We are in the Lenten season, a time of reflection and preparation as the celebration of Easter draws near. As we follow the life of Jesus, especially the last few weeks, we see Him living out the statement He made in Mark 10:45, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." He served not only His disciples, but anyone who came to Him for healing, direction and salvation.
As Jesus is sharing the last meal with His disciples He does a most humble thing, He washes their feet. John 13:5 describes this humble event, "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."
The one who is greater than all was gladly washing the feet of another. To some this may not be a big deal, but to someone who has washed a good number of feet as an aide and a nurse, it is. The disciples' feet were probably not nice and clean like ours. They walked dusty or muddy roads in sandals, so I am guessing they were pretty dirty. Christ takes their dirty feet and washes them, cleanses them. He was demonstrating how the disciples were to serve just as He was serving them. "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." John 13:14-15.
Jesus, our Savior, humbled Himself to do a servant's job. He didn't claim He was too good to do the task, or think it beneath Him. He set an example for the disciples and for us. If our Savior was willing to wash others' feet, then we must do the same. We must adopt a servant attitude just as Jesus instructed the disciples to do..
Have you ever avoided doing something because you thought it wasn't your job or thought you were too important to do it? Maybe it was emptying the trash in your office or cleaning up a spill in the hallway at school? It might have been cleaning up after a church function or even taking your trash to the receptacles at a sporting event? No job or task should be too small, unimportant or disgusting for us to do. We are here to serve and share with others, to show love and compassion in whatever way is needed just as Christ did.
Christ never balked at serving others. He didn't hesitate to heal the lepers, wash dirty feet, or feed the masses and neither should we. Christ shows us how and expects us to be a servant to those around us. As we are in a season of reflection and preparation, think of your service to others. Do you have a servant attitude, do you see a job and do it no matter how dirty or disgusting it may be? How can you prepare yourself to have the servant Christ desires? Reading the Gospels is a good place to start.
What can you do today to serve someone? It may be as simple as helping someone put groceries in their car, doing a load of laundry for a neighbor or mowing an elderly person's yard. No task is too menial to show others the love of Christ and set an example for them.
Jodi Hendricks is a longtime member of Farmington United Methodist Church. She teaches adult and youth Bible classes. The opinions expressed are those of the author.