th (5)Today is Maundy Thursday, but do you know what maundy means?  Maundy is a word that means “washing of the feet” and is used to describe the day before Christ was crucified on the cross.  It was the day Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples before His crucifixion.

The Last Supper is covered in all four Gospels, in Matthew 26:20-30, Mark 14:12-26, Luke 22:7-30 and John 13:1-30.  However, John is the one who speaks about the washing of the feet.  In John 13:1-15 we read,

It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love. The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power, and that He had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, 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 that was wrapped around Him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to Him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me.” “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”  Jesus answered, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.”  For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why He said not every one was clean.  When He had finished washing their feet, He put on His 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, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

Because people walked everywhere they went, their feet would routinely be dirty and in need of washing. Jesus took on the most menial task a person could have during His day, washing dirty feet.  It was for the lowest of low in the chain of command.  The King of kings and Lord of lords was willing to lower Himself to serve others to teach us to do the same [Revelations 19:16].

So many times we see tasks that need doing in the Kingdom, but we view them as beneath us. There isn’t enough recognition involved or its a messy menial job. Matthew 6:4 reminds us,

…your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Look around you. There’s a world in need of foot washers, people willing to do whatever it takes for the furtherance of the Gospel.  You don’t have to ask yourself “What would Jesus do?” because you already know.  The question is, “What will you do?”