Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet
5Then He poured* water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6So He came* to Simon Peter. He said* to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” 7Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” 8Peter said* to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” 9Simon Peter said* to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” 10Jesus said* to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”
12So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13“You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. 14“If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15“For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. 16“Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. 17“If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
After thinking on this and thinking on this…I know the “christian” answers..but the questions are still unsettled in my mind…My King was a servant and set the example for us, the reminder that we will not be greater than our Master. A blessing for those who see the example and do it.
I just came home from listening to an amazing woman speak about the Persecuted church, and how the Voice of the Martys are traveling into remote areas of the world, behind communist lines, into radical Islam to encourage the believers who have lost their life to save it…in one of those places someone washed her feet and cleaned her up from her hard travel to get there. I saw the tears in her eyes and the tremble in her voice…she came to bless them, they blessed her.
We, the body of Christ, in Western Culture have to take this to heart. We need to stop looking like we are above what our sisters and brothers in Christ are facing daily, and find a way to wash their feet. In what ever means we have. Quoting the speaker…”This is not a social issue, this is a family issue”. How are we serving each other? How are we being a picture of Jesus right where we are?
Our King crawled on the floor, and washed the disciples feet, HE was a servant and a King…HE is a beautiful
(BTW-Don’t forget to check out Carl’s post that goes up today too, and the calendar that shows when the rest of the group will be posting…join us!
ponderings of a princess... 
That was a POWERFUL presentation. It is truly amazing what some of the Christians in these countries are going through while we sit back in our comfort zone.
A lot to think about and pray about.
Thanks Darla. In our comfortable culture, I often wonder if, by being sheltered from persecution, we have forgotten how to crawl on the floor for each other…
I do believe it will be us one of these days. This glimpse into heaven lets us know it will continue until all who will be persecuted, have been.
Now when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been violently killed because of the word of God and because of the testimony they had given. They cried out with a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Master, holy and true, before you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?” Each of them was given a long white robe and they were told to rest for a little longer, until the full number was reached of both their fellow servants and their brothers who were going to be killed just as they had been. ~Revelation 6:9-11
We need to be serving one another. We need to be moved to reach.
Thanks, Darla. We need to be moved out of our complacency.
Thanks Darla for this wonderful picture of Jesus as our Servant King, and the reminder to look for ways to serve others following after His example. Needed this today. ♥ you.
Praise(hubs)- you are right alot to think and pray about!
Ric- we are so comfortable that we forget we have sisters and brothers losing their lives for Christ, and sadly we struggle with doing the right thing and it costs us nothing…this is a heavy heart thing today. Love ya bro
Michelle- I believe HE is coming soon, and this is the path we need to go down…maybe not us, but mostly our children, hope we taught them well.
Birgit- always delightful to see your face on my blog! I am taken in by the beauty of a servant King…just beautiful!
Amen! The power of the image of our Lord washing His disciple’s filth encrsuted feet is overwhelming for us. Especially in light of our selfish hearts.
Joe- “in light of our selfish hearts” Amen..you nailed it..that is the problem.. now I need to work on it 😐
Wonderful post Darla.
God has been speaking to me about these very things. I am comfortable. Complacent at times. I don’t like it. I have recently prayed that God will ignite a passion in me. I need to re-pray. I need to pray that He will ignite a passion and fire within me to serve others…..wherever that may be and however that may look. Out of my comfort zone.
Love you!
Thanks for the encouragment and challenge.
Darla: There are way too many times that I do not portray the servant that God intended me to be…I get in the way…
I don’t ever want to get comfortable…there are those that look at the trials and things I go through say, “Wow, what are you doing wrong”….I look back at them and say “No, I’m doing something right to the degree that God can use me” We have become way too complacent in our walk…..when we ask Him to use us at our full capacity, and really become servants, we need to expect and endure a few “soul-quakes” before the dust settles…Thank you for this…
Darla,
Hey RYC on my site and the video not working. I tried it and it worked fine for me. Try it again and if it does not work here is the direct link:
Hope you can see it because it is pretty funny.
Oh hi Darla. I inadvertantly am meeting you because I just embarassed myself over on Deborah’s blog by calling her your name. SO EMBARASSING. All I have to say is you both must be very cool. So glad to have found you. I will be back to visit, for sure.
Blessings,
Roxanne (Roxx)
PS: Incredible post. Went to my bones. Cant comment on it because am sneaking in between boiling soup and homework help.
Heather- you are the sweetest thing! I love visiting your blog, and the air guitar you always let me play when I am there…love you Princess!
Debs- ( or should I call you Dar? just asking…) i struggle with complacency, when thinking my KING washed some skanky feet, I need to lower some of my standards and in a hurry…can you say..Conviced?? yup that’s me! love you
DaRonn- thanks for the link it worked when I tried again….and too funny..left you a comment on it..
Rox- I am sure Debs is fine with that, I tease her, but I love her, and it was just funny because it was the second time in a week. Are we cool? 😆 I don’t know about all that…you could ask my kids, and they would probably laugh after they looked at you like this 😯
Deb- 😆 convicted not conviced….WHA…i am blaming my spelling today on idenity crisis…
The best part of my day home today…
Dawn had a list of stuff she needed to get done when she got home from work today. Well she didn’t have to do any of it but give Em a shower… Now I get to watch her relax….
I need to be more and more like my Master and find the ways to serve my family more often.
Leading from the basin is not easy in this world that tells you power is everything.
Peace and love sis.
We’re totally cool. This is what I learned tonight: Deb + Dar, Dar + Deb, either way = sheer coolness!!! Can I put you on my link list?
Blessings,
Roxx
Hey there Deborah. I’m a little late finding your comment and dishing out the favor to you. That’s so funny that Roxanne got your names mixed up too! Hilarious! I’m glad I finally got this straight because … well, Deb, I really do think your name fits you perfectly. I’m sure I won’t mix up any names in the future. maybe.
Oh, and your post? Fantastic. I haven’t written yet … but somehow I think I may post on the same topic. As did Carl. We’ll see. 🙂 Luv ya, Deborah!!
I am a little familuar with the Voice of the mathys and I have always thought of them as the real missionaries in the body of Christ.
On a side note the washing feet thing in Jesus time was a complicated thing. The roads were dusty and everyone wore sandels. Can you imagine the ammount of dirt on their feet?
Also the passage you referred to the disciples forgot to hire a servant for the feet washing which was the custom. While they were arguing about who dropped the ball Jesus took the towel and basin and washed their feet. What a great example of servanthood. He did not consider it below Him to wash their feet. Cool.
Roxx- sure add me to your list.. 🙂 but now we confused Annie further…
Annie- sorry,,I am Darla but I still love ya! 🙂
ck-thats awesome how you take your responsibilty seriously with your family, I have a hubs like that too! very sweet!!
DaRonn- This part of scripture has always amazed and touched my heart, Jesus knew what was coming for HIM, and yet HE was kind and served HIS disciples.
Good study and insights.
Serving is a difficult profession in our society for a number of reasons: independence, class distinctions, and self-sufficiency.
There’s not room here togo into all that, but, if you are interested, there is a treatment of those concepts at
http://practicalbibleteaching.wordpress.com/
We absolutely MUST learn what it is to be a servant, if we are to experience the fulness of the Lord’s blessing in our lives.
Dale
Darls, that was all on purpose!! Just sharin’ the love! If I may jog your memory …
It was such a great invitation that I couldn’t resist. 😉
I thought that…LOL but then on Joes I saw you mention my comment and it wasn’t me…it was dream girl..LOL ANNIE I love you! you do make me smile and your heart for Jesus is beautiful!!!!!
Oh my goodness, did I? I think I’ll have to triple check the names from now on. 😳
I had a great idea. I left it over at Joes.
What do you think? 😉
😆
I don’t know the Christian answers to this.
Translating it into modern day management speak though it seems to me as if Jesus is acting as the leader to his subordinates. A leader’s role is not only to lead those under his (or her) command but also to provide for them all that they need to do their jobs. If you turn a typical organisation chart (a hierarchy with director at the top and workers at the bottom) on it’s head you have all the leaders at different levels who are working solely to provide those people at the front end with the tools that they need.
In effect Jesus is saying that the role of a leader is to serve others and not to be served. The feet washing is symbolic. Quite how “you also ought to wash one another’s feet” fits into that I’m not sure. Perhaps he envisioned a society where everyone serves everyone else equally. A society with no hierarchies but a flat structure.
From a business point of view flat structured organisations are often the preserve of highly creative or radical thinkers. IT or design firms often make use of them and are very dynamic as a result. You have to have a lot of trust in everyone else’s abilities though as the usual checks and balances of hierarchical responsibility is absent.
How’d I do? Is it close enough?
http://tominthebox.blogspot.com/2007/07/foot-washing-baptist-say-weve-got-to.html
Hover, you know you are very close! I do see Jesus as radical, and doing things not like we do them at all, but when I try to do things HIS way, it works! Love hearing from you, your frog loving sister..LOL