John 13:4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 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.”
Luke 22:24 A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.
What did Jesus do to the disciples who were arguing about who was considered the greatest? After leaving the table, Jesus got up and took off his clothes. He took a towel around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and washed the disciples’ feet. It seems easy, but this is something that the disciples absolutely cannot do. People who don’t know the true meaning of service and low self-humble, people who don’t regard themselves as servants can never do such a thing. When the disciples were arguing, the Lord used his own life as an example for the disciples, loving them to the end, serving them to the end, and letting them understand that they should follow the Lord’s love life. When loving someone, no matter how the other person reacts, don’t be affected. Love is my duty. Jesus loves those who belong to him, so he loves them to the end. We need to show this love through our lives. By washing the feet of his disciples, Jesus let us understand why he got respected and served by the people, and how he became a truly great man.
The road in Palestine was a loess road. At that time, people only wore shoes like sandals nowadays, tied to the soles of their shoes with a few ropes. The poor walked barefoot. If you walk a long distance or go home after a day’s work outside, your feet will be covered with dust, so people at that time put a water tank at the door of the house and washed their feet with the water inside before entering the house. In wealthy homes, the servants wash the feet of the guests with a kettle and dry them with a towel, especially when a feast is held. The Lord himself attended the Last Supper. This was supposed to be the time when the disciples treated the Lord with the highest courtesy, but they did not serve the Lord with true love. They did not follow the example of the Lord to humble themselves and wash each other’s feet in the image of servant. They did not appear to be disciples of Jesus, but the Lord washed their feet.
Jesus said: “13 You call me Master and my Lord. You are right. I am. 14 If I am your Lord and Teacher, if you wash your feet, you should wash each other’s feet.” (About 13:13-14) The Lord is worthy to be served. He is the owner of the Last Supper. He deserves to be served even as a guest, but it is a pity that, as Luke recorded, there was a problem among those who attended the Last Supper. The “who counts as big” controversy. Even though the Lord has served us with love for a long time, the disciples have always been with the Lord; even if it is the time when the Lord is leaving, they break bread at the Last Supper and hand over wine to let them meditate and commemorate the Lord. A world of deep sacrifice; even though the Lord loved them to the end, until the end he commanded them, there was still an argument among the disciples. Is this kind of disciple of the great Master Jesus Christ ashamed of ours? Is the Lord respected because of us disciples? Do we disciples still have a huge gap with the Lord? We need to seriously meditate on the deep meaning of service that the Lord has shown us, and we need to meditate on the Lord’s teachings and show them through our lives. The love towards the brother needs to be manifested very concretely through service. We must remember that the person who serves in the kingdom of heaven is a big one, the master. The reason why the Lord can become the master of the kingdom of heaven is because he often serves everyone as a servant.