John 13:4-5 ” He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.”

Foot washing was a common part of hospitality & courtesy normally given all guests as they entered your home. The unseemly chore given to the lowest ranking member of the household…in an desert environment where everybody’s feet were dusty & dirty. So here we see the Twelve disciples & Jesus in the upper room with apparently no servants to carry out the task of the pre-meal foot washing. But what we also see is that none of the Twelve offered to take it upon themselves to do it…thus they all started eating with dirty feet…including Jesus. Did Jesus wait until the meal started to see if one of the disciples would man-up and serve his friends by washing their feet…not to mention washing the feet of the Master? I can almost hear Jesus sigh deeply as He got up from the table…the Creator humbling Himself before His creation in the great act of humility, respect, compassion, honor, & selfless love. His example demonstrating that rank & privilege doesn’t give us the right to be arrogant & self-important. Or as Paul wrote in Philippians 2:3, ” Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”

Author: kezha1

A Christian mother, grandmother, and retired nurse living in Illinois. Called into a ministry of encouraging others to find their ultimate plan and purpose in life through Christ. View all posts by kezha1