Yuck, A Basin, And A Man!

 So Jesus got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.

John 13:4-5

 

Have you ever wondered why foot washing was such a big deal?  Think about this, during Jesus' time, sandals were the fashion footwear.  In fact, sandals were pretty much all one had to wear unless they were extremely wealthy.  Most people simply went barefoot.  

 

Now....keeping that in mind, you would be sharing the streets with animals (because there were no "Critter Only Lanes" during this time).  And animals aren't exactly thoughtful as to where they do their business.  Also, don't forget that farmers would be taking their produce to market, so if they discovered some that was rotten, they would simply drop it in the roadway. Not to mention there were no rest areas along the Roman roads like we have now.  So let's just agree that lots of compostables were in the roadway to be stepped on as people walked to their destinations. 

 

Thus, washing of the feet was a necessity and a courtesy when entering a dwelling.  But because it was such an unsanitary task, who would do it?  Well, only the lowest of the servants would have such a task, they would be Nose-to-Toes with the road slime washing it away with their hands and a towel.  I don't know about you, but I have smelled some pretty foul things (and people), but that didn't make me want to touch them, much less wash them up close and personally.   

 

Consider the fact that Jesus, the ONLY Son of God our Creator, not only came into this world via a barn, but made Himself so low that He went Nose-to-Toes with the feet of the Disciples to show them that NO task was beneath them.  The same hands that healed the sick, fed the hungry, wiped away tears, lifted an adulterous woman into forgiveness, now held the nasty feet of the Disciples so they would be clean.

 

I'll be honest, not much impresses me less than seeing some high and mighty figure pretend "humility" by washing someone's relatively sanitized feet for the camera and for free publicity.  They forget that Jesus washed the Disciple's feet in the privacy of the upper room, and there was no fanfare, there were no camera crews filming it, no one posted it to FaceBook, not a single Tweet was sent about it!  

 

No, Jesus simply got up, disrobed, wrapped a towel around His waist, and started washing. If we "minister" to others simply for the politics or the publicity...it's not true ministry!  It's not true caring!  It's nothing but a LIE!

 

We are called to minister to others, not to be seen, but to reflect Christ within us.