Jesus washes the Disciples’ feet
We sit in a circle around a large bowl and jug, with a large white towel, and the words ‘Servant King’.
‘Servant’ and ‘King’ make us think of different things. Why is Jesus sometimes called the ‘Servant King’?
Jesus lived in a hot and arid land. Most people travelled from place to place on foot. It was the custom to welcome visitors by washing their feet in cool, clean water. Normally a household servant did this.
When Jesus invited the disciples for supper in the upper room, they were surprised by what happened.
Jesus took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel. John 13.4-5
When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his outer clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher and Lord’, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, you Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13.12-15
What do you think Jesus meant when he said “I have set you an example”?.
How can the followers of Jesus care for one another today?
Christ has no body now on earth but yours:
Yours are the only hands with which he can do his work,
Yours are the only feet with which he can go about the world,
Yours are the only eyes through which his compassion can shine forth upon a troubled world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
St Theresa of Avila
Imagine dipping your fingers into the water and making the sign of the cross on the palm of your hands, and say a silent prayer that God will help you to serve others in a special way this Easter.
