same.

And Jesus tells us that the true blessing of leadership comes not from all the “privileges” we receive as leaders. It comes not from exercising our authority over others and telling them what to do. Rather it comes from serving as Jesus did.

That’s what leadership is all about.

How do you see leadership? As being served? Or as serving others?