Having talked yesterday about the enormity of the resurrection and its fundamental power to change how we live, today’s reading seems almost mundane: John 13:2-7, 12-17 gives us an insight into servanthood which really does not look impressive. Jesus chose to wash His disciples’ feet. There is nothing grandiose about this task. There is nothing exciting about the ordinary act a servant would do in Middle Eastern countries. But this is how Jesus chose to set an example of what He wanted service to look like.
Being a servant is how we demonstrate the change God has brought to our lives. Putting others first is not natural. We are taught to ‘look after number one’ from being born and greatness often seems to us to be about how many people we can bend to our will, about how rich or famous we may become. These are the changes we aspire to. Yet Jesus shows us in practical ways how to serve and names this as the true path to greatness.
As we serve others, we serve Jesus Himself. (Matt 25:34-40)
