From Forward Day by Day
John 13:8 Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.”
On this night, it is traditional to celebrate the first Eucharist Jesus shared with his disciples in the upper room. It is, of course, also traditional to celebrate the new commandment, when Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” That new commandment is enacted in the washing of feet, a gesture that was as tender and intimate then as it is today.
Peter didn’t want any part of this, and plenty of modern folk don’t want any part of it either. Washing feet is awkward. Having one’s feet washed is awkward. But that’s how it is with caring for one another. We do it regardless of our feelings, because it is right and we are commanded so to do. Some churches wash hands instead of feet, which lacks the intimacy and awkwardness to be a fit symbol. We are commanded to do this thing that we don’t want to do. Our very resistance is exactly why we should be vulnerable and love others and accept their love.
