Dirty Feet and Messy Hearts

This is Maundy Thursday, the day of the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples in Jerusalem, the day before he died on the cross. I wrote this post three years ago and I believe it's still got a lot going for it.

On Thursday of the week he was to die, Jesus

Being Great by Serving First

Serving is almost always hard work, even if you do it for a living (think of your food servers at restaurants -- they work very hard taking care of customers). The one Servant who tops them all, Jesus Christ our Savior, served to the point of pain, giving his body and life to a torturous death on the cross (before his triumphant, world-changing resurrection). But even before

Dirty Toes and Messy Hearts

On Thursday of the week he was to die, Jesus did something no one expected. During a meal with his disciples, he got up from the table and began

The Leader Who Served

Jesus did something the night before his crucifixion that wrecked the disciples. He had told them over and over about serving others, and had served many, many times in their three years together, but they still didn't get it. One last time, he showed them what love is, and

Jesus, the Good Samaritan

I'm preparing to speak this week from Luke 10.  The story there of the 'Good' Samaritan (the word 'good' is not in the text) keeps amazing me with its depth and breadth of meaning.  You'll find the exchange between Jesus and the lawyer, and the parable, in verses 25-37. 

One of many interesting points here is Jesus' description of the person who rescued the wounded traveler.  This man was a Samaritan, a member of a group hated by all Jews because of their history as foreigners imported by the Assyrians after the deportation of many of the northern Israelite tribes.  The Samaritans had more than likely intermarried with Israelites left in the land, and claimed to follow the true religion (see John 4:19-20 for a brief comment on this) which just made things worse of course.

But look at what the man, this half-breed who was rejected by the Jews, was like:

• He went out of his way to help another human being in trouble
• He risked his own safety due to the bandits in the area
• He used oil and wine to heal the man's wounds
• He paid for the man's care at the inn
• He promised to return and settle accounts

All these are just as well descriptions of Jesus himself.  He was of suspicious parentage, and was of mixed heritage, being both God and man; he greatly inconvenienced himself by becoming flesh (see Philippians 2:6-8) and was at risk throughout his ministry even before the Cross; he brought rescue and healing to humanity; he paid the price for our recovery; and promised to return for us.

So as a background to everything else going on in this parable, the true character of Jesus is brought out as the outstanding example of 'being a neighbor.'  Then he tells the lawyer, "go and do likewise."  What a challenge for all of us:  to selflessly give, going out of our way to serve others, including pointing them to the One who came to serve us rather than be served.  In what way can we "go and do likewise" today?  Who will we choose to serve as Jesus served us?

Feet and dust and me

A long time ago -- even before I was born, and I'm old -- people walked around in open-toed sandals. That was a tad inconvenient, as most streets weren't paved and people often walked where streets didn't exist anyway. So pretty soon their feet got dirty.

Now, there probably wasn't much of a pedicure industry back then; it wouldn't do a lot of good to get your toes all gussied up, then have them get dusty thirty seconds out the front door. But there was a foot-cleaning industry, and it was run by the lowest-class slaves -- the newbies, just off the boat, or the ones that were in trouble and had to work their way back into the master's favor. When you came home from work, or went to somebody's house for pizza, that slave was there to clean up your feet and refresh you.

Since animals were in the streets, manure built up too. And since sandals didn't keep it all out, manure ended up on peoples' feet too. That would make the foot-washing job even less pleasant. Likewise, the feet themselves, in contact with the common dirt of the road, were considered a less honorable part of the body. So what we're talking about here is definitely the job nobody wanted.

Lo and behold, that's what Jesus took on during his last night on earth as a regular human. He'd been preaching humility and servanthood to his disciples, and he was certain they hadn't seen the picture, so he showed them one -- himself, washing their dirty feet. He was ready to be sacrificed on a cruel cross to wash their sins away from their souls, but he started with washing the dirt away from their feet. Every time I look at that picture, I get convicted again by his humility and my lack of it.

Some of us as Christians practice this ritual every year. It's a reminder of our Savior's deep, deep love. More than just a reminder, it's also a pledge to walk in his sandals, to serve others like he did, even if it looks dumb or humiliating or messy. Now, pride can even make us go through the motions to 'do service.' But his love in us -- if we really are listening to him -- brings it out from the heart, with a purity of motive. It's worth considering carefully, praying over and asking Jesus to let his mind be in you, as you look at someone else's toes.