“ It has been a long day. Jerusalem is
packed with Passover guests, most of whom clamor for a glimpse of the Teacher.
The spring sun is warm. The streets are dry. And the disciples are a long way
from home. A splash of cool water would be refreshing.
The disciples enter [the room], one
by one, and take their places around the table. On the wall hangs a towel, and
on the floor sits a pitcher and a basin. Any one of the disciples could
volunteer for the job, but not one does.
After a few moments, Jesus stands and
removes his outer garment. He wraps a servant’s girdle around his waist, takes
up the basin, and kneels before one of the disciples. He unlaces a sandal and
gently lifts the foot and places it in the basin, covers it with water, and
begins to bathe it. One by one, one grimy foot after another, Jesus works his
way down the row.
In Jesus’ day the washing of feet was
a task reserved not just for servants but for the lowest of servants…The
servant at the bottom of the totem pole was expected to be the one on his knees
with the towel and basin.
In this case the one with the towel
and basin is the king of the universe. Hands that shaped the stars now wash
away filth. Fingers that formed mountains now massage toes. And the one before
whom all nations will one day kneel now kneels before his disciples. Hours
before his own death, Jesus’ concern is singular. He wants his disciples to
know how much he loves them...
You can be sure Jesus knows the
future of these feet he is washing. These twenty-four feet will not spend the
next day following their master, defending his cause. These feet will dash for
cover at the flash of a Roman sword. Only one pair of feet won’t abandon him in
the garden. One disciple won’t desert him at Gethsemane—Judas won’t even make
it that far! He will abandon Jesus that very night at the table…
What a passionate moment when Jesus
silently lifts the feet of his betrayer and washes them in the basin!
Jesus knows what these men are about
to do. He knows they are about to perform the vilest act of their lives. By
morning they will bury their heads in shame and look down at their feet in
disgust. And when they do, he wants them to remember how his knees knelt before
them and he washed their feet…
He forgave their sin before they even
committed it. He offered mercy before they even sought it.
From “This
is Love: The Extraordinary Story of Jesus”
Copyright (Thomas
Nelson, 2009) Max Lucado
Listen to UpWords with Max Lucado at OnePlace.com
“Jesus, Knowing that the Father had
given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to
God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded
Himself.”
Tonight’s
post: JESUS
PROMISES WELLS OF WATER
Tomorrow’s
post: THE COLLISION OF GOD AND SIN
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