When [Jesus] had finished washing their feet, He put on His clothes and returned to His place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?”’ He asked them (John 13:12).

Joy, my previous pastor's wife, volunteered every two weeks to clean an elderly woman’s home. “How nice,” you might be thinking. Let me clarify. This woman’s grown, morbidly obese son who could barely walk to the mailbox also lived with her. A hoarder, his “collections” made cleaning difficult. Furthermore, his open leg wounds made the home smell bad, and you can only imagine what his bathroom looked like. What do you think of Joy now? Do the words gracious and humble even come close? Joy may have viewed cleaning as a housekeeper’s job, but she labored anyway out of love for her Savior and love for His people. 

Joy was doing precisely what Jesus had told His disciples: “you should do as I have done for you” (v.15). The disciples, who viewed foot-washing as a slave’s job, actively resisted Jesus performing this for them. Think how you would react if Pastors Alex or Jaime came to your homes to collect the trash? You’d resist, probably quite actively. It’s hard to let friends, work colleagues, teachers, or bosses be servants to us. Our self-reliance pridefully asserts, “I can manage.”

Wasn’t Jesus, however, providing a critical example to the disciples of what would be expected of them in their ministry: serving others when it is uncomfortable, demeaning even? Jesus’ self-humiliation is a vivid portrayal of the contrast between His greatness (just read v.3!) and the menial foot-washing task he undertook. Joy - remember, she’s a pastor’s wife who could reasonably expect someone else would step up - would never say she was great, but what she did was menial. She chose to serve, however, as Jesus chose to serve others. Jesus tells the disciples they “will be blessed” if they follow this example (v.17). Joy experienced that blessing first-hand. In fact, when asked if she would like help, she politely declined.

A final point: think of what Joy had to get close to, to humble herself toward, in order to clean. The disciples’ feet were filthy. Jesus had to come close to wash them. Do we humbly allow Jesus close to our “dirty feet”? Do we humbly submit to His cleansing (including cleansing of our pride) so we can be clean vessels for Him, to serve others? If we haven’t allowed Jesus in close, if we haven’t let Him - out of love - wash off the “dirt,” what we set out to do for others won’t be Christ-like service, and it certainly won’t be humility. 

What shift might these foot-washing scriptures be urging for you? A shift toward letting others help you even if you feel perfectly capable? A shift toward taking on a task you feel “beneath” you? Maybe it’s a shift toward letting Jesus come this close, toward realizing He does need to cleanse some “dirty” area.