For some time I have wondered after the meaning of Christ´s example that He set when He washed His disciples’ feet. The message would seem obvious, but for a few words in John 13:12-17, it seems there may be a deeper and more wonderful spiritual truth buried here.
Jesus turns to His Disciples, the ones who had been with Him and learned so much first hand. They had seen the miracles with their own eyes and listened attentively to all the Lords instruction and even been blessed with careful explanation of the deeper revelations. But Jesus turns to them and asks them if the understood.
Now every time I read of where our Savior takes time to see if someone is paying attention, I try to take note and perk up my ears as well. We do not want to be the ones who miss out on some important truth because we failed to listen or direct our understanding when the One we love is asking for special care to be given.
In this case and with the story in this text, I cannot say that I have been given any special illumination. I have prayed over it and feel it necessary to write what I can, but perhaps the notions are merely the hopeful wishes of my own heart. Or perhaps the Lord needed me to see in print as He ministered to me and patiently lead me closer to understanding.
A wonderful picture it is, to think of our Lord, the very Son of God, stooping down to tenderly wash the feet of His followers. This is amazing as it goes contrary to common and popular ways of thought and society. We have been taught throughout the generations that the servant serves His master and that the Master is greater and shown more respect.
Even Jesus takes time to point out here in verse 16, that it is so and the servant and messenger are not more than their master. So then what is He getting at and why does He repeat again His question of whether or not we understand? (Verse 17)
The only consolation my searching heart can find here as it tries to lift up the understanding and the interpretation before the Holy Spirit is this, the One to whom we are looking in this story is our Master. What is more, is that Jesus is become our Way. This means we look to Him for guidance, for help and for His directive.
What must we do? Where must we turn? Where will we find the strength when the proper path is shown? The answer to these questions and almost any other that may pertain to you or I lies in the One which has put this question to us. Jesus did not sit on high and state cold laws for us to follow. His intentions always went far deeper than our shallow physical and literal translations and interpretations. His instructions go right to the center and core of each individual. He spoke to our very souls and directed us towards the things deep inside of us which controls us and effects all of the outward expressions.
In Bible terms this is called the heart or the soul. It speaks of a control center or a shrine inside of us. All of our thoughts and all of our actions are reactions and results that stem directly from this source. If we have listened and heard the voice of the Spirit as it teaches us, then this shrine becomes increasingly in tune with our Master. Every outward expression becomes like an offering that our heart gives towards the One we seek.
Therefore when we look and when we turn to Him, even if we have no answers, we are facing the right direction and tuning ourselves to that source. By that humble act like an inquisitive and naïve child, we activate faith as we look away to Him. To look outside of ourselves and to Jesus, we set the wind in the sails and all the spiritual powers may begin their work. This is how we have the right of passage to a world of spiritual blessings. Faith, understanding, illumination of scripture, true forgiveness, healing, all these things become possible only though this humble act of looking away from ourselves and searching for Him.
It is important that we understand that the value and the reason for everything ¨IS¨ our Lord. He is infinitely greater and exterior to us. He can come in to abide with us but He never loses one ounce of His independence nor authority when He does.
So then once we have set our lives and our hearts correctly upon our Master, we can now gaze harder towards the meaning of our text. Jesus sets an example. He is so far greater than us and anything we can imagine, but He bows down to do a low, unselfish act of humility. In His action we find no trace of receiving any reward. In fact, to all apparent aspects there seems to be no real need in the cleaning of another´s feet apart from teaching us the lesson of humility and servitude. Yet Jesus felt this was important so we press on towards blessed instruction.
If you have ever taken the socks off another person and actually cleaned that person´s feet for them, then you have experienced a little of what humility Jesus must have felt. There is little room for pride when you are awkwardly attempting something that most people can do for themselves. It takes a little effort to push away any misgivings and only consider the person to whom you are attending.
But we are not considering ourselves here. We are witnessing our Lord and Master, taking off His cloak and tying a towel to His waist. He has left His rightful seat of Lordship over us and has gotten down on His knees to touch a part of us that we normally wash ourselves. This is an amazing expression of care and commitment. Imagine a king or a president coming into your house and taking your socks off you to wipe your smelly feet. Christ is so incredibly more important and more powerful that any king or president could ever be. Amazing!
So now, let´s get back to the importance of the instruction in question. What value or what instruction can we gleam from this expression. The importance must be there or the Lord would not have troubled to repeat it twice. ¨Do you understand this¨? He adds also that blessed is the one who does.
I will not say that I have possession of the key nor want to place any firm affirmation to the end interpretation. What I will say is that there is an attitude described here in the attitude of the servant. We would do well to assume this kind of attitude and wear it like we do with the clothes that cover us. If we could see constantly that we owe everything to our master and we are deserving of nothing, we could act always in thought, action and the intentions behind everything, as if we were doing for and to Him.
This is not merely a concept which we should agree with or not. This should be the manner in which we are constructed and behave. Never should we make Jesus or His words to be shallow or hollow in their meaning. Like we do with Him, we should lift up His instructions and His words to unimaginable height. Let us place them so high that we need Him in living experience, to interpret and help it affect us. Then when we do something towards Him, we are doing it with Him and for Him. This is religion as Jesus describes it and as His example shows.
Taking the matter even further, we must not let this attitude stop with our dealings with our Master. He showed us by example and His efforts were directed to the children of men. We too should adopt this same kind of humble servitude towards the lambs of God. It is commendable and correct to serve our Lord, but equally correct if we were to follow His example, is to treat those around us a He did.
Once again, this takes effort to push off pride and the looking at one´s self. But as we look at the One we call our ¨Way¨, we find all the help and instruction we need.
Let us all make every effort to please our Savior and pay all the attention necessary when He says, ¨Do you understand¨? I go now to bring the case before Him. Pray that I may be given the proper illumination and healing as I turn to look towards Him.
Amen.
Scott W
Searching For Christ 
Leave a comment