By Pastor Tee, Pastor of Outreach

Jesus washing his disciples’ feet was a shock because a slave or the lowest servant would do this for guests before they entered their masters house.

Every Thursday before Easter, my church has a Maundy Thursday service to remember Jesus washing his disciples’ feet and the Last Supper (John 13). Maundy means “the ceremony of washing the feet of the poor.” We wash each other’s feet, eat together and have communion. In Jesus’ day, most people wore sandals when they traveled because it was very dry and warm most of the year. In an agrarian culture with animals used for food and work, animal feces would be on the roads along with other things tossed while people walked. So, their feet would be covered in dust and dirt and the bottom of their scandals would be…well…nasty.

So, what is Jesus saying to us today when he washed his disciples’ feet?

• Jesus’ followers should serve those that society doesn’t want with extreme humility without asking for anything in return
• Jesus’ followers should have a giving spirit, not a consumer ‘I’m here to get mines’ spirit
• Jesus’ followers should not say if you put more $$$ in certain offering plates, God will love you more more than others
• Jesus’ followers should stay focused on practices that open themselves to God

We need to remember that Jesus was expressing the very heart of God through foot washing: God loves you so much that he opened himself to serve you, suffer and die for you so that YOU can be forgiven. Easter is Jesus conquering death so that we can be reconciled with God…and this all starts with one of God’s enduring character attributes: Humility.