This is the first part of an article I wrote for our Men's Newsletter. I will post the second part tomorrow.
Have you ever looked
at your feet? I mean really looked at them. Have you sat down and examined
them? Are your nails yellow? Are there callouses on the bottom? Do they have a
distinct odor? Do you let your toenails get too long? Are your toes spread out or
shoved up on top of each other? Does your heel feel like sandpaper? Are there ugly veins all over them? Do they
itch? Feet are generally not pleasant to behold, especially men’s feet. But in John 13 those ugly feet provide one of
the greatest symbols of Christian service.
The Text: John 13:12-17
Christ was just hours
away from being nailed to the cross and bleeding for us when we reach John 13.
It was Thursday evening. He was about to spend several hours teaching his
disciples about the Holy Spirit, prayer, abiding in Him and how the world will
hate them because it hated him (John 14-16). He will end the evening with a
long prayer where he prayed for himself, for his disciples, and for us (John
17). Then the guards will come and carry him away to be crucified.
But the night begins
with an act that crystallizes who Jesus is.
Jesus has already entered Jerusalem on a donkey (12:14). He did not come
in on a chariot or with a huge army or entourage. He came on a lowly donkey.
Now he again chooses a humble action to show the disciples who he was and how
they were supposed to imitate him. After the meal is over, Christ, the Messiah,
takes off his robe and puts on a loincloth. He dresses himself like a slave. He
then begins to wash the disciples’ feet.
In those days, when
men travelled on dusty roads and wore sandals, foot washing was an essential
part of hospitality. When you entered someone’s house you took off your sandals
and a servant would wash your feet. There are several other examples of foot
washing in the Scriptures, including Luke 7:44 and I Timothy 6:10. Foot washing was often done by the lowest
member in the household. Christ chose to serve his disciples by washing their
feet.
There is a lot more in
this text than what I am going to draw your attention to. Verse 3 gives the
reason for Christ’s service. He belonged to God and therefore did not need to
grasp. Also the exchange between Jesus
and Peter (13:6-11) is theologically rich. I would love to discuss how Peter is
clean, but still needs his feet washed. But we will focus on verses 12-17. I would
encourage you to read John 13:1-17 before reading the rest of the article.
What Kind of Lord?
In these verses, Jesus
is smashing down all worldly ideas about power and leadership. He is the Lord.
He is their Teacher. He states that emphatically (vs. 13). But he flips leadership on its head. We think
leadership means I get to rule over you and tell you what to do and generally boss
you around. But Jesus takes a sledge to this picture and in its place puts up a
symbol of humble service. We are sons of
God. We are citizens in an Empire that will shine for eternity like a million
burning suns. We are servants to the greatest King who ever lived. But this
does not mean we get to rule over, it means we get to serve under.
Can you imagine our
president washing the feet of his cabinet? Can you imagine any great athlete
washing their teammates’ feet? What
about James Bond? What about at your job, can you picture washing the feet of
your fellow employees? Can we imagine our fathers washing the feet of those in
our homes?
Men, God has called
us to lead in many areas. We will lead in our homes, at Christ Church, in our
jobs, and in our communities. But this leadership is not leadership like the
world. We are not to imitate the brash,
haughty, chest thumping men that parade themselves around, whether they are in
sports or movies or politics. We are to imitate the leadership of the King of
Kings. We are to wash the feet of those around us.
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