Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet….John 13:5

Feet are definitely an underrated component of our bodies. We take them for granted and abuse them terribly until they decide to complain. We wear shoes that are inappropriate for providing good support, choosing style over functionality. We trim our toenails incorrectly, causing ingrown nails, pain, inflammation, and infection. Feet are exposed to all kinds of grime and, let’s face it, sometimes they can be downright stinky.

The average eighty-year-old is thought to walk between 75,000 and 110,000 miles in a lifetime, based on 6,800 to 7500 steps per day. The earth is just under 25,000 miles in circumference, so these figures would mean we travel a distance equal to anywhere from 3 to 4.4 times around the earth. That’s a lot of walking!

As the daughter and granddaughter of two very affected diabetes patients, I have learned to be aware of the condition of my feet. My mom and my paternal grandfather both suffered from the disease, so I became a prime candidate to inherit the genetic propensity. To date, I have no symptoms, but I continue to be vigilant. I watch my weight, try to eat a healthy diet, hydrate generously, get proper exercise and rest….just normal good health practices. I also keep a close watch on my feet. Any change in appearance or sensation gives me pause to wonder, and I have a talk with my doctor.

On Sunday morning, as we were driving from church to the restaurant we had chosen for lunch, a red light stopped us. As we waited, watching cars zipping this way and dashing that, each going to a specific destination, I couldn’t help thinking how different it was for Jesus and His followers as they travelled to Jerusalem for the final week of Jesus’ life on earth. I’ve only been in a desert a few times in my life. I had plenty of water and was seated comfortably in an air-conditioned car. Even though I’m a pretty avid walker, I can’t imagine how they endured walking everywhere they went. And they did it through dry, filthy sand with only sandals on their feet, not always knowing where water would be found or if it would be fit to drink. By the end of the day, their feet were a grimy, nasty mess, sore and tired, covered in calluses, much in need of a cool, refreshing bath and a deep massage that likely didn’t happen. Based on the region Jesus covered during his three-year ministry, it’s been estimated that his average walk each day was about twenty miles, more on some and less on others.

Considering the conditions of the land the people of Jesus’ time inhabited, it’s easy to understand why the ritual of foot washing was so necessary. When a landowner finished his work for the day, he was met at the door by the lowliest of his servants, basin in hand, ready to cleanse the feet of his master.

But when Jesus entered the upper room to dine with his disciples, covered in an apron and carrying a basin of water, his best friends couldn’t really believe what they were seeing.

Why would he, their teacher and mentor, stoop so low as to wash their grimy feet? His hands had shaped the planet, and one day every nation would kneel at his feet. But now, he washes their feet. Why?

He wants his disciples to know how much he loves them. Max Lucado

Make no mistake, this message was not just for his disciples…oh, no! It was for every one of us. If we don’t allow him to cleanse us from all the grime of our past sins, we will never know peace and will not be allowed to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

“No.” Peter protested, “you will never wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” John 13:8 NLT

This was just one step toward his journey to the cross, but a monumentally essential one if we choose to know him as our friend. He’ll take all our baggage and wash it away, white as snow, and make himself at home in our hearts, if we let him! Are you ready to have your dirty feet washed?