Foot washing was a dirty job reserved for the lowest of slaves. People wore sandals in those days and they walked on dusty manure covered roads. Feet were typically putrid and there were not many people who would take on this lowly job. But Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. Now let’s remember the context. Jesus has just spoken about his divinity. He has just said, “When a man looks at me, he sees the one who sent me”. So, when you look at Jesus washing his disciples’ feet you are seeing what Father God does for his children. It is an astonishing glimpse of the love of God for us. John prefixes this account with a word of preparation for the reader because, given the context he has provided, he realises how radical this is. He says: “Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” We sometimes doubt what God would be prepared to do for us. We are all too aware of how unworthy we are and we find it hard to believe that God would want to bother with us. But he does more than ‘bother with us’. He treats us as a parent would care for an infant. He washes us, cleans up our mess, watches over us and dotes on us. This night when Jesus washed Peter’s feet was the same night that he predicted that Peter would deny him three times. Was Peter worthy? No. But here is the extent of God’s love for him and that same love, no less, is given to you in Christ.
Reflect on God’s love for you and praise and thank him.
Read John 13:1-17
