THIS IS LOVE
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Opening Prayer
Father, your Word guides me and lights my way. Please use it today to help me follow you more closely.
Read JOHN 13:1–17
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
13 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 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.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Reflect
Spend some time becoming aware of your feet. Imagine Jesus taking each foot in turn, gently washing it, and drying it with a towel. How do you react?
A few years ago, as I was exploring my calling to ordination, I found myself worrying if I was up to the job. This passage spoke powerfully into my insecurity. Jesus wasn’t asking me to have proven leadership skills and knowledge. He was calling me to wash others’ feet: to love his people, even as I was loved by him. I found this liberating. As I have pursued this calling, I have found the blessing that Jesus promises his disciples (v. 17).
Just as this episode in Jesus’ ministry was pivotal for me, so it was for Jesus himself. This is a turning point in John’s narrative, with Jesus gathering with his disciples on the eve of his arrest. Unlike the other gospel writers, John doesn’t focus on the Last Supper (though he says that ‘The evening meal was in progress;’ v. 2), but on Jesus’ act of service in washing his disciples’ feet. Like the broken bread and poured wine, this action anticipates Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
Peter’s response reflects how inconceivable it was for a teacher to act like a slave in this way. So what gave Jesus the assurance to do this? First, he knew that ‘the hour had come’ (v. 1). His connection with the Father was such that he had a deep confidence in God’s calling on his life and its timing. Second, he knew that ‘he had come from God and was returning to God’ (v. 3). Knowing our identity and destination as God’s children can give us a sense of security that outweighs other people’s expectations. Finally, John tells us that ‘the Father had put all things under [Jesus’] power’ (v. 3). He uses that power to serve and to save. How will you use the power God has given you today, in Jesus’ name?
Apply
What act of service might God be calling you to, through which you will receive blessing?
Closing prayer
‘Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.’1
1 1 Chr 29:11.
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