Surprise radiated from every fiber of my being. She washed my arm! Someone who knew me not at all. Someone who owed me nothing. Someone who had no necessity of getting in my good graces. Washed. My. Arm. Not reticently. Not hesitantly. Not cautiously as though she might catch some disease. No. Without a second thought, that sweet lady stepped outside the bounds of her job description, took hold of my wrist, and proceeded to wash my arm! Hand to wrist. Wrist to elbow. Happy to help. Looking for nothing in return. She simply saw my need, recognized her ability to meet it, tracked me down, and washed my arm.
It happened in a random aisle of a supermarket I rarely shop. We had stopped to pick up a couple of things for dinner before getting the children from school. Parting ways at the front of the store, my husband headed for the coffee shop and I set out to pick up the necessary groceries. In my normal fashion, I opted to forego a basket, falsely believing I would pick up only the two things I needed. I was incorrect. As usual. The list in my head took on a decidedly longer length than previously stated. By the time my husband found me, my handbag was dangling from the crook of my elbow and a stack of necessities was precariously piled in my arms.
Shuffling items to free up a hand for my cup, I reached out to take my iced coffee. As my hand closed around it, the lid popped off. With my other hand full, I stood there helplessly as coffee, milk, and raspberry syrup ran over my hand and down my arm to drip off my elbow, creating a little puddle on the floor. Handing the cup back to my husband so he could go see if a properly fitting lid was available, I set my items on a nearby empty shelf, dug the packet of tissues out of my handbag, and began to work on cleaning up. Both the floor and I would still be sticky, but at least we wouldn’t be soggy!
Custodial tasks complete, I again gathered my choices and headed down a different aisle. As I came to the opposite end, my husband met me carrying a new cup with a more secure lid. He didn’t know he had a follower. Behind him, quite unnoticed, was a store employee. Her face fell in the pleasant lines that spoke of the kind, serving spirit inhabiting her soul. Beaming a smile at us, she waved a handful of damp paper towels and explained the reason for her approach. She had observed him going back to the coffee shop and thought perhaps we needed a wet towel because of a spill. She had seen our need and came to meet it.
I do not know what caught me off guard the most. Perhaps it was the fact she went out of her way to do something unnecessary, something outside her job description, something wonderfully kind in a world of bone-deep unkindness? Maybe it was that she didn’t simply shove the towels into my hand and walk away or hand them to my husband and get back to her assigned duties. Perhaps it was the unhesitating friendliness of her broad smile, the sweet kindness of her eyes, the genuine desire to help. Perhaps it was the fact she could have done nothing but chose to do something. Something a lot like what Jesus did for His disciples.
Surprise must have been the least of the emotions the disciples felt as they watched Jesus divest Himself of His outer garment, choose a towel from the stack, pick up a basin of water, and head their direction. He surely didn’t intend to wash their feet! Did He? Dusty, dirty feet with crusty calluses and broken, gnarly nails. Why would He do that? It was a servant’s task. The least of the servants. The one who needed to learn their place a bit better. Surely their esteemed Leader, their Teacher, their Lord wasn’t going to do the task! Surely He had better things to do!
Yet here He came. Purpose in every step. Intent obvious. Their assumptions were correct. Jesus was washing feet! Their feet. Shock and awe, embarrassment, and discomfort saturated the air. Sidelong glances at the one beside them silently questioned their next move. Surreptitious looks around the room attempted to gauge the reaction of those too far away for direct eye contact. Hesitant hands lifted the hem of their garments in awkward obedience. Stunned silence captured their tongues.
Except for Peter. Peter had words. He had objections. Pulling his filthy feet back under the edge of his garment, Peter’s indignation spilled from his lips in ill-conceived verbiage, “You will never wash my feet!” (John 13:8) How could he let Him? How could he allow Jesus, His Teacher, His Lord, His God to take on a task normally assigned to the lowliest house servant? He couldn’t. He wouldn’t.
He did. It wasn’t optional. It wasn’t just about having clean feet, either. It was about an entirely different lesson Jesus was trying to teach His disciples. It was about servitude. It was about selflessness. It was about giving when the receiver didn’t deserve it. It was about not keeping score of who owed whom. If it hadn’t been, Peter’s objections would have had some validity.
This wasn’t his first day. He had been following Jesus, listening to His teaching, and learning at His side for quite some time. He was all too aware of who and what he was when Jesus found him. A simple fisherman. Nothing to recommend him. Spiritually lost. Eternally hopeless. Dirty. Messy. Needy. But Jesus came to where Peter was, called him out, and met his needs. Peter owed Him everything. In fact, the same could be said for all the disciples. Not one of them had any merit of their own. Called from less than holy lives to lives of complete holiness, everything they had become, everything they had learned, every ounce of faith buried in their souls was owed solely to Jesus. They owed Him everything. They knew it. If anyone needed to take a servant’s stance, it should have been them. (Matthew 4:18-22; 9:9-13)
It wasn’t. They had entered that house, taken their seats, and expected someone they held in low esteem to come and wash their feet. Their surprise had been infinite when the One they held in greatest esteem took on the task. Guilt settled in as each mind totaled the score. They had brought nothing into the relationship. Jesus had done everything, but they weren’t willing to wash His feet. No one even offered. Whether they knew it or not, their physical time with Jesus was running short and they hadn’t yet learned to serve others. Great or small. Important or illegitimate. Wealthy or poor. Serving others wasn’t really on their minds.
Jesus knew that. He knew their hearts were still selfish. He knew they were still busy keeping score. He knew they were still entrenched in social status and protocols. So He did something outrageous to refocus their hearts. He shocked them into silence to teach them a lesson He hoped they would never forget. A lesson of compassion. A lesson of love. A lesson of servitude. He washed their feet.
Finishing His task, Jesus rid Himself of towel and basin, donned His outer garment, and rejoined them at the table. Peter wasn’t the only one who had words. Jesus had words, too. Important words. Life-giving words. Words that needed to be said before He returned to His Father. Lessons to improve the disciples’ earthly journey and enable them to more easily spread the message of Jesus Christ in the days to come. A command to be His disciples, to follow His ways. Not just in words. Not just in preaching and teaching. In action. In service. A directive to live like Jesus. (John 13:1-17; Matthew 5:16)
They were not new words. It was not a different lesson. Since the dawn of time, God has called His people to be like Him. Words from Heaven instructing Old Testament people, New Testament disciples, and modern-day followers of Jesus to be holy, to love, to serve others, no matter what. No matter if they are in a different tax bracket. No matter if they are in a different social circle. Regardless if their cultural or religious background is different from yours. The message has never changed. It never will. Live like Jesus. Lead like Jesus. Serve like Jesus. (I John 2:6; Ephesians 5:1-2; John 15:12; I John 3:16; Luke 6:40; Leviticus 19:2; Philippians 2:4)
Maybe you’ve been hearing that command all your life. Maybe you have a schedule of donating time serving at a local shelter, a food bank, or a community center. Thank you! That’s wonderful! But I hope you don’t fulfill those obligations and check the box of service as if that is all there is to do. There is so much more! Service is a list of lifelong opportunities, not a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
So go be like Jesus. You never know who you will touch, how many lives you will change, what future you may brighten. Wash some feet, even if they aren’t pretty. Be willing to wash an arm, even if you don’t know the person attached. Surprise someone with the gift of unnecessary service. Be surprised yourself at the blessing serving others brings back to you! (John 13:14-17; Romans 10:12, 15:1-3; Galatians 5:13; Matthew 20:26-28; Proverbs 11:25; Deuteronomy 22:4)
Well said!!