Wednesday, July 8, 2026
John 13:1-17
Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet
13 Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 The devil had already decided that Judas son of Simon Iscariot would betray Jesus. And during supper 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4 got up from supper, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
12 After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had reclined again, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16 Very truly, I tell you, slaves are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
Have you ever seen the show “Undercover Boss”? The premise is simple: a CEO puts on a disguise and works alongside regular employees, learning their stories along the way. Then comes the dramatic reveal, when the employee discovers that their new co-worker was actually the CEO the whole time.
I’ve always thought the premise of that show felt a little out of touch. The takeaway often seems to be: pay your employees more than you are now. But that is another devotional.
In this famous passage from John’s Gospel, we get a very different kind of “undercover boss” moment. The point is not that an out-of-touch leader comes down to spend time with frontline workers. The point is that the disciples still do not understand the mission of the one they are following.
Even in the upper room, the disciples seem to imagine a Messiah defined by glory, honor, and power. And if that is who Jesus is, then surely that must also define what it means to follow him. But when Jesus stoops down to wash their feet, he overturns that vision completely. In the ancient world, foot washing belonged to the lowest servant in the house. It was work marked by humility, discomfort, and love.
What Jesus is showing them is this: if you want to follow me, you need to understand who I am. I am a servant. Jesus says elsewhere that he came not to be served, but to serve. And if that is true of our Savior, then it must also shape the lives of those who belong to him. To follow Jesus is to move toward the low place in love for the sake of another.
So what might it look like for you to wash feet this week? What act of humble service, hidden care, or inconvenient love might Jesus be inviting you into?
– Pr. Jason
Gracious God, give me the courage to walk where you walk, serve where you serve, and to love whom you love. Amen.
