Jesus Was at My Feet Before I Could Ever Bow to His

 

This past week we had our second 12 hour prayer night. During prayer nights, we start off the evening worshipping together as a squad, then throughout the rest of the night everyone wakes up for their assigned hour to intentionally sit in intercession. Throughout the whole night you can always find someone in the prayer room. At 6:30 am we all gather again to finish off the last hour in worship together.  

This time, after we gathered together in the morning and worshipped a little, our squad leaders volunteered to wash our feet. Buckets of warm, soapy water were stewarded into the room along with fresh towels as they knelt to their knees. I sat as I watched my feet gently being scrubbed and dried one at a time to avoid hurting the cuts, bug bites, and scabs that cover my ankles. Words of prayer were also waterfalled over my life.   

In John 13:3-5 we read that, “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waste. 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.”

The God of the universe not only put on flesh, but humbled himself to an even lower level to serve man. I don’t think I have words to describe the miracles that lie in that sentence. 

It even says a verse earlier in John 13:2, “The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus,” meaning Jesus washed Judas’s feet knowing full well that he was the man that would betray him unto a nasty death on a cross. Jesus willingly bowed down to his knees and cleaned the feet of the one filled with betrayal, ultimately giving him another chance to turn away from the promptings of the devil. 

My flesh would never humbly get on my knees to serve the person about to turn me in to get murdered. But Jesus did. 

He even washed the other disciples feet knowing how much they would fail him. Peter would betray him three times before the cross after saying only a few hours earlier that he wouldn’t. Six of the others would be found later having ran back to their old lives and given up everything Jesus taught them. 

But Jesus didn’t stop and consider, “Well, do they deserve this? Are they worthy enough for me to wash their feet? Are they worth my time?” 

No. Love never stops and asks if someone is worthy of it. Real love especially serves those unworthy of receiving any. 

Yet how many times have I looked at someone and labeled them not worth my time? A pain to me, so I definitely should not go out of my way for them?  

I want my hands to be so busy washing feet that I don’t even have time to stop and consider if the person I am serving is ‘worthy’ of such love.  

I want to be too busy laying down all I have at the foot of the cross that I have no time to throw stones. I want to be too busy being captivated by the Father’s words that I have no time to be speaking hurt over others. I want to be too busy asking God to change my heart to look like His that I have no time for my pride guide my actions.

Jesus ended this night of foot washing with the words: “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” (John 13:14)

So go fill your water basin and grab a dry towel, as people of the Lord, it’s time to get on our knees.