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 (ESV)
Nine weeks ago, I started as the new Lead Pastor of LifePoint Church in Ozark, Missouri. As the Lead Pastor, I am also one of the Elders, the council of shepherds who serve, guide, and care for the flock. Here at LifePoint, when a new Elder is appointed, we have a special service to install him, and at that service, the other Elders each wash the new Elder's feet.
Now, this practice of washing the feet of an Elder was unfamiliar to me, and I will confess that I wasn’t sure about it. I understand the value of serving one another, and the symbolism of washing another's feet is a powerful way to show love and humble service. But, if anything, it seemed to me that the new Elder should wash someone else’s feet, showing his willingness to humbly serve and thus demonstrating his fitness for the office of Elder. After all, being in a position of leadership can sometimes feed an ego, so coming into that role by washing another’s feet might help curb the pride we all seem to battle daily.
Like Peter, I didn’t understand until afterward.
Saint Basil the Great of Caesarea (c. 330-379) was an early Church leader who placed a high value on the virtue of humility. In fact, he taught, without humility there can be no spiritual formation, no character development, and no cultivation of the other virtues (faith, justice, prudence, hope, temperance, fortitude, and charity). He also taught that “allowing oneself to be served by another is just as much an act of humility as one performing the action itself.”1
Basil was right. When the six godly and respected men who serve as the Elder Council of LifePoint Church publicly knelt before me to wash my feet, humbling themselves in faithful service, it was a profoundly humbling experience for me. As someone who enjoys serving and helping others, I can sometimes take pride in my humble service (yes, we can even pride ourselves on our humility). But when someone else humbly serves me, I can’t glory in my deeds. I can only receive the act of love.
No wonder Jesus washed his disciples’ feet! Not only was it a brilliant way to teach them humility, but also a picture of our salvation. We can do nothing but receive his gift of grace. And just as being served by another requires us to humble ourselves, being saved by grace also demands that we turn from our foolish pride and acknowledge how much we need Christ.
Coleman M. Ford & Shawn J. Wilhite, Ancient Wisdom for the Care of Souls.
This is very moving.