Represent Retreat Book

Servanthood and StinkyFeet Read John 13.1-11 & Luke 22.24-27 Imagine you have walked miles along dusty roads. Not only that, but you are wearing sandals—your feet exposed to dust, dirty water, and other debris. In the time of Jesus, this was a daily reality. Most households had a servant who would wash the feet of visiting guests. This would have been considered a lowly position—no glamor or honor in washing stinky feet. Yet, here we see the Son of God taking on the role of a servant. What he did wasn’t just strange, it was unthinkable. As a teacher, he would have been above such tasks. Peter is shocked by this display—it goes against every cultural norm. In fact, the inappropriateness of it all caused Peter to exclaim, “You will never wash my feet!” But Jesus made it very clear that, unless he washed Peter’s feet, he would have no place with him. Peter learns that if he is to be a true disciple of Christ, he must submit to who Jesus really is—a humble servant who does the will of his Father. You see, Jesus is modeling for the disciples what true servant leadership is about. It is not about earthly glory. It isn’t about occupying a position of great honor and having others wait on you. He is calling his disciples to humility—to be servants. Talk about an upside-down Kingdom! The Son of God washing dirty feet and commanding that they too be such servants. It was a revolutionary way of thinking then, and it is still revolutionary today. A young man who recently joined a church approached his pastor one Sunday and asked how he could serve in the church. The pastor, gladdened to hear such things, told the man that they were in need of someone to set up the chairs each Sunday and then take them down. The man’s face fell. He had been hoping to serve in an “up front” position. How true this rings for many of us! How often do we offer to serve only if we can do it in such a way that brings glory to ourselves? 35