What is Kindness?

One night, Jesus did something unexpected. When it was time to eat the traditional Jewish Passover meal, Jesus took off His outer clothing, wrapped a towel around His waist, then filled a pan with water and proceeded to wash His disciples’ feet.

Because they wore sandals as they trudged across Israel and Samaria, their feet got dirty and stinky. It was customary that if you went to someone’s house, they offered water to wash the heads and feet of those who came in.

Jesus was the guest of honor who had come to Jerusalem as king only days before (Matthew 21:1–9). However, Jesus taught His disciples that He didn’t come to be served but to be a servant (Matthew 20:28). Jesus, the Son of God who came from heaven to earth, washed His friends’ disgusting feet with His hands and dried them with a towel. He did the job willingly. Then He explained to His disciples that He was giving them an example to follow.

Do you think you would wash your siblings’ feet? Would you wash their heads or rinse the dust from their hair? As servants of Jesus, we are called to serve each other with love and humility. Sometimes this means literally washing feet, but it might also look like other tasks that are considered lowly, like washing dishes, sweeping floors, sorting through trash, or cleaning up after someone else makes a mess. When we do these things without grumbling, we echo what Jesus has done for us. He deserves the place of highest honor, yet He humbled Himself—even to the point of dying in one of the most shameful ways possible. Then He rose back to life, defeating death and sin for good! All because He loves us and wants us to be with Him forever.

As Jesus’ forgiven followers, we get to do whatever work God has placed in front of us as though we were doing that task just for Him. Serving God often looks like serving others, and when we serve people, we get to share Jesus’ love. And perhaps, when we show love by being faithful servants, we will also encourage others to want to know the God we serve. • Anna M. Gregory

• To get the full story of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet, read John 13:1-17. How might it comfort you to know that Jesus, out of His great love, stepped into your mess and gunk to save you? What might it look like for you to step into someone else’s mess and lovingly serve them?

“And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.†John 13:14 (NLT)

Read Verses:

2 Samuel 9:1-13; Romans 5:6-11; 8:14-17; Galatians 6:9-10