John 13:1-17
It’s one of the most intimate scenes in the Gospel of John. Jesus kneels. The one who “knew that the Father had given all things into his hands” wraps a towel around his waist and begins washing his disciples’ feet. Dusty feet. Tired feet. Ordinary, human feet.
And Peter is not having it. “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
There’s discomfort in his voice. Resistance. Maybe even embarrassment. When Jesus insists, Peter protests: “You will never wash my feet.”
It’s a strong reaction to an act of love. But perhaps we understand it. Serving is easier. We know how to give. We know how to help. We know how to show up with casseroles and kind words and capable hands. Serving lets us stay in control. Serving allows us to feel useful, strong, needed.
Receiving is another story. Receiving requires vulnerability. It asks us to admit that we are tired. That we cannot fix everything ourselves. That our feet are dusty too.
Peter’s resistance may not be pride in the loud sense. It may be the quiet pride of self-sufficiency, the kind that whispers, “I should be able to manage this on my own.”
But Jesus gently tells him, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” In other words: Let me love you. Let me care for you. Let me serve you.
Lent is often framed as a season of giving something up or taking something on. But perhaps it is also a season of allowing ourselves to be tended to by Christ. A season of loosening our grip on independence and remembering that we, too, are in need of grace. We cannot follow a kneeling Savior if we refuse to kneel long enough to receive his care. And the truth is, when we allow ourselves to receive love – from Christ, from others – our service changes. It becomes less about proving something and more about sharing what we have first been given.
The basin and towel are not just symbols of what we are called to do. They are reminders of what we are invited to accept. This week, perhaps the invitation is not, “How can I serve more?” but “Where do I need to let myself be loved?” Because sometimes the holiest act is not kneeling with the towel. Sometimes it is sitting still long enough to let someone else kneel for you.
Take some time this week to sit with John 13: 1-17, and as you do reflect on the following questions:
- Why do you think Peter resisted Jesus washing his feet? Where do you see yourself in his reaction?
- When is it hardest for you to receive help or care?
- What might it look like to let Christ tend to your weariness this Lent?
- How might receiving love more freely transform the way you serve others?
Let’s pray:
Jesus, you kneel before us with basin and towel, offering a love that humbles and heals. Soften our resistance. Loosen our need to appear strong. Teach us to receive your grace with open hands and honest hearts. And as we are washed by your mercy, shape us into people who serve from love, not from striving. AMEN
