It’s likely, based on his startled response, that Peter was the first of the Twelve the Lord approached with his wash basin. And since their conversation is the only one recorded, it’s easy to imagine the rest of the disciples as so overwhelmed with reverence for their master’s stunning humility, they were simply speechless. I picture the Lord quietly bending before each of them one by one within an awestruck silence broken only by the sound of splashing water as they experienced him doing the unimaginable.
There’s so much we don’t know. We don’t know how long he spent with each of them individually, what was communicated in his eye contact, or what tenderness was expressed in his touch. But we do know he expected them to serve others in the same way he’d served them. We know this because he said so. John 13:12-17 tells us after he’d finished, put his outer garments back on, and returned to his place at the table, he explained he wasn’t just trying to impress them with his humility. He was setting an example he wanted them to follow.
And I can’t imagine any scenario where that expectation of his first followers doesn’t apply to those of us who’ve come along later. We need to be cautious about how we proceed with our lives after this scriptural encounter with Jesus on his knees. The shadows of our self-centeredness cannot remain in the brilliant light of his others-centeredness. We can never again excuse ourselves from fulfilling the Lord’s command to do as he did.
In the final verse of this section, Jesus concluded this profound lesson on the servant-heartedness of his kingdom. And he said something unexpected. He said if we know these things and do them, WE are blessed. And that word blessed literally means happy. In other words, he was saying our personal happiness is linked to putting others first. But I don’t believe he was trying to incentivize servanthood. He was neither saying that happiness would be withheld from us as punishment unless we change our behavior nor that we will be rewarded with it if we do. He was just making clear that the path to life as he intended is always in his footsteps. Since we were created in his image, whenever we follow his example in anything, we find ourselves experiencing the life we were made for. And there’s no greater joy than that.
Among the most pleasurable experiences of my life have been the times I’ve been able to volunteer with a ministry called, Laundry Love (laundrylove.org). It’s a group of people around the country seeking to brighten the lives of low-income families and individuals by helping pay for them to get their clothes washed. All it required of me was to withdraw some quarters from my bank, drive to a laundromat in a part of town I don’t usually frequent, meander among the washers and dryers, greet the folks I encountered with a friendly smile, and offer to put some coins in the machines for them. But the joy of making even a small difference in the constrained budgets of these dear people in the name of Jesus is amazing. In fact, every time I’ve worked with Laundry Love I’ve felt guilty for how good it made ME feel. And if you’ve ever been blessed with the opportunity to serve others, you know what I mean.
We were made for this. And there are literally countless opportunities in this world for us to follow our Lord’s example of humble servitude. So, if you desire to experience greater happiness in your life, grab your wash basin. And if there aren’t any feet that need washing, maybe wash someone’s clothes instead.