“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” – John 13:14
In a dry and dusty land, washing feet was pretty much the lowest of the low chores anyone could get stuck doing. Jesus did it voluntarily. On the very night He would be betrayed, Jesus got on the floor and washed the feet of His disciples. He even washed the feet of the man He knew would soon betray Him! In the eyes of the world, He humiliated Himself. Nonetheless, Jesus did this in full awareness of His power and authority. He knew He was the Son of God, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Jesus did this to teach all of His followers throughout all of time a crucial lesson.
We must serve one another. Joyfully, not grudgingly. We must love for one another. Practically, not theoretically. We must not consider anything beneath us. In Christ, we are exalted children of God! In Christ, we are brothers and sisters of the King of Kings, Jesus our Lord! In Christ, we are temples of the Holy Spirit! Because we have this exalted eternal status, we can get dirty. We can get messy. We can get low here on earth in order to care for and serve other people.
Is there something you aren’t willing to do to help, care for, or love another believer? Think carefully before you answer! Is there a form of godly service that part of you thinks is “beneath” you or is going too far? Jesus made clear there must not be. Every follower of Jesus must be willing to roll up their sleeves, change into work clothes, and love one another in ways that are practical, inconvenient, uncomfortable, and messy. Because Jesus did it, His Spirit within us makes it possible for us to do it. Because Jesus did it, we must do it. In the doing, we’ll discover the blessing that comes every time we walk in the footsteps of Jesus!