For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Mark 10:45

Jesus does a startling thing.  He, the Master and Lord, the Giver of all Life decides to wash the feet of all of his disciples gathered for their last meal on earth with Him, Good Friday.

This certainly raised eyebrows because the culture demanded that the lesser serve the greater.  Here, the Greatest there ever was, knelt before each disciple and washed hi feet, a task they should have done when they entered the room for their final supper with Jesus.  As they entered the room there was no servant there so they had to eat the most holy meal ever eaten by mankind – now with dirty feet.  Unbelievable! Amazing beyond telling.

This is our Jesus, our Lord, our Pattern of Behavior.  Watch Him as he kneels gently before each of the Twelve, and one after the other as He washes their feet.  Even Judas who was betraying Him.

I find it interesting that no one dared to wash Jesus’ feet because they recognized his greatness.  Nor was there one among them who would have dared to wash the feet of another, or even his own feet!  Certainly not the feet of Jesus! 

This scene stretches the mind of people in my culture.  It is so strange and jarring!  Culture emphasizes social order!  No superior person would even think of washing the feet of a lesser being!  So, once again, Jesus scrambles our neat rules and makes himself known.

Jesus came to serve not to be served.  Should we chose a different path?