This day in history was another day full of events which mean a lot to us Christians. This includes: preparation for Passover, The Last Supper, Jesus washes the disciples feet, Upper Room teachings, the Garden, the betrayal, and arrest.

I’m going to choose maybe one of the less “popular” from the list above, but still equally impactful. I’m also choosing this because it came up tonight at bedtime with our son.

(Wiping Ezra’s feet off with a rag)
Ezra: Oh yeah, this reminds me of a story when Jesus washed the people’s feet.
Me: You mean the disciples feet?
Ezra: Yeah, that one. He washed their feet.

It makes a dad’s heart happy when their children speak about the Word.

The scene in scripture is set in John 13: 1-5 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.² The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. ³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ 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.

Jesus then goes on to explain to the disciples why He did it, explained that being physically washed is different than spiritually washed, and explained that this is an act of servitude to others.

Many years ago I was a part of a feet washing service. I was in late middle to early high school and I thought the whole thing odd. However, when it was my turn to wash the feet of an old man ahead of me, and then have another older gentleman wash mine, I was incredibly humbled. I could not fathom Jesus- the God of the universe- washing my feet, much less stepping down from His throne to die for me. You’ll truly understand this humility when you wash someone’s dirty feet. It’s a humbling experience.

Quickly on the Maundy definition… It comes from the Latin mandatum=commandment, which is from this section of scripture section above, but with verses 34-35. John 13:34-35 ³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”.

Jesus constantly points His followers, whether disciples or us today, away from power and pride and towards love and humility. This is hard for us, but it is essential outward evidence of an inward change.

Meditate on this as we consider what comes tomorrow…