Once every two years, my family would travel from Saudi to India on our annual vacation. We would usually travel around June – the beginning of the monsoon season. In Saudi Arabia, since the weather is so extreme, we usually hopped from one air-conditioned mall to another when we went out. It was only when we came to India that I had experiences that directly correlated to the weather. Since it is always either hot or wet in the place we are from in India, wearing shoes was not an option for me. I pranced around in flip-flops the whole month. However, as soon as we came home, my mother’s first words to me would be to go and wash my feet. The dust and humidity meant my feet were invariably soiled – even if I had been out only for a short while.
In Jesus’ time, people didn’t go around wearing shoes. Whoever could afford to buy footwear wore sandals – the rest went barefoot. Since walking was the primary mode of transportation, the feet got very dirty by the time people reached their destination. Therefore, a tradition was formed – the feet of a guest would always be washed by the servant of the host. This was performed as an act of service and hospitality. However, not many servants volunteered for that job and only the lowliest of them were made to do it.
This puts into context the words found in John 13: 3-5 “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 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.“
It is difficult for us to understand the depth of the disciples’ emotions of confusion, reluctance, and indignation in our present-day culture. I myself find it difficult to wrap my head around it despite coming from a culture that considers it extremely disrespectful to even show the soles of your feet to an older person. Consequently, younger people who are sensitive to cultural demands, do not cross their legs in the presence of an older person. In light of this, the disciples witnessing the man they believe to be the Messiah kneel before each one of them and take their feet into His hands to clean them taught them something they could never forget. It sent them a powerful message that if Jesus could wash the feet of his disciples, nothing could be considered beneath them when it came to performing undesirable tasks for others.
So how do we put this into practice in our day-to-day lives? I’ve been to a couple of churches where they take this quite literally and set apart time during the service to wash one another’s feet. I personally don’t believe this is what Jesus meant for us to do. His expression of absolute humility isn’t merely limited to washing feet – it is an attitude of absolute surrender to the will of God where we minister to others in ways that might seem unpleasant to us. This kind of heart can only be developed as we walk with God and learn to die to ourselves on a daily basis. The best place to start is always at home. In the words of Martin Luther, ‘The Christian is supposed to love his neighbor, and since his wife is his nearest neighbor, she should be his deepest love’.
In all honesty, this is an area I struggle in – especially at home. Although I enjoy doing things that I know will make my husband happy, I tend to expect him to acknowledge it and appreciate me. When something I do goes unnoticed by him, it affects my mood and I drop hints until he gets the point. However, this is not the attitude of a humble helper. In Luke 17:10 we read, “In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.‘”
True humility serves without expecting to be served in return. As a young mother, I do this all day, every day. I wash dirty bottoms, feed them three times a day, wipe runny noses, and clean up after them without expecting anything in return. However, I am unable to do the same for my husband. Why? Simply because I know he is capable of reciprocating the “favor”. God’s standard, on the other hand, is found in Luke 6:35 “But love [even] your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.“
Keeping this in mind, we would be wise to ask God for an attitude that enables us to shift the focus from our need for constant attention and instead, serve others in ways that often go unnoticed. When we develop in this attitude of service, we will begin to “work at it with all our heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, it is the Lord Christ we are serving” (Colossians 3:23). We will begin to look for ways in which we can be of help to someone in need. The problems that others face will no longer go unnoticed by us since we are on the lookout for an opportunity to manifest the love of God by being of service to them.
Therefore, it isn’t enough to respond to every problem just by saying: “I will pray for you”. Sure, prayer works wonders and is the most important thing we can do to bring change. But if there is anything – absolutely anything we can do to contribute to the solution in some manner, we ought to be willing and eager to do it. Philippians 2: 3 exhorts, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” When this becomes a reality in our lives, we will cease judging or condemning other people because we live in constant awareness of the fact that we’ve got dirty feet too.
What a powerful example Jesus has given us to follow! He chose to love His disciples despite knowing that Peter would deny Him, Judas would betray Him and Thomas would doubt Him. He chose to serve them despite knowing that they would all desert him in a couple of hours in the garden of Gethsemane. It is one thing for us to love people – unaware of who they are on the inside. It is another thing entirely for God to love us – given that He knows the inclination of our hearts and the purity of our intentions. Being children of the God of love, we ought to strive to “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3).
So the next time we debate about having to help or be kind to someone, let us remember those flip-flops. Jesus, the King of kings, and the Lord of Lords washed the feet of His disciples. Let us strive to be worthy servants who are sent to serve others in any manner of His choosing – equipped from before the foundation of the world to honor and glorify Him (Ephesians 2: 10).
2 comments
Not just hearing others problem nd say “I will pray” rather if possible do or share something which we can do for them is very important…It just touched me..gud Eva…
[…] Lord cared for His flock in the way that one act of kindness did. The Lord impressed upon my heart the need to be present for the people in need around me. It needn’t always be a grandiose display of extravagant […]
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