You Will Know

Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” (John 13:6-7)

 

Jesus is the perfect example of servanthood, and it is His deepest desire to present us to the Father faultless, perfect, and holy. He, therefore, became our Savior through His sacrifice — that is, the blood He shed for us that washed away our sins and the condemnation they brought. By washing His disciples' feet, He was giving them an example of the ministry they would receive. They, too, would lay down their lives in order to present every man faultless, perfected, and holy to the Father, so we might be received into the family of God with joy.

 

The disciples would learn to lay down their lives and their rights for the sake of others, just as Jesus had done for them. That is the unmistakable Spirit of all true ministry. No servant of God serves himself at the expense of the church, but he or she can be found washing feet, serving the poor, aiding widows and orphans, and preaching the unadorned Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

We who are true servants desire to see God bring many sons and daughters to glory, and we are given the honor of washing their feet, just as Jesus did for us. Now, they too are clean, and together, we all can sit at the Lord's table. This is what Jesus was teaching His disciples by washing their feet, and this is what He is teaching us — ". . . you will know after this." Now you know.

 

Let's Pray - Dear Lord, thank You for teaching us the value of service. May we do the same for others that You have done for us. May You find us washing our brothers' and sisters' feet. In Jesus, Amen.