How are your feet these days? Do they need a spiritual scrubbing?

When Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, He told them although they were all clean (except the one who would betray Him), they would still need to have their feet washed. These disciples believed in Jesus. They had been cleansed from sin. Saved. But they still lived in a world covered with the grime and dust of sin. Everyday living put them in the midst of it. Their feet were bound to get dirty. So Jesus told them to serve one another by washing each other’s feet.

Being the Body of Christ means helping one another get rid of any sin that sullies us. We wash one another’s feet when we confront one another in love. It requires a readiness to both give and receive correction. Hey brother, I think you stepped in a little pride along the way. Let me help you get rid of it. Sister, that rejection is poisoning you with bitterness. Let me help you shake off the dust.

We need one another. That’s what Jesus was telling the disciples. He knew how easily we become blind to our own flaws. He calls us to point out those areas in one another with buckets of love and soaps of grace. No one has to go around with dirty feet. We don’t have to watch our fellow believers get stuck in mudholes. We can do what our Lord and Teacher tells us to do.

Father, thank you for the cleansing blood of Christ. And thank you for fellow brothers and sisters in the Body who help us stay clean. May we lack neither the humility to repent nor the courage to confront for the sake of your kingdom. Amen.

Go Deeper — Ask the Lord to give you grace to help a fellow believer you know who is struggling with sin. Then go “wash his or her feet.”

This Might Help — Sometimes speaking the truth in love is hard. Read this.



Tags: The Gospel of John John 13
Photo Credit: Andreas Selter