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Ministry of a Towel and Basin

The Lord's Supper    It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.
John 13:1

Luke 22 records the events of the last night of Jesus' life. He and His disciples were sharing a meal together. Jesus knew that within hours He would be dead. It was a very special night for Him. And yet, look at what happened on that occasion. The disciples got into an argument. Surely this must have broken Jesus' heart. They were bickering among themselves about which one of them was the most important. Peter probably said, "I'm the most important because I once walked on the water with Him." John then tried to one-up him by saying, "Well, I am actually the most important because I am the one who gets to sit right next to Him all the time." Andrew couldn't let that pass, so he jumped in, "You seem to forget, I am the one who introduced all of you to Him in the first place!"

And on and on it went. What did Jesus do to stop the arguing? Did Jesus suddenly stand up and slam his fork down on the table and cry out, "ENOUGH!"? That is probably what most of us would have done. But Jesus didn't do that. What He did do is extraordinary. He washed their feet!

We don't understand this thing about feet in our culture. Remember several years ago, as they were pulling down the statue of Saddam Hussein, the young men in lraq put their feet on the statue's face? In the Mideast culture, feet are repugnant.

Well, right in the middle of this argument about who is the greatest, with all this bickering going on, suddenly Jesus gets up and He takes the towel and basin. He proceeds to kneel down and wash the disciples' feet. lt was an absolutely incredible moment, and it must have stunned them to the core.

I believe that the washing of the disciples' feet is one of the most significant events in the life of Jesus. Until that moment the whole point of things [in the world] had been for someone to get on top, and once he had gotten on top to stay on top or else attempt to get farther up. But here this man already on top - who was rabbi, teacher, master - suddenly got down on the bottom and began to wash the feet of his followers. ln that one act Jesus symbolically overturned the whole social order!

He showed the disciples - and us, what it meant to be a disciple. Earlier Jesus had told them "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:25 - 28).

Have you ever had someone wash your feet?

What would it look like for you to "Take a towel with you" as you go into your home with your family? "Take your towel with you" tomorrow as you go to your place of work, or study or play. "Take your towel with you" as you sit down to share a meal with someone and share the ordinary things of life together. "Take your towel with you" as you drive the streets of your town, when you see the needs of the poor, when you speak with those who live in your neighborhood.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, as your Son showed the full extent of his love by being a servant, help me to follow his example and to "do feet" and serve those you place in my life and path. In Jesus' Name, Amen