Say, “Cheese!”

If you have children, it’s a pretty safe bet that you know how utterly disgusting they can be. Well, I have five. Each different in their grossness, but each cringe-worthy. I’m not going to name them with their nasty attributes – that would just be rude, and I’m not out to embarrass any of them. All of them think the noises their bodies make is hilarious, but I’m not going to write about reasons to say excuse me. I’m not going to delve into the rite of passage of needing to wear deodorant or the fight it is to get some of them to shower. And it’s not even about the fiery dragon breath each morning.

Let’s talk feet. Here’s some fun (and gross!) foot facts: the world record for longest toenails is six inches long (combined length of 87 inches), there is such a thing as foot cheese (that’s a different kind of cheddar – Ireland in 2013 – eew!), there are 250k sweat glands in our feet (wonder if that has anything to do with the foot cheese), and every part of our body has a corresponding pressure point found in our feet.

You’ve probably encountered the smell of absolute wretchedness after you or someone else has worn shoes with no socks (250k sweat glands at work). You know the smell I’m talking about. I can’t even count how many times I’ve gotten onto my kiddos for the dirty deed. But it’s not just their feet that smell after that, but their shoes are stuck with it! And it’s not that they don’t have socks – they all have socks. They’re just either too lazy to put them on, or they can’t find them (probably under the bed or tucked into the couch cushions – growing cheese). I have one kiddo in particular who has smelly feet no matter the use of socks or the recent shower.

Our church has been reading through the book of John together and chapter 13 caught my interest because of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet. Can someone say eew!?

So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.  John 13:4-5 NLT

While I’ve read this before, this time around I couldn’t seem to move beyond Jesus getting up from the table and washing His disciples’ feet. You know those smells that you can remember quite vividly no matter where you are? When I read this, I smelled the odor my one child’s feet in particular emits. I stopped myself from gagging too much, but really – can you imagine?

They may not have been overly odorous (they wore sandals back then – pretty good ventilation), but they were probably layered with dirt, dust, grime, and who knows what (I’m thinking dust particles of animal dung)! Before you remind me, I do know that it was customary to wash feet before or upon entering a home and before eating a meal. But as I recall the smell of my one kiddo’s feet, I can’t help but imagine that they were still probably disgusting.

The significance of Jesus removing His outer garment (like setting aside His Great-I-Am-ness) and tying a towel around His waist (customary for servants), is something I had never given much thought to. Think of all that – the possible caked-on-grime of the smelly feet He was going to wash – with this verse in mind.

Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. John 13:3 NLT

I find this so impactful when picturing Jesus washing His disciples’ feet. He knew exactly who He was, He knew the power and authority He possessed, yet He set all that aside and took on the role of servant. That, my friends, is humility.

Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples (John 13:6-9), initially refused to have Jesus wash His feet. Was it because He recognized who Jesus was? Maybe he knew how wretched he was. Maybe, like one of my kiddos in particular, his feet really were that bad. In all seriousness, there are so many gems that we can take and learn from in this passage, but there’s one that stands out more and more for me.

We have this terrible idea of comparison being a good thing. Compared to so and so, I’m a lot holier. Or compared to the crackhead who’s covered in satanic tattoos, I’m looking pretty good. No matter what you’ve done, Jesus not only wants to clean you up, but He’s willing and able to. And no matter who you are, we all need Him. So much time is wasted when we start comparing ourselves with each other. Jesus wants to take our smelly, grimy, animal-dung-encrusted feet and clean them as only He can.

When the Holy Spirit nudges us to accept Jesus’ offer to clean the dirtiest parts of us (and everything in between), I hope that we’ll humble ourselves to accept this beautiful and refreshing free gift (Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9). It is the most significant moment of humility that we will ever experience, but it is certainly not meant to be our last.

There are many Christians whose main focus is on Jesus’s death and resurrection, but they are missing out on so much! Jesus’ few years of ministry are recorded so that we can take hold of the goodness of God – the overflowing, chase-you-down, relentless love of our Father. But we’re not meant to stop there.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10 NASB

That word, life, from the Greek word zóé (Strong’s G2222), does not just refer to spiritual life, but our physical life as well. Jesus’ ministry, from turning water into wine to raising Lazarus from the dead, touched every aspect of what we need to rely on Him for… in this life. By turning water into wine, it shows that He cares about our reputation (John 2:1-11). In the death of Lazarus, his sisters – Mary and Martha – lost something precious to them, but by Jesus raising Him from the dead, I understand that until it’s good, God’s not done (John 11:1-40).

And God’s not done with you.

Jesus’ life demonstrated how we’re to live: in total peace because we’re wholly reliant upon our Father. Jesus was able to sleep in the storm the disciples swore would kill them (Matthew 8:23-27). And He was able to humble Himself to wash the feet of His disciples – including the one who would betray Him (John 13:10-12). See, it’s not just those who are our friends who we’re to show God’s love to. His love and servanthood were never reserved for only those who would accept Him, but for the whole world.

He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world. I John 2:2 NLT

And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” Mark 16:15-18 NLT

For those who believe, we’re supposed to have the same miraculous signs accompany us. We’re supposed to be able to lay hands on the sick and see them recover. But notice that this doesn’t say that only those who believe can or will receive healing. Whether they accept the good news or not, we’re not to withhold God’s love from them.

Like Jesus, we’re to wash the feet of even those who would betray us. We’re to wash the feet of those who have already done us wrong. We’re to wash the feet of everyone God directs us to regardless of what the world deems their value. We’re not to only heal them if they’re in the same church as us or have the same doctrine. It doesn’t matter if they’re the crackhead covered in satanic tattoos – we’re to go to them as well as the wholesome family living in the cul-de-sac.

John 13:3-5 shows me that it doesn’t matter how smelly your feet are, there is nothing – no foot cheese, no 250k sweat glands, and no toenail length – that will stop Jesus from loving us. This is how Jesus wants us to treat others – with humility. We accept His sacrifice in humility, and we serve others in a humility that only He can provide. It’s time we get out there and wash some feet.