"It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12 When he 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. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." -John 13:1-17
Maundy Thursday. The day we remember Jesus' Last Supper with His disciples. The day we remember the example that Jesus set for us: to have a lifestyle of service towards others. Jesus set an example before us and said we would be blessed if we followed suit. Right before his crucifixion and the insurmountable suffering he was about to endure he spends his time serving his followers. How often do we serve others, let alone when we know we are about to suffer? What is even more beautiful in this moment is that Jesus washes the feet of the man he knew was going to betray him.
This passage of Scripture was impacted my life tremendously throughout the past few years. When my wife and I first became friends we led a shoe drive for Haiti that ended with a foot washing service with different small groups on our college campus. Following that semester I worked for the nonprofit YouthWorks where we ended every week of the summer with a foot washing service. These services often resulted in tears being shed and many unexpected signs of grace among the groups. I even got to witness a student, who at the beginning of the week had been antagonistic towards the trip, come up to the other staff to ask if she could wash our feet. It was an eye opening experience. After two wonderful summers of working for YouthWorks I married my best friend and we incorporated foot washing in our ceremony as a way to reflect our decision to have mutual submission and service towards one another. Due to all of this Maundy Thursday has become one of my favorite aspects of Holy Week and is a wonderful reminder of the importance of Communion and serving one another in our daily lives.
"I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them" -Jesus
How can we do these things--find ways to symbolically wash peoples feet--both during this Holy Week and beyond?
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