In Jesus' time, foot washing was a common practice. People wore sandals, and their feet would often become dirty from traveling dusty roads and paths. Upon entering a house, the first order of business was the washing of feet. If a person were wealthy enough to have a servant, his servant would wash his feet and the feet of visiting guests.
By washing His disciples' feet, Jesus was doing what an ordinary servant would do. What made His act so extraordinary is that He was their Lord and Teacher. In their society (and ours) no one of any stature would stoop to such a lowly level of servanthood. But Jesus wanted to demonstrate to them what true greatness was in God's eyes. In God's kingdom, the greatest person is the one who serves others. Jesus, of course, is the greatest servant there ever was---He gave His life for us all.
If Jesus visited you and wanted to teach the same lesson, He probably wouldn't wash your feet, but would do something more culturally relevant. He would perform some equivalent lowly and undesirable task to demonstrate true servanthood. Perhaps He would wash out your garbage cans or clean your toilet. If He was visiting your church on Sunday, He might work in the nursery, changing diapers. Then He would say, "I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you" (John 13:15). God wants His children to serve each other in practical ways. The question is: Are we?
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David Servant ( - )
David Servant is the Founder of Heavens Family, helping the least of these world-wide. David Servant has been serving in ministry since 1979 as a church-planter, pastor, teacher and missionary. When David Servant read the results of his high-school vocational aptitude test, he laughed. The results told him that he was best suited for a career in ministry or in entertainment. At the time, David's future goal was to live in a log cabin in the wilderness and live off the land for the rest of his life. The Lord, however, had different plans for David Servant. God didn't intend for him to run away from the world, but rather to play a part in changing the world by building God's kingdom. David received his call to ministry during his (reluctant) freshman year at Penn State, and one year later was enrolled in Bible School.David Servant is the author of eight books, including Forever Rich, and the The Disciple-Making Minister, a 500-page equipping manual that has been translated into more than 20 languages and is being distributed to tens of thousands of pastors.