Servant

Thursday 13^th November

Read John 13:6-11

“He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’

⁷ Jesus replied, ‘You do not realise now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’

⁸ ‘No,’ said Peter, ‘you shall never wash my feet.’

Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.’

⁹ ‘Then, Lord,’ Simon Peter replied, ‘not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!’

¹⁰ Jesus answered, ‘Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.’ ¹¹ For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.” (NIVUK)

So much has been read into these words that sometimes the plain meaning is missed. Impressive arguments are mustered to the effect that Jesus is making a profound statement about the nature of salvation and the requirement for regular confession.  We are ‘clean’ because of Jesus but each day we pick up the muck of sin on our feet as we walk through life which requires daily confession. Like much of the passage, this may be true and useful and helpful but equally may encourage us to miss the main point. When people eat together, they wash themselves fully, dress and walk to their dinner. They are quite literally clean, except for their feet. It is perfunctory to become fully clean again. A servant simply washes the feet. The key truth Jesus wants the disciples to grasp ‘later’ is that at the very end He presented Himself to them as a servant.  Servanthood is at the heart of His actions. As we will see, it is the key truth He returns to (v15). The disciples see Jesus as exalted and powerful and able to deliver them – but He presents Himself as a servant.