John 13:1, 3-5
The opening line is ominous because Jesus had long said his mission would climax at the Passover festival. Where he would offer up his own life like the lamb that was sacrificed by Jews at the Passover. And so here we are just before the Passover festival. It’s time, then, for Jesus to reveal a crucial lesson, a final lesson, to his closest followers. So he stands up and does the most bizarre thing imaginable. He washes his students feet. But the narrator, that’s John, the eyewitness of all of this, wants to tell us readers one more thing before he actually narrates the foot washing. He actually reminds us of Christ’s supreme authority. The words again, “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…”
Imagine you’ve never heard this story before. What would you expect to follow that kind of description of absolute authority? “All the power of God the Father in his hands. So he got up from the meal…” and what? Performed some sign of his supremacy? Told them how to conquer the world? No. He performed the task of a household servant. He had all authority, so he took off his outer clothing, wrapped a towel around his waist, and washed and dried his disciples feet.
I imagine the stunned silence, initially. Over the last few years, the disciples have learned to go with the flow of whatever Jesus proposed. They sort of got used to him saying and doing amazing things, but this is pushing the limits. And naturally it’s Peter, John tells us, who pipes up and says, “no Lord, you shall never wash my feet.”
Just parenthetically, it’s remarkable that across all four gospels we get the same impression of the personality of Peter. He’s always presented as the leader. Of course, that’s just a simple organisational thing. But the striking fact is that he comes across in all four gospels and one of the letters of Paul as a boundless enthusiast who regularly puts his foot in his own mouth. Only genuinely historical reporting could maintain such a consistent psychological profile across diverse sources. Anyway, that’s just for free today.
My real point is Peter says what everyone is thinking – “No way, Lord, you’re the king. You don’t wash my feet, I wash yours.” The original Greek, by the way, is wildly adamant, it literally says, “not ever shall you wash my feet.” Eis ton aiōna, into eternity, it says. I suppose we might say in the modern world, “never in a million years will you wash my feet.”
But spare a thought for Peter, the notion of servant leadership hadn’t been invented yet. In fact, that expression was only coined in the 1970 management book by Robert K Greenleaf, its title is Servant Leadership. Now, though, there’s even a centre for servant leadership. But the apostle Peter is in the middle of the invention of the concept right here.
Peter’s culture prized honour and power above pretty much everything else. Jesus had taught them about compassion and love, of course, but washing feet was a complete reversal of the honour/shame outlook of the ancient world. According to the cultural norms of Mediterranean society, what’s happening here would be seen as the most honourable man in the world, effectively shaming himself before his admirers.
So Jesus responds (it’s in verse seven of that John chapter thirteen), “you do not realise now what I’m doing, but later you will understand.” So in a way, Jesus on his knees like a servant is preparation for what his followers will see the next day. At the Passover Jesus will be on a cross like a criminal, according to his own teaching, bearing the wrongs of the world, atoning for our faults. But this isn’t just theology, Jesus immediately follows up with these 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.”
The foot washing, then, isn’t only a sign of Christ’s humble sacrifice on the cross, it’s also a simple example to follow. And Christians haven’t always got this right. Sometimes they’ve pursued their own honour, protection, and power. They haven’t gone on their knees like a servant and served the world. And not just served each other as their own club, but the world, and even a world that sometimes doesn’t like the church. John’s gospel makes a point of saying in this scene that Judas, the betrayer of Jesus, was there at the meal. In fact, it’s immediately after this scene that Judas leaves to collect his payment for turning against Jesus. And Jesus knew this, and he still got on his knees and washed the betrayer’s feet.
By John Dickson
On Tolkien
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