for souls and soles... Jesus came to cleanse the both...
They were eating dinner, just like the hundreds of other meals they had shared together. But this one was different. This would be the last. The last time they would break bread together. The last time they would sit and fellowship. The last time they would dine with the Lord, their leader. It was the last supper.
They were men. A group of sandal wearing, dust raising men. Toe nails probably unkempt, because let's be honest, most guys don't care. Men who had walked miles and miles on dirt ridden paths. Up hills, down roads, and through valleys as they followed Him. They had given up their livelihood to follow him and spent three years of lives watching him do amazing things like heal the sick, raise the dead, feed the multitudes, and walk on water. They had seen him calm storms, turn water into wine, change the heart of a tax collector, and give sight to the blind. And now they sat around a table, watching him kneel to the floor, as he began to take their feet, their calloused, smelly, rough feet and wash them.
This wasn't a job for him. This was too messy, too lowly. This was a servant's job, not something reserved for the King of Kings. It was strange, a little too close for comfort. An intimate moment as he scrubbed the soles of their feet with his soon to be nail pierced hands. The same hands that had performed great miracles, done great things, was now washing the feet of simple men. Men who were just really starting to figure all of this out. Men who had no idea what this truly meant. Men who never guessed that it would be Jesus, kneeling at their feet, washing away the dirt and grime so that they would be clean.
They were men. A group of sandal wearing, dust raising men. Toe nails probably unkempt, because let's be honest, most guys don't care. Men who had walked miles and miles on dirt ridden paths. Up hills, down roads, and through valleys as they followed Him. They had given up their livelihood to follow him and spent three years of lives watching him do amazing things like heal the sick, raise the dead, feed the multitudes, and walk on water. They had seen him calm storms, turn water into wine, change the heart of a tax collector, and give sight to the blind. And now they sat around a table, watching him kneel to the floor, as he began to take their feet, their calloused, smelly, rough feet and wash them.
This wasn't a job for him. This was too messy, too lowly. This was a servant's job, not something reserved for the King of Kings. It was strange, a little too close for comfort. An intimate moment as he scrubbed the soles of their feet with his soon to be nail pierced hands. The same hands that had performed great miracles, done great things, was now washing the feet of simple men. Men who were just really starting to figure all of this out. Men who had no idea what this truly meant. Men who never guessed that it would be Jesus, kneeling at their feet, washing away the dirt and grime so that they would be clean.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
(John 13:6-8)
Not my feet, Lord. No, you're too good! These feet, they're too messy. Trust me. No one should ever see them, let alone touch them. If only you knew of the callouses that were formed, of the cracks that run deep. If you saw the hardness, the rough state that they are in, you'd change your mind. The stench alone would drive you away. These feet, they have a lot of miles on them. Sure, they walked on water towards you. They've seen good days. But time has passed, and they've journeyed off the path. They've taken steps they shouldn't have. They've run ahead of you, walked away from you, dug into the ground as they resisted you. These feet have been faithful, but they've been unfaithful, too. They've wandered, they've strayed. They've been feet that have a lot of wear and tear. Believe me, Lord, you don't want to touch these soles.
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
But Jesus came to cleanse. To wash away the filth and the mess. To heal, to redeem, to restore. To take the broken and to make it whole. To remove the grime, and to fill the cracks with grace. To bring beauty from ashes, joy from despair Not just to soles, but to souls. That's what he came to save. Not just a part of us, all of us. From the soles to the souls. Because to the unfaithful, He is faithful. To the lost, He the is the way. To the wander, He is a refuge. And to the blemished, He is the one who purifies.
“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
(John 13:9)
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