“You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. 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 also should do as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” – John 13:12-17
That first Holy Week began with a triumphal entry. Jesus was seated on a colt, entering the Holy City of Jerusalem. The crowds gathered on the street as Jesus approached. They waved palm branches and shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the Lord” and, “Blessed is the king of Israel!” It was a powerful moment. The people’s hope for salvation was being placed before the one who had performed miracles, taught with great authority, and now the hope was that he would restore the people and the nation.
The end of Holy Week would redefine how we see the word “triumph.” The night before Jesus was to die, He gathered in the Upper Room with His disciples. They had seen so much before gathering for this Passover meal. They had witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus, the triumphal entry and Jesus clearing the money changers from the Temple. Jesus was fully demonstrating His power and they assumed He was well on His way to the throne.
This is why the disciples must have been shocked when, during the Passover meal, Jesus stood, wrapped a towel around himself, poured water into a basin and began to wash their feet. The disciples recoiled, and Peter asked, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” It was a powerful moment! It was as powerful as anything they had witnessed with Jesus. Jesus, the one they called Rabbi and Lord was washing their feet. He was taking the role of a servant.
Holy Week teaches us many things about our faith, but perhaps the teaching we need to consider most is when Jesus tells us, His disciples, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” This is the great calling of our faith…to love and serve! My friends, “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”
Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
