09/11/2025
Are we prepared to do our Heavenly Father's bidding? I am not talking about the things we consider to be the grand tasks of heaven, but rather, the trivial and menial jobs. Those that occur every day as we live out our lives; the ones that humble us and define us as servants.
“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 also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.”
John 13:14-16 ESV
I know people that have achieved positions of responsibility; some have risen to great power, but they are of this world and although many view themselves as deserving there are others who believe they are lesser… thy are humbled by their success. Jesus taught us to humble ourselves as He was humble. In His life, He served the Father by serving those He was called to save. If we were to ask those people I spoke of who Jesus was they would probably tell us that he was a great prophet and the Son of God. They would credential Him as being nobility, but Jesus saw Himself much differently, and so should we… He was a servant King.
“And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.””
Mark 9:35 ESV
Jesus washes our feet, and He calls on us to do the same to others. Arrogance and pride reveal a person for who they really are... of this world. Even serving can be done with arrogance when performed as a means of demonstrating that one is better than another by doing so. Jesus could have washed the feet of His Apostles in such a manner, but He didn't He laid aside His garments; His greatness and knelt before them.
“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. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”
John 13:3-5 ESV
Most of us have a certain view of feet, we envision sweet baby’s feet, the perfect feet of children, and the soft feet of one who has worn shoes to protect them, but these are not the feet Jesus washed. Jesus washed the feet of men who had walked barefoot and in sandals for their entire lives. The feet Jesus washed were hardened and scarred; they were worn by their surroundings and not pleasant to look at or soft to the touch... they were instruments of travel and exposed to the dirt, sand, and gravel of the road.
I am older now, and my feet are not those of a child or a young man any longer; when there used to be foot washing services at a church I attended I didn't participate. It wasn't because I wouldn't wash any manner of feet, it was because of the shape that my own feet were in. I didn't want to reveal my imperfect feet to others. I didn't want someone to see my imperfections. This isn't biblical, and we shouldn’t feel this way… so, I came to the realization that I needed to change my mind on this. I had to humble myself. Sometimes becoming a servant means allowing another to touch us as they serve us humbly.
The Apostles viewed Jesus as their master. In their eyes, having Him wash their feet was belittling to Him and it allowed Him to physically touch their own imperfection. They viewed this as a demeaning act for Him, and uncomfortable to themselves. Peter shows us his understanding during this exchange with Jesus...
“Peter said to him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!"”
John 13:8-9 ESV
There are two sides to serving that we must master. The first is in serving others; the laying aside of ourselves in order to humbly do for others. But there is another side to our servitude... allowing someone to serve us. The acceptance of another's humility and kindness without feeling uncomfortable or belittled by it is important. Serving is like the tide; it rises and falls with regularity. The coming forth and receding of our doing things for others and then allowing them to show their kindness to us is foundational. It is the very heart of the servant and is the absolute root of all love.
“The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Matthew 23:11-12 ESV
To give of ourselves without the expectation of return makes us noble and humble in our efforts but receiving something from someone else without our ability to repay it requires a great humility of heart within ourselves. If it does not, then you have become a user, and this is a different lesson altogether.
Interestingly enough, the more personal and self-effacing the gift is that we give, the more grace we feel by having given it... and the reverse is true about receiving. Washing someone's feet is an act of humility and love, but not nearly as great as allowing them to wash ours; especially when we realize we don't deserve their efforts. This is what the disciples felt, and are we prepared to learn that lesson ourselves?
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for those you allow me to serve each day, and I thank you for the spirit of humility that allows me to be served by others. Jesus, wash my feet, and allow me to wash those of others around me in the selfsame manner and emotion. Thank you Lord for teaching me that to be the master I must first be the servant, and that there is very little difference between the two in my heart. All things come from you Father, and that includes my position in life. To assume I am above another takes the gift you have provided me and sullies it. To use your gifts in any manner other than as a service to those around me is not of you. Jesus came to serve, and if I am to follow in His footsteps... so must I. Teach me to take to my knees in service to others Father; teach me that the greatest in me is realized in easing the suffering, hurt, and need in others. I praise you for your Son Jesus Christ and the servant He is. Help me be more like Him today, and every day to come. Holy, Holy, Holy are you my God who stooped to cleanse me of my sins by offering your own Son to redeem me.
Amen, Amen, Amen!!
“I love the Lord, because he has heard
my voice and my pleas for mercy.
Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.”
Psalm 116:1-2 ESV
Rich Forbes