by Richard Clark, Jr.

It is the night that Jesus’ disciples would scatter. The Passover has arrived. Jesus has given specific directions to His disciples about how to prepare for it, and now, the upper room and the meal is ready.

Jesus and the rest are gathered around the table. The smells of yeastless bread, herbs, and roast lamb combine, forming a reassuring aroma. Normally, this would be a peaceful, joyous occasion.

But tonight, the calm and happiness is missing. Those two low-down fishermen—James and John—have have proved that they are simply shameless. They have asked for the seats of honor on either side of Jesus when His kingdom is established. They have even used their mama as a tool to try to get their way—or maybe it was her idea. Either way, it’s disgusting.
 
A breach is growing in the disciples’ friendships, and it doesn’t look as though it will heal any time soon.

"Those selfish, brazen brothers, always looking out for themselves," Peter mutters to Judas. But what no others mention aloud is that they want a key position as badly as those Sons of Thunder. Even around the Passover table, the disciples are snidely commenting on who wouldn’t be the greatest. Each disciple is now more anxious than ever to claim the highest office for himself. Jesus is soon going to be king. These key decisions won’t wait forever.

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 Thomas notices first. Jesus? What is He doing? He has dressed down—like He’s going to… No, surely not!

Thomas nudges Nathanael. Following Thomas’ gaze, Nathanael’s eyes grow large. Jesus takes a basin of water and a towel and starts to wash Judas’ feet. Could they be seeing things? Sleep has been hard to come by lately. No, it is real.

"Whaaa…? Master, uhhmmm," the disciples’ gut responses spill out almost involuntarily.

Jesus goes one-by-one to the group of formerly squabbling men, cleaning their rough, smelly, travel-fouled feet. It is an act of degradation for an Easterner. In this act, Jesus gives Himself completely to His disciples, silently addressing their selfish hearts with humble service.

Now Jesus has their undivided attention. The not-so-silent power struggle ceases. Why is our Lord taking on this servant’s task? they wonder. When Jesus comes to Peter, Peter indignantly responds, "You shall never wash my feet!"

"You don’t understand what I’m doing now, but you will know after this," Jesus answers (John 13:7). "You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you" (John 13:12-15).

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All His life, Jesus served others. The disciples had experienced this first hand. Very soon, the last drops of His blood would be shed to wash the sin-sickened world. The disciples could not yet fathom the kind of Kingdom their Lord was establishing. Gethsemane, Calvary, and the walk to Emmaus must come before they will understand. One disciple—the one to whom Jesus gave a piece of bread at the Passover meal—would not understand until it was too late.

But the Eleven would remember Jesus’ words, the words He spoke when James and John made that contentious request: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:26-28).
 
     It is a lesson we need no less today than did Jesus’ first disciples.

Richard Clark is assistant editor of Connected magazine.