Washing my feet is not one of my favorite jobs; however, I
do it because I don’t want stinky feet! Washing another person’s feet is
definitely out; at least that has been my thinking. Just this month, a group of
faithful folk from Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY partnered up
with Samaritan’s Feet and visited one of our campuses.
Samaritan’s Feet is an organization that I just learned
about. Samaritan’s Feet shares hope with children in the U.S. and around the
world by washing their feet, giving them a new pair of shoes, and helping to
instill a belief that their dreams can come true. Samaritan’s Feet believes
that a new pair of shoes can be a tangible foundation of hope to a person in need.
The children lined up and a volunteer from Southeast
Christian called them forward. One by
one, each child’s feet were washed, dried, prayed over and then given a new
pair of tennis shoes. Clean feet and new shoes to travel down the road to
health, healing and hope!
The images from their visited are seared into my mind. I
felt a need to revisit this act as described in the Old Testament and later in
the Gospels of the New Testament.
The Old Testament references (Genesis 18:4; 19:2: 24:32;
43:24; Judges 19:21; 1 Samuel 25:41; 2 Samuel 11:8; Song of Solomon 5:3; Psalms
58:10) show that the washing of the feet was the first act on entering the tent
or house after a journey. The people of the day wore only sandals, and this
washing was refreshing as well as cleanly. In the case of ordinary people, the
host furnished the water and the guests washed their own feet. In the richer houses, the washing was done by
a slave. It was looked upon as the lowliest of all services (1 Samuel 25:41).
In the New Testament, Jesus pointedly contrasts Simon's
neglect of even giving Him water for His feet with the woman's washing His feet
with tears and wiping them with her hair (Luke 7:44). On the last evening of
His life, Jesus washed the disciples' feet (John 13:1-16). Their pride
heightened by the anticipations of a place in the Messianic kingdom whose
crisis they immediately expected, prevented their doing this service for each
other. Jesus, conscious of His divine dignity and against Peter's protest,
performed for them this lowliest service. His act of having the humility of a
slave actually cleansed their hearts of selfish ambition, killed their pride,
and taught them the lesson of love.
Martin Luther once said, When
you read in the gospel or hear it read that Jesus Christ comes here or goest
there, that he heals the sick and raises the dead and forgives sins, you are to
understand that he is coming here, that he is forgiving you and raising you
from the dead, and healing you. In
fact, this is what foot washing does. Christ, who ‘had all’ from the
Father in his hands, became a servant, and invited all of us to have a share
with Him. Jesus says He is “the Lord and Teacher” and He washes the feet
of the disciples, effectively becoming a slave on account of love. He
then says, “Servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers
greater than the one who sent them.” Jesus takes the form of a slave and
washes the feet of others effectively making them his master, but Jesus asks
them to do this to each other which effectively make the disciples the slaves
of all if the feast is kept. Christ’s first act of freedom is to make him
a slave to all. Consequently, Christ then asks his disciples to be slaves
of all as well, today, to your neighbor, to the least of these.
Maybe I need to wash some feet, what about you?
