This morning in my devotions, I was brought to the Gospel of John 13:1-17 when Jesus washed his disciples feet. John 13:14 & 15 specifically spoke to me this morning.
"14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you."
I started thinking about foot washing which was a custom back in the day of Jesus. Something we don't practice thanks to shoes (well unless you wear flip flops and sandals) ... It was necessary back then and was a demeaning task meant for the servant in the household. Washing mud, dirt, manure off of the feet of the guests. It was a dirty job and someone had to do it. As I read this and think about Jesus, master, teacher, claims to be the King of Kings and the one to save the world humbles Himself and becomes a servant and washes smelly, stinky feet.
I started thinking about what Jesus said in these two verses ... how are we doing at washing others feet? Are we willing to be a servant to those in society who are stinky and dirty? I think specifically of the homeless you can't get more stinky or dirty than someone who lives on the streets! How often do we turn people away because they are not like us? Their lives are smelly because of sin.
As I read this passage, I thought about an experience I had on Sunday afternoon. I'm sure if you've been keeping up, you know my little friend, Mary at the shelter. I had promised to take her to lunch since I wasn't able to serve with We Care that Sunday. So I arrive at the shelter to see if she still wanted lunch. She thought about it and then she asked me where we were going, I asked where she wanted to go, she shrugged. I asked if she liked hamburgers and she nodded. So I thought of either McDonald's or Wendy's ... so I told her what I was thinking. She then said that she didn't want to go inside because her hair didn't look good and she didn't have regular shoes. I told her that would be fine. So off to the Wendy's in the Ohio City neighborhood in Cleveland we went. I went in and ordered and we sat in the car. It was a quiet afternoon, Mary, again didn't talk but I would look over and notice a smile on her face.
Mary doesn't wear normal shoes due to diabetic feet, her breath stinks (yours would too if you don't have resources for proper hygiene) and she is as skinny as a rail. No family, not sure what her past is, but one that society would consider a stinky outcast. One whom Jesus would touch and wash her feet.
As we think about the events leading up to Sunday, let us remember that Jesus did this for ALL ... whether we know we need it or not ... the rich the poor, the clean, the dirty. We have all had a stinky past and stinky lives ... some more stinky than others ... we don't deserve what Jesus did for us, but He did it anyhow. We choose to accept His gift and we now need to share it with others.
Micheal Card's song the Basin and The Towel says
"And the call is to community,
The impoverished power that sets the soul free.
In humility, to take the vow,
that day after day we must take up the basin and the towel."
I challenge you today to wash some stinky feet today!
"To wash the feet of a brother or sister in Christ, to allow someone to wash our feet, is a sign that together we want to follow Jesus, to take the downward path, to find Jesus' presence in the poor and the weak." Jean Vanier, founder of the L'Arche communities
In Him,
Becky
Original post on April 21, 2011 at 8:02am as note on Becky Phillip's Facebook page.
