Foot Washing Is Easy

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”   — John 13:6-8

I know, ‘foot washing’ isn’t meant to be easy. We talk about humbling yourself to kneel and wash the grime from someone else’s filthy feet, and rightly so; we speak specifically about the humility of the Son of God kneeling to wash his disciple’s feet, when it was they who should have knelt to wash his.

But here’s the thing, receiving grace is hard. Allowing someone to serve us is hard. Sitting, looking on while someone bows to scrub between my toes, seeing what few others do, having such intimate access to the worst of me — that’s really hard. So, yes, foot washing is easy, in comparison.

Giving grace can be challenging, but receiving it? — especially when the depth of our understanding plumbs the darkness of our unworthiness — that’s painful. Grace humbles us. Grace is a balm, no doubt, but it is also a tearing pain that first reveals the depravity of our need for grace at all.

Grace must overcome our pride, that self-made man within that has carefully constructed an image of self-sustaining autonomy. Grace must tear it all down. Grace stands at the ready to invade the space vacated by wilful rebellion, whispering in no uncertain terms, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”

He bows before you now. The grace of God in Christ bids you extend your embarrassment and shame, willingly ready to wash you anew and embrace you to himself. Every fibre of your being fighting this, not understanding this, but you will. Soon it will just be the warm water of his love and forgiveness. And you will be with him, and that is all that will matter.