It was right before the Passover celebration and Rabbi told John and me that as we entered the city we would be met by a man carrying a pitcher of water and that we were to follow him, and whosever house he entered we were to enter as well. It was just as Rabbi said-we went, the man came to us and we followed him. Once in the house we were led by the master of that house to a large furnished room. Everything that we needed was there so we set about preparing for supper.
It has been more than 3 hours and so much has happened since we first sat down to eat. Rabbi has used the time to teach and encourage us as He always does, but this time there seems to be something more that I cannot quite put my finger on. There is an under current in the air that I cannot explain. He started out by telling us how He so desired to eat the Passover meal with us before He suffers. There He goes talking about suffering again. Doesn’t He know that I will fight to the death before I would let anyone even attempt to harm Him? He poured the wine into his cup and told us that it is the new covenant in His blood shed for us. Then He took the bread and broke it in two and told us that it was his body. I can’t say that I understand all that He is saying. My heart is overwhelmed; this is too much for me! And now He’s getting up and has fastened an apron around His waist and He is pouring water into a basin. What is He up to now? We’ve already had our feet washed by the house servants as we entered this evening. Then He walks over to John and kneels and washes his feet, tears streaming down His face as He does so. Then He moves on to James and then Matthew and on and on washing the feet of most of us present and then He comes to me and our eyes meet. Oh, my heart, my heart, His eyes are liquid pools of love and suddenly I feel so powerless and exposed and anxious. And so I ask Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?” Inside I am thinking that it is all of us who should be washing His feet. And nobody else has had the nerve to bring this up so I will with a question. And He answers me…”What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will after this.” And even after His response indignation rises up within me because He misunderstands me and I am offended that He does not sense my humility and I tell Him, outright that He will never wash my feet! And yet again He answers me and says, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” By now I am all perplexed and feel so ashamed that it is I who does not understand. And so I surrender and tell Him to not just wash my feet but my hands and my head too. I mean I want to be completely clean if this is what this is all about. And He says to me, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” He then continues washing the feet of the rest and begans again to teach us saying, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, 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 should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly I say to you that a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”
The Lord used this time with his disciples to teach an awesome lesson on what it really means to be a servant. To be a child of the King means that we are supposed to first and foremost allow Him to cultivate in us the heart of a servant.
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