"So 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? You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right for so I am. If then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.'"
John 13:12-14
The Passover meal was an expected part of the Jewish culture. Preparations were made for Jesus to partake in this celebration in Jerusalem and everything seemed to be going according to plan. But the way that Jesus interacted with his disciples over this Passover meal was anything but ordinary.
Jesus, the Teacher and Lord, humbled himself to wash the dirty feet of his disciples. Imagine along with me for a moment the shock of having the one whom you have been following leaning down and gently cleansing the dust and grime from your tired feet. Slowly wiping the particles of earth from your skin, Jesus looks up at you and you're held for a moment by the intense gaze of his eyes. You feel the cool cloth drying your feet, and his calloused yet gentle hands set your feet back down on the ground.
There is shock at this simple and yet profound act of humility. But there is something else... something more. There is love.
It is the same kind of love that Jesus showed in his incarnation, as the very Word of God became flesh and dwelt among those made by that same Word. It is a condescension, a lowering of self, to identify even with the least of these. This kind of love sees the "Other" as cherished in the eyes of God, and bends to wash away that which would make them "Other" in the first place. For in God's Kingdom there is no longer an "Us" and a "Them."
This humble act of love on Jesus' part teaches us how we are to live out love in our own lives. We remember that we are cherished in Jesus' eyes as he bends to wash our own feet, despite the dust and dirt gathered there. And so we must remember that our neighbor is also cherished in the same way. We are all One in Christ, loving and being loved.
Jesus calls us then to follow his example and wash each other's feet. He calls us to humbly serve, gently washing away the dirt and dust that gathers on our hearts as we travel the roads of life. We become dirty, broken vessels in this journey. We need the well-worn and gentle hands of faithful servants wiping away the grime of life and setting us back down again, renewed in our spirits with hope. So we don't shy away from each other's brokenness. We don't turn our faces from the messiness that we encounter in our interactions with other people. We instead lovingly care for each other's needs.
May Jesus continue to show us how to love like he did. And may he lead us as we gently wash our sisters' and brothers' feet.