Have any of you ever had someone write on your car windows' dust, “Please Wash Me”? The summer months tend to bring out the bugs at night on the road we travel. Don and I will get home from traveling on one of our adventures to present this ministry and the whole front bumper of the Buick will be lined with bug road kill. We haven’t figured out which state is the worst for leaving bug residue on our front bumper. Maybe you could send us your comments on this, if you believe your state could be the winner?So you drive to the car wash and attempt to scrub these nasty little dead bodies (that are sometimes very colorful) from the front end of your car. Where I go sometimes to get the car washed the attendant will spray some hot cleaner on the bumper first and let it soak in. Then he takes the spray wand and puts in on maximum power and two inches away from my bumper and sprays away. It is so intense I don’t know how the paint stays on -- in all rights it should be coming off with the bug debris.
In Jesus’ day, washing people’s feet was relegated to slaves. Since
this was a culture in which everyone walked everywhere on dusty roads and trails (with no $12 wool hiking socks) I am sure that some of these feet looked like the front bumper of the Buick. You could write the words, “Please Wash Me” on both soles of your feet as you removed your sandals. Not only were these feet dirty, but have you ever taken a whiff of your feet after you have walked for a day on a dusty trails with no socks on? The aroma might cause one to pass out or faint from the stench.John 13:4-5 -- “so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” Here was the King of Kings and Lord of Lords performing a
common slave's service -- washing the feet of His followers. Why? The answer comes later on in the chapter: verses 14-17 -- “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” Amen.
Jesus washes feet, we should go and do likewise. As Jesus’ followers, have we come to serve, to wash others' feet? This could be a stinky dirty job, sometimes, unless, of course, we are selective about whose feet we wash. The grime on some feet might take days to remove. Do we have the patience and perseverance to hang in there and keep washing? How many feet have we been washing lately? What kind of feet do we tend to wash?
I got back from a recent trip on the road and was convicted at the church we presented in, that I didn’t do anything like foot washing. I believe I walked in, took off my sandals, propped my dirty feet up, and said, “Okay, you slaves take care of me. Meet my needs.” There was no foot washing on my part. “I am an Assistant Director of a Church Planting organization, don’t you know. I am entitled to be washed." There didn’t seem to be anybody there more important than me (in my own eyes). If there had been, I might have stooped down just a little to do the standard wash. The special wash or deluxe wash would have to be reserved for someone with a bit more esteem and prestige.
Do we do enough foot washing at home? I know I don’t (as my wife reminds me from time to time of how selfish I am). What about the sons and daughters that live with us? Is the prodigal getting washed as often as those that are riding high on doing God’s will? Then there are grandkids, aunts and uncles, your brothers and sisters, our parents and, even the dreaded mother-in-law. The homefront can
I got back from a recent trip on the road and was convicted at the church we presented in, that I didn’t do anything like foot washing. I believe I walked in, took off my sandals, propped my dirty feet up, and said, “Okay, you slaves take care of me. Meet my needs.” There was no foot washing on my part. “I am an Assistant Director of a Church Planting organization, don’t you know. I am entitled to be washed." There didn’t seem to be anybody there more important than me (in my own eyes). If there had been, I might have stooped down just a little to do the standard wash. The special wash or deluxe wash would have to be reserved for someone with a bit more esteem and prestige.
Do we do enough foot washing at home? I know I don’t (as my wife reminds me from time to time of how selfish I am). What about the sons and daughters that live with us? Is the prodigal getting washed as often as those that are riding high on doing God’s will? Then there are grandkids, aunts and uncles, your brothers and sisters, our parents and, even the dreaded mother-in-law. The homefront can
sometimes be more challenging than anyplace, as far as getting those dirty feet clean. A stooping servant's heart is what God demands of us, not a haughty self-serving heart!
Lord, I pray you would help us develop a better attitude about being a foot washers. Help us to take on the bondservant attitude in our hearts so it will carry over into actions in our lives. Instill in us the attitude that this is not about us, it is about your Kingdom, and bringing you honor and glory and praise. Lord bring into our minds whose feet we could wash this week, this month, this year. Help us, Lord, to overcome acedia by stooping down, picking up a sponge, a bowl of warm water and washing the feet of those in our lives.
And that this act would bring a renewed sense for relaxation and refreshment to those that our hands would come into contact with.
