Am I willing to get my hands dirty, serving the not so pretty needs of others, so I will have great joy?

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.  6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"  7 Jesus replied, "You do not realize 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, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his 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 everyone was clean.  12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 13 "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.  15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.  16 I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

INSIGHT:   Dirty feet were a real part and real issue in the early church.  Everywhere they walked was a dry dusty climate, and with only sandals to wear, their feet would quickly become filthy.  So, naturally Jesus used this act to symbolize a spiritual truth to them.

For most of us in this modern age, if we were to literally wash one another's physical feet, it would be nothing more than a worthless religious act which fools us into believing we are doing something pleasing to Christ, after His own example.  I have seen videos of the Pope washing and kissing the feet of some poor person, or of an entire local church washing each other’s feet.  It may give some of the people a false sense of humility, religious piety, and Christlikeness, but the Lord sees it as a foolish and dead religious act, because it doesn’t actually do any practical good for the receiver.  It is all just for show. So, does this then mean that Jesus’ act of foot washing, and His command for us to follow His example, are no longer relevant to us?  Not, at all! 

First, let’s again remember that we are always thinking naturally, while God is almost always thinking spiritually.  When Jesus said, “you must be born again”, Nicodemus thinks only about entering his mother’s womb a 2nd time.  When Jesus says, “tear down this temple”, the Pharisees think only of the literal building they see.  When Jesus says, “I have food to eat you know nothing about”, His disciples think only of literal food.  When Jesus says, “If anyone drinks my blood and eats my flesh he will live”, his hearers think only of His physical blood and flesh.  When Jesus says, “whoever drinks this water will never thirst again”, the woman at the well thinks only of natural water.  When He says, “Lazarus has fallen asleep” the disciples can only think of natural sleep.  And in v.9, today when Jesus said, “And you are clean, though not everyone of you”, Jesus is not talking about their physical hygiene.  Therefore, when Jesus said, “you also should wash one another’s feet”, He is not primarily meaning their physical feet, but they do not yet understand that. He said in v. 7 “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”  They had not yet received the Holy Spirit, to see below the surface, into the spiritual meaning of this act.  That didn’t happen until John 20:22.

Today, by His Spirit in us, we can see below the surface, and we understand what the disciples couldn’t yet.  People have dirty spiritual feet from walking through divorce, loss, failure, church wounds, sin, counterfeit religion, addictions, unforgiveness, deception, brokenness, etc. This world is a filthy and polluted place to walk through and all of us get dirty feet walking through its corruption.  As a result, there are many opportunities, to get our hands dirty, by “washing” their dirty spiritual feet.  We can do this with our love, concern, time, prayer, counsel, money, or humble acts of service.  If you are willing, God will bring these wonderful opportunities across your path, empower you to serve them by His grace, and incredibly He then blesses you with joy and rewards.