A Neglected Blessing
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? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 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. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. John 13:12-17.
One of the more curious aspects of the history of the church is that most religious bodies and Christians have placed a huge emphasis on that aspect of the Last Supper that deals with the bread and the wine but have almost totally neglected foot washing. Yet Christ commands both.
There are probably good reasons for that. After all, the death of Christ and His shed blood are central to what Christianity is all about. As a result, the broken bread representing Christ's body and the wine symbolizing His shed blood deserve an important place in Christianity.
But there is something else of importance in Jesus' teaching and example. That is the need for His followers to be spiritually ready to partake of the Communion symbols. Just as Jesus' first disciples needed to humble up and examine their hearts before eating the Communion meal, so likewise modern disciples must prepare their hearts and minds for the experience.
However, most of us moderns don’t like the idea of washing someone else's feet any more than Peter did. I still remember the first time I attended a church that practiced foot washing. My whole mind and being rebelled against it. Yet I have discovered it to be a real blessing. I have found it to be not only an occasion of service to another person, but also an opportunity to confess my wrongs and shortcomings to both God and other people.
We all as humans have pride and we all have offended others in our families and in the church. The foot-washing experience is a time to humble up and to follow the example of our Lord. It is a time of spiritual renewal, a time to find others whom we have wronged, a time to make peace with them and our Lord. In short, it is a season of spiritual renewal, symbolized by a mini-baptism. Most important, it prepares us to sit at the Lord's table both in heart and mind as a healed community of sinners who have messed up our feet in the journey of life.
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? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 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. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. John 13:12-17.
One of the more curious aspects of the history of the church is that most religious bodies and Christians have placed a huge emphasis on that aspect of the Last Supper that deals with the bread and the wine but have almost totally neglected foot washing. Yet Christ commands both.
There are probably good reasons for that. After all, the death of Christ and His shed blood are central to what Christianity is all about. As a result, the broken bread representing Christ's body and the wine symbolizing His shed blood deserve an important place in Christianity.
But there is something else of importance in Jesus' teaching and example. That is the need for His followers to be spiritually ready to partake of the Communion symbols. Just as Jesus' first disciples needed to humble up and examine their hearts before eating the Communion meal, so likewise modern disciples must prepare their hearts and minds for the experience.
However, most of us moderns don’t like the idea of washing someone else's feet any more than Peter did. I still remember the first time I attended a church that practiced foot washing. My whole mind and being rebelled against it. Yet I have discovered it to be a real blessing. I have found it to be not only an occasion of service to another person, but also an opportunity to confess my wrongs and shortcomings to both God and other people.
We all as humans have pride and we all have offended others in our families and in the church. The foot-washing experience is a time to humble up and to follow the example of our Lord. It is a time of spiritual renewal, a time to find others whom we have wronged, a time to make peace with them and our Lord. In short, it is a season of spiritual renewal, symbolized by a mini-baptism. Most important, it prepares us to sit at the Lord's table both in heart and mind as a healed community of sinners who have messed up our feet in the journey of life.
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