February 11, 2024
Have you ever seen a sparkly heart Valentine card with a slogan:
“How can I serve you today?”
And if we found one of these and sent it, most of us would be hoping that the recipient would ask for something from us that was pleasant and easy to give. (Well, okay, I would hope for that. Not you!)
Jesus lived in a land that was dusty and dry. When people arrived at a social occasion, their sandaled feet would be dirty. At Jesus last supper with His disciples, John describes this scene:
“Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. And during supper, Jesus, knowing that God had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper, laid aside His garments and girded Himself with a towel. Then He poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.” (John 13:3-5 RSV)
Jesus said that He came, not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. And He did!
