The Holy Saviour Who Bends to Wash Feet
What do we learn from Jesus washing the disciples' feet?
Whenever we think of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, our minds often settle on the noble, humble image it presents us of what it looks like to serve one another. For this reason, many brides and grooms make feet-washing a part of their ceremony, to demonstrate to the onlooking world their mutual, sacrificial love for one another.
This was part of Jesus’ purpose; he saw and heard his disciples arguing over their greatness with one another and, without a word, put a towel around his waist, took a basin in his hand, and bent down to do the work of the lowliest servant of all: cleaning the putrid, calloused feet of those reclining at the table. By this action, Jesus demonstrated one of his pinnacle teachings, one that each of the Synoptic Gospel authors recorded: “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35 ESV; cf. Matt. 20:26; 23:11; Mark 10:43–44; Luke 22:26).
We often view this humble act of Christ through the lens of law—go and do likewise. Which is true—but what if our Saviour had yet another dimension in mind? What if we could also behold the gospel in this act as well? Thomas Goodwin,1 a Puritan who lived from 1600–1680 in England, believed so.
We may proclaim with the body of Christ, “Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow!” Yet as we listen to the pastor preach from the Gospel accounts, a question raps at the corner of our mind. But… could he possibly love you, little you, now that he’s glorified in heaven? That great love he had for his disciples and the ailing people before him—could he really have that kind of love for you?
Thomas Goodwin predicted his people asked the same question, and perhaps his own heart did too at times. In light of this, he wrote The Heart of Christ to show his readers that not only do the Gospel accounts demonstrate Jesus’ love back then, but they testify to his love even once in heaven. One of the passages he used to show this was when Jesus scrubbed the disciples’ feet during the Last Supper in John 13.
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