One of our family scripture readings during Advent is John 13. It's fun to talk with my kids about all that we can learn from Jesus' example of washing His disciples feet and His instruction for us to do the same. I think there are two take-aways that specifically bring clarity to an often hazy space between judgment and grace. Because we know that it's wrong for us to judge others, we often er in overcompensating. Like a driver that swerves so hard to miss something in the road that he flips his car, creating an equally dangerous situation. We don't want to be guilty of judging others and so we run so hard away from judging that we're not even willing to warn each other or edify each other. The same fault is found with some who don't wan't to be found guilty of allowing or even enabling sin. Instead they find that in their zealous fight for righteousness, they've stumbled across the line into judging others rather than efying. An then there's Jesus, our perfect example. He teaches us how to treat each other and, at the same time, how to treat our enemies. Jesus tells Peter that he's already clean. But having walked around a bit in sandal, he needs to have his feet washed. And so Jesus washes His feet. Now we can be guilty at times of proclaiming, like Christ, that everyone's feet are dirty. Our error mostly lies in what we do after that proclaimation. Sometimes we stop and rest comfortably in knowing together that we're a dirty-feet people. It's nothing to be ashamed of, Yet Jesus says we are to wash each others feet. It's not good enough to recognize that our feet are dirty. My dirty feet don;t make yours any cleaner. The fact that you have mud between your toes doesn't clean up the tracks I'm making across the livingroom rug. We need to get to washing each other's feet. It's at this point in the story that my 11 year old pointed out to me that, "Jesus, knowing that the devil had already put it in the heart of Judas to betray Him," went right ahead and washed Judas' feet. Peter's problem with the footwashing was that Jesus, being Lord, was washing His servants feet. Like royalty washing the feet of lowly peasants. But this King, of true royalty, not only washed the feet of His servnts but also kneeled to serve His enemies just the same. So here's the example that Jesus directs us to follow. We should, in recognizing that everyone's feet get dirty, graciously and lovingly wash each others' feet and, likewise, humble ourselves to serve our enemies, and if our enemies, then our friends, neighbors, coworkers, classmates, customers, teachers, delivery guys, and telemarketers just the same. What do you say, we give them all the 'Royal Treatment'?
