Being Feet Washing Folks

“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” John 13:14-15

This past Thursday, we observed Maundy Thursday. Maundy, from the Latin mandatum (commandment), refers to the commandment to love one another as Christ loves us.  During the service, we remember the institution of the Lord’s Supper and Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet.
 
John’s Gospel has no account of the institution of the Lord’s Supper.  Instead, John alone has the account of the washing of the disciples’ feet during the Lord’s Supper.  It is, in many ways, John’s reflection upon the meaning of Holy Communion, for the foot-washing, like Communion, points to the work of the Cross.

Most scholars understand this action from Jesus to be one of incredibly humble service.  He, their Lord and Teacher, was not being served by them, but was instead serving them.  It was a shocking act of service.  It was not only humble, but scandalously so.  Just like the Cross.
But it, like the Cross, is also meant to be a pattern for our lives.

We are to be feet washing folks.  We are to seek not to be served, but to serve.  Not to get, but to give.

Think of how this foot-washing mentality can change relationships.  When our first thought in a relationship is not “what will I get,” but “what can I give,” things change!

So what does foot-washing look like in everyday life?  It can be any act of service!  It can be letting a car squeeze in in traffic.  It can be giving someone a surprise treat.  It can be listening well.  It can be keep our mouths shut.  It can be a touch, a smile, or a kind word.  It can be helping someone in need.  And on and on.

Being feet washing folks means that we live to bless others.

But it isn’t always easy.  Sometimes we feel like our “tanks” are running on empty.  So what then?  How do we wash feet when we or on fumes?  The answer is simple: stay close to Jesus.  We don’t do it in our own strength, but by His grace.

As we stay close to Him, He will give us what we need to wash feet.  As we keep ourselves close to Jesus, His love flows through us as we serve and bless those around us.