Do you understand?
Finally, the disciples think. No more crowds for a while. It’s just us and Jesus. Perhaps it’s been a flurry to get to the room, making their way through all the Passover crowds. Most likely, they’re preoccupied, recounting the momentous entry into Jerusalem they’ve just witnessed.
And so they’ve arrived. Grubby feet and all. There’s no mention of a servant to wash their feet (the usual custom back then), and in all the excitement, the disciples don’t seem to register that it’s something they could be doing for Jesus.
Instead we read these astounding words:
‘Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel round his waist. After that he poured water into a bowl and began to wash his disciples’ feet…”
Remember for a moment who it is who is doing this. The One who has just been called the King of Israel and the Son of Man. The One who has just declared that every word from his mouth comes from God himself. The One who here, is seen to be in complete control, despite the devil prowling around. It is He, who gets up, and with astonishing humility, begins to wash every foot that has walked across the threshold.
Can you imagine the whispered gasps that make their way across the room? Or the sound of every drop being amplified, as they see Jesus doing something that was not even reserved for a Jewish slave? Peter, of course, bursts out in defiant protest. But after Jesus’ gracious response, he turns to them all with another searing question:
Do you understand what I have done for you?
As we consider all that’s wrapped up in this moment, and the cross-shaped picture we’re given here, I wonder whether this is a question we need to keep coming back to for ourselves. Yes, we’re familiar with the cross, and what Christ accomplished for us there. But is my understanding deepening and growing over time? Am I increasingly grasping the enormity of such humble, costly love, and the sufficiency of his cleansing work? Am I freshly bowled over, in awe and disbelief as to how far Jesus stooped for me, or have I become a little numb to such love?
As Christ shows us here, it is only when we understand the enormity of his love, that we will seek to love with such humility and cost to ourselves. It is only when I continually see my own need for the cross, that I will see that walking this way, truly is the path to blessing and joy.
