Dirty Feet

Pearls Before Swine, by Stephan Pastis

 “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.”  So he got up, put on his armor, picked up his sword, called down all the angels from heaven and with the disciples right behind him, kicked Rome’s butt. Right? That’s what the disciples and most of the Jews were expecting from their Savior. If the disciples could somehow read along with us the story of their lives at the time, sort of a Jesus play-by-play, and they read the verse above, I’m sure they would have thought that a great battle was about to happen. God has put everything under Jesus’ power; he had the strength to come out of that house with swords blazing. No one could stop him. Yet this is not what the all-powerful Son of God does, and in light of his awesome glory, Jesus’ actions are simply mind-boggling. 

John 13:3-5:      

     Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 

     What? He washed their feet? All the power of God, and Jesus gets down on his knees to wash his disciples’ filthy, sand-encrusted stinky feet? What irony. These men should be serving him! I don’t know how many times I have read these verses, but I don’t often take the time to really let what happened sink in. Jesus and God are one in the same (John 14:9-11). God created the universe. Now He’s in the feet-cleaning business? I imagine this may have been what was going through Peter’s head. He might have even been embarrassed for Jesus. 

13:6-8a: 

     [Jesus] came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you gong to wash my feet?”

     Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 

     “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

     I think that Peter may have felt noble for refusing to let his Master wash his feet. Who was Peter that he should let his Lord get down on his knees and clean the filth from his toes? Not only would Jesus be kneeling before him, but he would see every bit of dirt on Peter, be in close range to the odor and callouses, touching them with his hands. This is not the action of a conquering Ruler--or so Peter thought. God never does things the way we expect Him too, does He? 

13:8b-9

     Jesus answered, “unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

     “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

13:12-17

     When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “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. 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.”

What better leader is there than one who leads by example? In chapter 15 of John Jesus tells his disciples to remain in his love by obeying his commands. He explains in verse 12: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you,” and again in verse 17: “This is my command: Love each other.”  Christ felt so strongly about this that he illustrated it through his actions, performing one of the lowest chores for his followers. That is his nature. He serves, because he loves. Because he loves, he wants us to love and serve each other; that is how we show our love to Christ. Jesus states in Mark 12:30-31 that the greatest commandment is to “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”  We cannot love God without loving each other. In John 21, after Jesus rose from the dead and before he ascended to heaven, he asked Peter three times if Peter loved him; three times Peter insisted he did, and each time Jesus responded with “feed my lambs,” “take care of my sheep,” and “feed my sheep” (Verses 15-18). All throughout the Bible God tells us to love each other; Jesus came and showed us how. “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).