Race To The Bottom

John 13:14-15

'If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.' 

Have you ever washed another person’s feet? Fortunately, thanks to a temperate climate and the invention of modern plumbing, we don’t have much need for “foot washers” in 21st century Britain. But in the hot dusty climate of 1st century Israel, foot washing was all the rage and was the task given to the lowest ranking servant in the household. There was no honour attached to it; in fact, to wash someone’s feet was to place yourself right at the bottom of the social hierarchy. If we’re looking for modern day equivalents, it’s the pot washer in the restaurant kitchen, or the guy who makes the photocopies in the big corporate office. 

So what is Jesus playing at? He’s the leader, the great teacher, the light of the world. If he’s going to ‘serve’ it should be through preaching or healing or doing something miraculous that only he can do, right? He definitely shouldn’t be washing feet like a lowly servant. It’s degrading, beneath him and a total waste of his time and gifting. It’s like the Michelin Star chef doing the dishes, or the CEO making the copies. 

But Jesus is always one for the curve ball. Whilst his disciples were arguing about who was the greatest, Jesus was demonstrating what true greatness and leadership looks like. Whilst everyone else is engaged in a race to the top, Jesus is racing to the bottom. If you want to be like Jesus this week, find the task that no one else wants to do, the task that’s usually reserved for the guy at the bottom of the food chain. If that’s where Jesus is, that’s where we want to be too. 

Action — Identify the ‘foot washing’ task in your community. Make a commitment to do that task today.