"It's Not My Job"

John 13

"When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them,“Do you understand what I have done to you?"John 13:12


Do you understand?

I'm not completely sure that I do. I don't think it's entirely about washing feet. The kind of service He demonstrated among His disciples was to be a way of life for His followers, not a religious ritual for them to observe. I didn't live in first century Judea, but let me take my best stab at what's going on here. Jesus was meeting a very really and practical need for His disciples.

Life then wasn't as it is now. By what we gather, these men weren't driving around in their personal automobiles or taking the bus. They walked pretty much everywhere. Even if they had bathed recently, their feet would typically be rather dirty. Imagine if you can, not only the Passover feast, but any gathering where you have dirty sweaty stinky exposed feet. Foot washing was normally the kind of thing that would have been done by a household servant.

Jesus did this in spite of the fact that He was their Teacher and Lord. The King of the Universe bent down to wash the feet of these grown men, one of whom He knew would soon betray Him. He tells us quite plainly that He did so in order to give us an example to follow.

So much about life is about us. With His example in mind, if we even consider ourselves to be one of His, we can't live as if we are the center of the universe. That's why I don't get it when people think that if they get right with God that it will eventually make this life better for them. I've had those thoughts myself, so maybe I do get it just a little bit. Yet if we look not only here, but the very pattern of his life - we aren't following a Person with a big bank account and an easy lifestyle who spent winters in Florida. He generously offered His life consistently and even in these final hours to other people. So if you're reading my writings and maybe thinking of starting at a church hoping that God will get you a girl or make your issues go away, then look again.

As we gain authority or position in life, it can be tempting to think that we no longer need to do those dirty little jobs. We really don't wash feet any more, but what about when you see trash in your workplace? Is it someone else's job? Even if there is a person hired for that purpose, would it be beneath you to stoop down and pick it up? None of us are too good to do anything. We never become so valuable that the needs of those around us cease to be our obligation. Jesus the Teacher, Jesus as Lord, the Judge of both the living and the dead; wrapped a towel around Himself and bent down to do the filthiest job at hand.

I guess if you don't want to follow Jesus, then you're free to live for yourself and have as much fun as you can before you die. Even so....Isn't there something right about Jesus?