Picking up the towel

“If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example, so that you also would do just as I did for you.”
John 13:14–15

There are some jobs nobody wants to do.

In Jesus’ day, washing feet was one of them. People walked dusty roads in open sandals. Their feet were dirty, sweaty, and nasty. It was the kind of job usually left for the lowest servant in the house.

Yet in John 13, Jesus got up from the table, laid aside His outer garments, wrapped a towel around His waist, poured water into a basin, and began washing the disciples’ feet.

That would be humbling enough by itself. But the timing makes it even more powerful.

Jesus knew what was coming. He knew Judas would betray Him. He knew Peter would deny Him. He knew almost all the rest would scatter and abandon Him. In a matter of hours, the men around that table would fail Him badly.

And still, Jesus served each of them.

He didn’t do it because they deserved to be served. He didn’t do it because it was easy. He didn’t do it because it was comfortable or convenient. He served because humble service is part of who He is.

Think about that.

God Himself wrapped a towel around His waist and did the nasty work for people who should have been serving Him.

Then Jesus looked at His disciples and said, “I gave you an example.”

That means this is not just a scene we admire. It is a pattern we are called to follow.

Someone once said, “The real test of whether you have a servant’s heart is how you act when someone treats you like one.” That hits close to home because most of us like the idea of being servants until serving costs us something.

We do not mind serving when people notice. Or when people are thankful. Or when the work feels meaningful.

But Jesus served people who were about to disappoint Him.

That reshapes the question.

The question isn’t, “Is this easy?”
The question isn’t, “Is this comfortable?”
The question isn’t, “Do they deserve it?”

The question is, “Will I follow Jesus?”

Servant leadership is not about being seen, holding a title, or getting credit. It begins when we are willing to serve like Jesus, even when the work is humble, unnoticed, and inconvenient.

It is about humility, obedience, and love.

Jesus picked up the towel.

He calls us to do the same.