40 Acts of Lent: Day 38 - 'Wash day'

Act thirty eight - Wash Day by Andy Frost
Today's Maundy Thursday, the day when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. It was a simple act that said so much about service, humility, showing others their significance, and God's kingdom. So today, prepare to wash some (literal or symbolic) feet.

"Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." 

                                                                                                                            John 13:14–15 (NIV)

The Passion Week is building to a crescendo. The day of the Passover has arrived. The Passover feast reminded the Jewish people of their story, their dramatic escape from captivity 1,500 years earlier. The salty water reminded them of their tears, the bitter herbs reminded them of the bondage and the unleavened bread reminded them of the hurry with which they had escaped Egypt.
And as groups shared this meal across Jerusalem, perhaps the question on the people's lips was
'When will God send another liberator, like Moses, to free us from Rome?'

The disciples sat with Jesus, going through the familiar patter of the Passover feast, when suddenly Jesus goes off script. He begins to redefine the bread and the wine as 'my body' and 'my blood'. And midway through the meal, Jesus does the unthinkable. He washes his disciples' feet.

In those days, with dusty and dirty, sewage ridden roads, people's feet needed to be cleaned. There were no socks, just sandals. And it was usually the job of the lowest servant in the household.
But that night, Jesus, their Lord and Teacher, ties a towel around his waist and begins cleaning between their toes. Can you imagine what must have been going through the disciples' heads?

It's in this instance we see so clearly that Jesus was not the kind of liberator they were expecting. He was not going to do battle with the kingdom of Rome but was going to usher in a very different kind of kingdom. And as he washes their feet, knowing that one of them will betray him and that the others will desert him, we see the humility of God.

Jesus says, 'I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.' (John 13:15 NIV)

Unbelievably, the disciples that night end up arguing over which of them is the greatest (Luke 22:24). They seem to have completely missed the point. How could they?
But then I feel that sense of conviction, that I, like those disciples, can too often miss the challenge of humility and service. This Maundy Thursday, let's do as Jesus has done.

Choose how to complete this act...

GREEN OPTION:
Keep it simple: offer to do the washing up or wash the windows. Or, learn to do something around the house that you might not normally have done for someone else.

YELLOW OPTION:
Offer to wash something a little more unusual – your neighbour's car, their wheelie bin, their patio.

RED OPTION:
Wash something really dirty for someone else. The kids' football boots might be caked with weeks' worth of mud. The pavement in your street might need a jet wash. There could be some obscene graffiti on a wall in your area. Go and scrub it off.