- John 13:5 - After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
- John 13:6 - Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
- John 13:7 - Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
- John 13:8 - Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
- John 13:9 - Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
- John 13:10 - Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
- John 13:11 - For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.
- John 13:12 - So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?
- John 13:13 - Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
- John 13:14 - If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.
- John 13:15 - For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
- John 13:16 - Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
- John 13:17 - If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.
- Mark 9:34 - But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.
- Mark 9:35 - And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.
Sometimes we need a wake-up call to help us see who we really are. When Jesus began to wash the disciples' feet, they must have felt uneasy, especially since they had recently been arguing about which of them was the greatest. As we noted a few days ago, foot washing was the task of the lowest servant in the house. But because the Last Supper was held in a rented room, there was likely no servant there to do the job. None of the disciples felt it was beneath them to do this, so their feet remained dirty. Finally, Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, humbled Himself and served those who should have been serving Him. After three years of teaching His disciples about humility and demonstrating it with His own life, Jesus showed them this lesson more clearly through a towel and a basin of water. If we want to follow Jesus' example of service, a good start is to pray and ask God to help us see the sinful attitudes hidden in our hearts. Then, instead of feeling ashamed, we can respond with gratitude, because the Lord is inviting us to grow. When we confess what He shows us and ask for His help to change, we will realize that humility is not thinking less of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves less. In other words, humility is seeing who God is and living in the light of His greatness, not our own.
Reflection
What mindset or pride in your heart is hindering you from demonstrating the humility that Jesus showed?
