Day 4: Greatness Redefined - The Servant King
Ken Fitzsimmons - [Luke 22:24–27; John 13:1–17]
As I read this passage in John’s gospel again, I was reminded of the Aaronic blessing in Numbers 6:22–27. The significance is that the Hebrew word for “bless” is barak, the root of which means “to kneel.” Imagine that! Here is God saying that He Himself will kneel before us, to serve and honour us. God on His knees right in front of us!
24 The LORD bless you and keep you;
25 the LORD make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.
And if you thought that was just a “nice prayer” from the Bible, here is Jesus, God in the flesh, fulfilling just that for His beloved disciples. He has prepared water to wash their feet, an act normally carried out by a servant girl for visitors to the household—to wash the dirt of the road off their feet and refresh them. He wraps a towel around His own waist, for He will get down on His knees and wash their feet Himself.
Peter protests. “Lord, you can’t be serious. This is a servant’s work.” But Jesus makes it clear that without this, there is no fellowship between them. “Then, wash me all over!” Peter says. “No,” says Jesus. “You are already clean. You don’t get it now, but you will later.” So, Jesus washes their feet—even Judas, the one who isn’t clean. Jesus didn’t exempt him from this grace.
We are already clean because of the blood of the Lamb, the work of the Holy Spirit, and by reading and absorbing the Scriptures. But as we walk through each day, we get soiled by the contamination of the world, and we need to have our feet washed. I recently had a week away dealing with a family issue, and when I came home, I felt soiled and heavy with it all. Jan saw that in me and prayed over me to lift off the “dirt” from where I’d been, and I immediately felt the difference. That’s foot washing.
When we are in fellowship, we wash each other’s feet all the time, sometimes without realising it. It is good to kneel before brothers and sisters to wash their feet. And don’t be too proud to let them do it for you. Keep “a towel around your waist.” You never know when someone will need it.
Response
Think about times when you’ve felt much better after being in fellowship with others—at church, in a small group, or after meeting with a brother or sister whose conversation and/or prayer has lifted a burden off you. Give thanks!
Think about the times when you realise God has “knelt” before you, ministering to you through the Holy Spirit or through the Word. Give thanks!
Do you realise how powerful your fellowship is with others to cleanse them from the dirt of the road they’re traveling? Engage!