Holy Week Perspective: Not Above Washing Feet

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Not Above Washing Feet

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death -
even death on a cross.

Philippians 2:5-8 (NRSV)

Lean on me
When you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
Till I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

From "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers

The first church service I ever attended that included a foot washing was a chapel service I attended at my alma mater on a Sunday evening in early 2011.  This service was part of a semester-long series that included "sacramental" practices.  Toward the end of the service, I went with two of my friends to one of the basins that had been placed at the front of the chapel, and we took turns washing each other's feet.  As I was leaving, I told one of the chaplains that I was glad I did not know beforehand that the service would include foot washing, because, if I had known, I probably would not have attended.

Holy week is now upon us.  This week, Christians around the world remember Jesus' crucifixion and the events that led up to it.  If you attend a church service this Thursday evening, you might have the opportunity to have your feet washed by someone and also to wash someone else's feet.  If you don't feel comfortable participating in such a ritual, do not feel obligated to do so, but do consider stepping out of your comfort zone.  Though I would not have knowingly attended a foot washing service twelve years ago, I did find the experience meaningful.  If you do choose not to participate, I hope you will at least watch others in the congregation wash each other's feet and contemplate what this ritual means.

The ritual of foot washing has it's origins in the story of Jesus.  In the Gospel of John, we read that, on the last evening Jesus spends with the Disciples before He is arrested, put on trial, and crucified, He suddenly rises during dinner, takes off His robe, ties a towel around His waist, pours some water into a basin, and starts washing the Disciples' feet.¹

When Jesus finishes washing the Disciples' feet, He puts His robe back on, returns to His place at the table, and says to the Disciples,
Do you know what I've done for you?  You call me "Teacher" and "Lord," and you speak correctly, because I am.  If I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you too must wash each other's feet.  I have given you an example: Just as I have done, you also must do.  I assure you, servants aren't greater than their master, nor are those who are sent greater than the one who sent them.  Since you know these things, you will be happy if you do them.²

I do not believe that Jesus is saying that His followers are expected to literally wash each other's feet.  In my culture, washing one's feet throughout the day is not the necessity it was in Jesus' culture, thanks to things like closed toe shoes, automobiles, and tall dinner tables.  By washing the Disciples' feet, Jesus sets an example for us to follow.  When He says that students are not greater than their teacher, He is saying that, if He is not above washing feet, then neither are His followers.  To put it more starkly, one could say that, if the Incarnate God is not above serving people, then neither is any human.

Apparently people have felt uncomfortable at foot washings ever since Jesus introduced them.  When Jesus starts to wash the feet of the disciple He calls Peter, Peter initially objects, saying, "You will never wash my feet!"  Jesus then says to Peter, "Unless I wash you, you won't have a place with me."³  There is more than one way to be prideful.  Some people think that they are too important to serve others, while others think that they are too independent to be served by others.  If we want to follow Jesus, we must be willing to serve, and, if we want to be in community with other followers of Jesus, we must allow ourselves to be served.

The Thursday of Holy Week is called Maundy Thursday.  The word maundy is derived from the Latin word mandatum, from which we also get the word mandate.⁴  That same evening, Jesus says to the Disciples, "I give you a new commandment: Love each other.  Just as I have loved you, so you also must love each other.  This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other."⁵  When Jesus instructs the Disciples to love each other as He has loved them, the image of His kneeling before them and washing their dirty feet is still fresh in their minds.

The story of Jesus' washing the Disciples' feet is not a story of washing feet but rather a story of humble service.  If we truly want to follow Jesus, then we must love like Jesus; if we want to love like Jesus, then we must serve like Jesus; and, if we want to serve like Jesus, then we must not be too proud to do undignified things like washing people's feet.  Followers of Jesus are to be known not by what they believe or by what they oppose but by how they love and by how they serve.


Notes:

1. John 13:2-5
2. John 13:12-17 (CEB)
3. John 13:6-8 (CEB)
4. Wikipedia: "Maundy Thursday"
5. John 13:34-35 (CEB)

Jesus Washing Peter's Feet was painted by Ford Madox Brown in the 1850s.