That Nasty Foot Washing Business

 

Photo by Dave Driver

"When he had finished washing their feet,

He put on His regular clothes and returned to His place.

'Do you understand what I have done for you?' He asked them?

John 13:12

One way of reading the Bible is to simply stop when something catches your attention.  This morning, as I picked up the passion week narrative in John 13, this is where I landed.  Jesus asks what seems to be an impossible question.  Worse.  As I read, I hear Him ask it of me.  Worse than that.  I'm pretty sure He's asking because of something that's muttering about in my soul right now.

I know the story well.  Jesus catches them all off guard by dressing as a servant and then performing the lowliest of tasks in that culture.  Feet got dirty in ways ours don't get.  I catch a glimpse of this when visiting places in Thailand where animals and people walk around on the same ground.  Even just the dust combined with the open sandals makes for a distasteful mess, let alone whatever else might get inadvertently stepped in.  In that room with Jesus that evening, it should have been the lowest ranking slave that got the job of washing feet.

And that's what Jesus became for them, in that moment.  

Almighty God, washing remnants of animal dung off the dusty feet of His friends.  

"Do you understand what I have done for you?"

Clearly I don't.  Otherwise I would not get so slighted when I feel I have been disrespected.  I would not narrow my eyes and pull myself back ever so slightly when it's clear that my contributions are being dismissed.  I would not be tempted to withhold good graces when good graces have been withheld from me.  

If I truly understood what Jesus has done for me in stooping to this level, I would be more quick to take on the towel myself.  Happily.

It's been said that you only know for certain if you have a servant's heart by how you respond when someone treats you like one.

How grateful I am for His example.  And the example of His servants who have understood, and have offered me their servant's heart so stunningly.  May I stay faithful to the Spirit's process within me, and be willing to be formed into His likeness, a little more every day.  Yes, Lord.. I do want this.  And thank You for pushing pause on the mutterings of my heart.

These are the meditations of someone imperfectly limping towards Lent.