Jesus Washing Feet

Most of us are familiar with Jesus’ act of washing His disciples’ feet. The Apostle John includes the story in chapter 13 of his Gospel account. It was common for Jewish homes during this time period to keep large vessels of water near the front door for every visitor to wash their feet. It was typical for a slave to wash the feet of guests. But when the disciples get to the upper room, there is no servant prepared to wash their feet, and no one volunteers to do it! The bowl of water was there! The towel was there! Everything needed to serve was there! But no one was willing!

What Serving Looks Like

The text seems clear that they were in the middle of their meal when Jesus rose from the table to show them what it looks like to serve. In an overwhelming act of humility, John says that Jesus “…rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded” (John 13:4–5). Make sure you get the picture! This was God, who had already humbled Himself simply by becoming a man. Now God stands up and walks to the front door! God takes the pitcher of water, pours it into the basin, puts a towel around His waist, and prepares to wash the dirty feet of His disciples!

How To Measure Greatness

Here’s the lesson Jesus was teaching them: Greatness is measured by the “quantity” and “quality” of your service to others. Serving others is what makes you great in God’s economy and kingdom. Both the quantity and the quality of your service are how Jesus measures it. So, let’s get practical and ask what that kind of service to others looks like. There are several observations we can make from this text of Scripture. First, we will serve like Jesus served when we come to understand our identity. In verse 1, John wrote, “…Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father…” In other words, Jesus knew who He was. He knew why He came. He knew what was before Him—the cross. The hour of His humiliation was upon Him. He had the confident resolve of “God in the flesh.” That was His identity in this world. In Mark’s Gospel, it is written: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

Jesus Emptied Himself

The Apostle Paul wrote of Jesus: “He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a servant. He humbled Himself…” (Philippians 2:7–8). We cannot overemphasize the fact that this was God who humbled Himself and became a servant to His creation. But we typically want to reverse the order. While we ought to take on the role of a servant, we want to rule like God. Yet here it is—God became a servant. We are suffering from an identity crisis, and that is why we are not serving as we ought. Jesus’ disciples suffered from an identity crisis, and that is why they were not serving each other. After washing their feet, Jesus said: “For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you…” (John 13:15–16).