John 13: 14-15 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.

The preamble to the account of Jesus divesting himself of his coat and grabbing a towel, a basin and water to wash his disciples’ feet says: “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.”

Washed any feet lately? Well, who do you profess to love? Is it your spouse, your father or mother, a sibling, your child, your Pastor, a Teacher? Who did I leave out? What is the state of that relationship right now? If you had to leave this world right this minute, what would your legacy be like? Would the people you cherish most or interact with every day be able to say he showed me the full extent of his love? Ouch!

Many of us, especially those who are parents, know how to love sacrificially. We will give “stuff” even when we can’t afford it and we give of our time endlessly. The one thing we find hardest to do is to love with humility – doing the things we consider beneath us for the sake of the other. This is often evident in families or at work in front of our peers as we draw the line – “I will not humiliate myself” or “I will never apologize”.

The Son of God humbled himself before his disciples as an example to them and us. There is no greater humiliation, especially in view of the fact that He left his majestic glory to come down to this earth to be mocked, spat upon and be crucified. This kind of love is redemptive. Pick one person in your life today with whom you are at odds and humble yourself before him/her.  See what happens! Jesus put it all in context for us, “I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.” (John 13:16).