Washing your feet

The Dust on My Feet

When I read about Jesus washing the disciples' feet, the obvious lesson is humility. Jesus calls us to serve one another, helping each other through the dust and difficulties of everyday life. Then He says, "Blessed are you if you do these things."

But there is another part of this story that has become deeply personal to me.

More than anything, I want to share life with Jesus. I want close fellowship with Him. I want to partner with Him in bringing His Kingdom to earth. That is why Peter's response has always caught my attention.

When Peter refused to let Jesus wash his feet, Jesus answered, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." That is a startling statement. Peter immediately replied, "Then wash me all over!" I would have said the same thing if that was the price of sharing life with Jesus.

But Jesus answered, "He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean...and you are clean."

Jesus wasn't questioning Peter's relationship with Him. Peter was already clean. His feet just needed washing.

That tells me something important. If I belong to Christ, I have already been washed. As Paul reminds us:

"Such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:11)

So what is the foot washing for?

I've noticed something about myself. When I've had a bad attitude, entertained judgmental thoughts,  spoken words I wish I could take back, or I found myself disappointed in others,  I start feeling unworthy. I feel like I need to get myself straightened out before I can really enjoy His presence again.

But that isn't what Jesus told Peter. He was saying, "You're already clean. Let Me wash off the dust."

Every day we pick up a little dust just by living in this world. Disappointments. Irritations. Regrets. Offenses. Unmet expectations. None of those things change who we are in Christ, but if we hang on to them, they can rob us of enjoying close fellowship with Him.

Jesus simply says, "Let Me wash your feet."

Then He turns around and tells us to do the same for one another.

That really speaks to me.

People disappoint us. They forget to call/text. They say something insensitive. They overlook us. They misunderstand us. We do the very same things to others.  We also can be a disappointment to others.

That's just the dust of living life together.

Jesus is telling me not to let that dust become a barrier to relationship. Just as He continually washes my feet, He asks me to help wash the feet of others by extending grace, overlooking offenses, and refusing to let little things grow into big things.

Maybe that's one of the beautiful pictures in this passage.

I'm already clean because of what Jesus has done. Every day I simply need to let Him wash away the dust I've collected along the way so I can continue walking in sweet, unhindered fellowship with Him and the brethren.

Jesus wasn't just teaching us how to serve one another, He was showing us how to stay in close fellowship with Him.