John 13:12-17
After Jesus had washed his disciples’ feet and had put his outer garment back on, he sat down again. Then he said:
Do you understand what I have done? You call me your teacher and Lord, and you should, because that is who I am. And if your Lord and teacher has washed your feet, you should do the same for each other. I have set the example, and you should do for each other exactly what I have done for you. I tell you for certain that servants are not greater than their master, and messengers are not greater than the one who sent them. You know these things, and God will bless you, if you do them.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Greg and I watched a segment today on CBS Sunday Morning about a former Israeli soldier and member of Hamas who is now part of a group called Combatants for Peace. The purpose of this group is to humanize all parties and give space for each faction to cultivate understanding of the other. One of the comments that the veteran made truly stood out to me. He noted that a primary aim of this group is to promote human understanding…“Because you have to dehumanize someone in order to kill them.”
As I read this passage from John where Jesus, our Lord and Master, washed the feet of His disciples (a gesture of incredible humility and subservience), I thought about the full impact of what Christ did and said. He saw each person present as a human being…precious to God (and to Him)…not one of them greater than the other. Jesus knew that Judas was among these disciples…and He knew what this man would do in a matter of hours. Jesus knew the “good, bad, and ugly” about each person – and yet He saw their humanity, their need to be treated with love and dignity, and their value to God – and to others. This is what we are commanded to do today.
If we are honest, we dehumanize others every day. We may not be murderers in the literal sense, but we often do our dead-level best to “kill the soul” or reputation of another through critical talk, divisiveness, biases, and hateful rhetoric or actions. We pit one person against another for a myriad of reasons…he’s a Democrat…she’s a lesbian…they are Black, Asian, or Hispanic…this person is a Muslim, Jew, or Buddhist…that family is “white trash.” Even when we feel our intentions are noble…we dislike or criticize someone because of his/her own rhetoric or unkind words and actions – we are dehumanizing this person on some level. It’s hard to separate a person’s behavior from that person. And once we have dehumanized someone, it is easier to hate them…or even kill them.
Jesus is calling us to wash the feet of others…maybe not literally, but surely by treating them with utmost humility and respect as precious children of God. We are called to see others as human beings…sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, individuals with hope and dreams like you and me, and spiritual brothers and sisters. This will require a shift in our thinking – and our attitude. We will have to humble ourselves before God and think before we speak and act. But we can do this!
Whether we are successful in our efforts to get along and love one another with the love of Christ is not the point…it’s all about the effort and genuine, humble, faithful obedience. Washing Judas’ feet didn’t change him…but Jesus demonstrated His unconditional love with the gesture and put His commands into action. You and I must make every effort to demonstrate Christ’s love in our own lives…unadulterated and unconditionally. Then we must give God room to work and trust Him to do so perfectly. Alleluia!
©2024 Debbie Robus
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