Jesus displayed this essential attribute of humility to His disciples in a very vivid way. We can read the full account in John 13, but in short, Jesus was fellowshipping with His disciples at the table then He got up, left his place at the head of the table, laid aside His outer garments and clothed Himself with a towel, taking on the form of a servant. Imagine the Lord of Heaven clothed in a servant’s towel!
And this was just a little picture of what Christ has already done. In the beginning, Jesus was fellowshipping in Heaven with His Father, then He laid aside His glory and humbled Himself by coming down to us, wrapped in a human body.
Then Jesus astounded his disciples by washing their dirty feet with the towel wrapped around His waist. The disciples were shocked! It seemed too much to take in, that their Lord would humble Himself in this way. That the holy Lord, the pure and spotless Lamb of God, was willing to get dirty to make them clean. What humility! What love!
Dear friend, just as Jesus cleansed the disciples’ feet, He would soon wash them (and us), becoming filthy with their (and our) sins on the cross, to make us all holy and righteous. The pure and innocent One would purposefully become defiled and dirty, to cleanse the ones He loves.
Finally, Jesus returned to His place at the table of fellowship, having cleansed the feet of His disciples. Again, the picture is clear: having made atonement for our sins Jesus would soon rise from the dead and return to the Father. “After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3b).
This story is so impacting to me. The Lord of glory washing dirty feet! And these were truly dirty feet that the disciples had; this wasn’t some symbolic act that Jesus was doing. At that time, men wore sandals or walked barefoot on dirty roads which would have been littered with animal waste and other unpleasantness. Foot washing was usually the job of the lowest servant in the household.
Today, we might not need our feet washed, but we certainly need to be washed and cleansed from our sin and the filth of this world.
Question 4. How does Jesus humbling Himself to the point of washing you clean through His death on the cross affect your heart? Please share.
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As we appreciate the humility of and rejoice in the love of Jesus, let us remember the closing words Jesus spoke to the disciples in John 13:13-15, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.”
Jesus said that He had given His disciples an example. We, too, should follow Christ in humility by:
Washing at the cross, communicating it in word and deed. There is no cleansing apart from Christ and His death; if we would see our spouse walking in purity, then we must bring them to the place of cleansing—the cross of Christ.
Meeting the need of the one who is “dirty.” The disciples had dirty feet, so Jesus humbled himself to that service, and we should adapt our ministry to the need at hand.
My husband did not need his physical feet washed, but he had other needs. I began to minister to him by spending time with him doing the things he enjoys, trying to say “Yes” to him whenever possible. Doing this was sometimes inconvenient for me but always helpful to our marriage. I sought to make our home a refuge from the world and to engage my husband’s body, mind, and spirit.
It wasn’t easy; but having the humble mind of Christ which says, “I will serve you and help to bring about cleanliness, purity, love, and joy in your life. I will lower myself so that you might benefit” is a fruitful and blessed way of life.
Question 5. How can you follow Jesus’ example and minister to your spouse today? Please share.
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May the humility of your Savior who did not cling to His equality with the Father but humbled Himself willingly to become your atoning sacrifice enable the same attitude in your heart.