Who's My Neighbor? A Biblical Call To Love OthersSample

Proud Hearts and Dirty Feet

Dr. Keith Newman

What would you do if you had one week to live? Pause for a moment. Reread the question. Reflect on what you might choose to do. In the 13th chapter of John, we see how Jesus answered that question. As time was counting down Jesus did not go out and preach to enormous crowds, heal the sick or raise the dead. Instead, He chose to hang out with friends…and wash their dirty feet.

I don’t know how you feel about feet, but I confess that they are one of my least favorite subjects. Feet are an essential part of life, but I see them as kind of personal, so I’m glad that I live in a time of socks and shoes and automobiles. Years ago, Dr. Scholl’s had a television commercial for foot powder. It featured a dog bringing his master the evening newspaper. The man is seated in his recliner, and the dog is standing erect on his back legs with the paper in his mouth. The man kicks off his shoes, and the dog passes out. I loved that commercial!

These friends of Jesus had walked through the dirty roads of Palestine to get to the upper room. We assume that they wore the open sandals of the day, so their feet must have been smelly and dirty. The usual custom of the home was to provide a servant to wash the feet of the guests, but apparently, someone dropped the ball.

Think about it, who was the least likely person in the room to wash feet? If you answered Jesus, I think you would be correct. But Jesus demonstrates one more time LiveLast leadership. He does what no one else wanted to do. His hands that would soon be pierced got dirty when He went to work washing feet.

While the cleanliness of the disciple’s feet was important, I believe it was the condition of their heart (and ours) that Jesus was most interested in. Let’s follow the example of our leader, humble ourselves, and look for someone to serve. When we serve we understand exactly what Jesus did for His disciples with a towel and a basin.