Serving others!

Bible Reading: John 13:1-17

Several Christian denominations still practice foot washing as part of their regular services today.  Some practice it during the Maundy Thursday service, year after year.  When Jesus washed the feet of the disciples in the upper room, He said, “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 should do as I have done to you.”

What exactly was Jesus teaching His disciples through His act?

Jesus did not ask the disciples to do it as a ceremonial practice.  Foot washing is not a sacrament.  When Jesus established the Eucharist, He asked us to do it in remembrance of Him until His return (Luke 22:19-20).  But foot washing is understood as a symbolic act of humility and service, and Jesus is our example to emulate. 

When I read this account from the Gospel of John, I wondered why Jesus got up to wash their feet after they had the meal.  Usually, feet are washed by the lowest-ranked servant of the household as people enter.  Luke records an incident just before the disciples and Jesus entered the Upper Room in Luke 22:24-27.  The disciples disputed among themselves as to which of them should be considered the greatest.  Because of this dispute, they had not offered to wash the feet of the others as they entered.  That is why they must have eaten their meal with dirty feet!

I came across this true story in ‘The Beacon,’ the newsletter of Asia Biblical Theological Seminary.  A little boy named Vichet, who lived in a refugee camp on the Thai-Cambodia border, met Naomi Sharp, a British missionary, in 1993.  She taught him music and introduced him to Christ not just through words but also through her life.  When Vichet talks about Naomi, he says that he learned what it means to follow Jesus through the humility and compassion of Naomi’s life.

That is the lesson for us today. 

We are called to show kindness to the lowest and the most obscure of God’s people.  We should be ready to serve anyone with love and compassion.  We can visit the sick, cheer up the old, and spend time with the lonely.  That way, we can serve the people around us just as Jesus has modelled for us. 

My friend, we are called to serve one another.  We can serve others by performing small acts that make their daily lives easier.  A ritual has no meaning.  Acts of loving service are what the Lord expects from us.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me serve You by serving my fellow human beings, both at home and in my community.  Amen.