This is the night of love and betrayal.

This is the night of a new commandment.

This is the night of humility and of service.

This is the night of water, bread, and wine.

The apostle John does not mention the institution of the Holy Communion. Instead, he is the only one who narrates the feet-washing story. John ties it with Jesus suffering on the cross and his ultimate love to his disciples. Jesus sets an example before his disciples on how to love and serve one another.

My mother suffers from continuous swollen feet. She can’t walk for a long distance. I always imagine myself bringing a basin with warm water and soaking her feet in a combination of lavender and Epsom salt and massaging them. Taking care of my mother’s feet is a sign of love and care. Jesus loved his disciples to the point of acting as a slave by washing their feet. In antiquity, women or slaves washed the feet of the guests, but never the host.

Jesus washed all his disciples’ feet. It is highly possible that women attended the Last Supper and Jesus washed the feet of his female disciples. But the most interesting point is that Jesus washed Judas Iscariot’s feet.

Jesus knew that Judas was planning to betray him. Despite Judas’ unfaithfulness, Jesus washed his feet. Jesus loves the unlovable, and he does not exclude anyone of his love.

Jesus accepted and loved Judas, who betrayed him, and gave him another chance. Jesus loved Judas and washed his feet even though he referred to him as an unclean person.

Imagine Jesus bending down and doing the dirty work. Imagine he comes closer to Judas and touches his feet. Give yourself a minute to imagine how they look into each other’s eyes. Imagine what they were thinking of at that moment. Jesus’ eyes were full of love, but Judas’ eyes were full of betrayal. It takes a perfect love to wash the feet of a person like Judas. Jesus is love incarnate.

By washing his disciples’ feet, Jesus set to them an example of love and humility. Jesus teaches his disciples to love one another and to be humble. He says in v.15 “For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.” Jesus did not say, “you also should think or should believe as I have done to you.” No, he said, “you should do.” We should love our neighbor as Jesus loves us. He wasn’t talking about having warm fuzzy feelings. Instead, Jesus is talking about Agape love, the divine love. Agape means whatever you do will have your best interests in mind toward your neighbor. “Jesus is showing us that we are not to be selective with our love. We have received in abundance the boundless love of God, and so we are to shower that love on others. Regardless of what a person says or does we are to love them, never to hold back.”[1]

On this night, Jesus gives us an example on how to live as Christians and how leaders should lead. Jesus calls us to love and to be humble. Jesus’ love moved him to humble himself and serve his enemy, Judas. Each one of us is potentially a Judas. We deceive Christ in our lives one way or another. We allow our passion to control us. We allow our passion to develop from a passion to betrayal. Jesus knows your heart. Jesus knows that you are sinner, but righteous at the same time. Jesus wants to wash your feet to cleanse you from all impurity. Jesus loves the repentant. Jesus wants to be close to you and touch your hands and feet. He wants to be very close to you. He wants to touch you and feel you because you are precious in his eyes and he loves you.

Tonight, Jesus also teaches us that even our enemies are deserving of Jesus’ love and your love. Jesus sets an example for us to love our enemy, not through words but through our actions. Jesus shows us how to love one another, and he commands us to “go and do likewise.”