The full extent of his love ...

“It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 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.”
John 13:1-5

If you were there at the meal, in the room with Jesus, the Messiah, the miracle worker, the Master, think about how you would feel if you saw…

Jesus is getting up from the meal…Should we get up too, does he need help with something, where is he about to go?

Jesus is now taking off his outer clothing…

Jesus just wrapped a towel around his waist…Is he about to clean something? Can I do it before he gets to it? Where is the problem? The master shouldn’t be doing this type of work.

Jesus just poured water into a basin…What’s going on? Isn’t that the basin that they use to wash guests feet when they come into the house? Why is Jesus filling up the basin?

Jesus is washing John’s feet! He is coming for me next…What is he doing? That is a servant’s job. Why are we all sitting here letting him do it? I don’t deserve to let Jesus even touch my filthy feet.

How did you feel as you read each of these happenings? I put in some of the things I would be thinking in that moment. The next thing that Jesus did was to dry their feet with the towel wrapped around him. He lowered himself to the position of a servant. Was that really it? I know that it was more than that. Jesus was practicing service to those he loved. When we serve, what goes through our minds? What goes through our hearts? Service should be an outpouring of our love for God. It is just something that comes so naturally to us, because we have been served by the Master ourselves. He daily washes our feet by forgiving us our sins.

Today, maybe even right now, I want you to grab a towel and just sit there and hold it. Pull it in and out of your fingers and pray to God that he helps you think of ways you can selflessly serve someone in your life today. Think of your wife, husband, children, one of the boys in your care, our office staff, our minister, the principal, and just find a way to serve in secret. Bless their life, by symbolically washing their feet today. I know that for many of us, our job is in itself a life of service. But what would happen if you did something that one of the boys never expected as a way of serving them? What would happen if you husbands did the job in the house that your wife gets so sick of, and you did it secretly? Jesus showed his disciples what the towel was for and challenged them to use it as well. He set that same challenge to us. Happy serving!

Jason