There is absolutely no one who has ever walked on this earth who has had more authority, more majesty and more adoration due Him than Jesus. Every ruler who has ever lived, the most wealthy, the most powerful, and the most famous all fall short of His glory and His authority. The Father had sent Him, and He would return to the Father. 

i grew up in Palm Beach County, Florida. i have heard it said that the island of Palm Beach is home to ten percent of America’s wealth. It is the island of the rich and famous. Our current U. S. President has a home there. Whenever he is in town, traffic is rerouted on land, sea and air. i would not even venture to guess how many people are in his entourage and service  to make sure his every need is met, and every comfort is provided. i don’t say that critically of the President, nor do i disparage in any way the other residents of the town and the way they are served. i mention them solely as a point of comparison. Jesus, who has absolute authority over every one of them – and every one of us –  and is worthy of all praise, all worship, all respect, and all reverence, got up from the table one night, took off His robe and wrapped a towel around His waist like a servant.(1) There are a very few of us who would ever do anything like that – and none of those are the King of Kings.

But this wasn’t the first or the last time that our Lord gave no regard to His divine privilege. The apostle Paul writes:

“Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”(2)

Then Jesus kneeled before each of His disciples, washed their dirty feet, and dried them with the towel He was wearing around His waist. Let that picture sink in! His humility. His selflessness. And He is the Almighty God. Now – think about whose feet He is washing. One of the men will vehemently deny that he even knows Him before the night is out. One of them will doubt that He could possibly have resurrected from the grave, in just a few short days. And if that’s not enough, one of them will betray Him and provide the means for Him to be arrested that very night. And all of those who remain, except one, will scatter when He is arrested and will not follow Him to the cross. There is not a lot that is praiseworthy about these men over the next few days. These are Jesus’ closest friends – and all but one will abandon Him. And yet, Jesus, who knew everything that would transpire, and knew everything about them, washed their feet.

Scripture only records how Peter reacted. We don’t know what the others said or did, if anything. I can’t help but wonder what was going through the mind of Judas as Jesus was washing his feet. Or Thomas, the skeptic. Or John, the beloved. (It’s interesting to me that John did not include any personal commentary about the experience.)

But we do know what Peter did. “All or nothing Peter” never hesitates to be the first one to speak up (until later that night) and he is always the one jumping in with both feet. When he sees what Jesus is about to do to him, he protests – “You will never ever wash my feet!” Peter was one of three disciples who probably had the clearest understanding of who Jesus was (which made his denial later that night even more devastating for him). So, to him, to have the Son of God abase Himself to such a degree would have been so inappropriate. Rather, he was probably thinking, “Lord, I need to wash Your feet. And I’m embarrassed that I didn’t even think of it!” But then when Jesus tells him, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to Me”, in true Peter-form He says, “Then Lord, wash all of me!” 

After Jesus had washed all of their feet, He put His robe back on and returned to His place reclining at the table. As their Almighty God, He washed their feet. As their Lord and Teacher, He used the experience to teach them an important Kingdom principle. He is the Master; they – and we – are the slaves. He is the King; they – and we – are the messengers. As He has done, we are to do likewise. If He served, we are to serve. If He abased Himself for the sake of the Kingdom, we are to abase ourselves for the sake of the Kingdom. If He gave all for us, we are to give all for Him.

i would expect that if Jesus walked up to any one of us right now and knelt down to wash our feet, our response may be very similar to Peter – “Oh no Jesus, You will never ever wash my feet.” But would that response be driven, like Peter, by our understanding of His Majesty, or would it be driven by our soulish pride or our unwillingness to wash the feet of others? Who has the Master placed before you to wash their feet? It may be literal, or it may be to minister to a difficult need. As He has done, we are to do likewise. And just like Jesus told the disciples that night, “Now that you know these things, you must do them. And the Father will bless you for doing them.” But allow me to add a caution. Don’t do them in order to receive a blessing. Do them because our Master and Teacher did. Do them because our Almighty God did. Do them because it is Him who we take up the cross to follow!

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(1)  John 13:3-17 (NLT)

Jesus knew that the Father had given Him authority over everything and that He had come from God and would return to God. So He got up from the table, took off His robe, wrapped a towel around His waist, and poured water into a basin. Then He began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel He had around Him. When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.” “No,” Peter protested, “You will never ever wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to Me.” Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!” Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” For Jesus knew who would betray Him. That is what He meant when He said, “Not all of you are clean.” After washing their feet, He put on His robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.

(2) Philippians 2:6-8 (NLT)

Adapted from Taking Up The Cross, Ch. 30

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