The power of washing feet

It is a pity that servant leadership has been largely ignored by the Christian church over the centuries. The Catholic Church has correctly elevated three vows as essential to the spirituality of the clergy, and these are the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. What is interesting is that over the past 2,000 years the Church has not considered it necessary to add a fourth vow — the vow of servant leadership. I have called servant leadership “the missing vow” because I consider the practice of servant leadership to be so central to Jesus’ teaching that the vow of obedience can only be fully meaningful if it is seen in relation to servant leadership. I would go so far as to argue that some of the mistakes made by the Church are a direct result of the fact that servant leadership has not been given its proper place in Christian spirituality. The focus of this article is on the importance of “washing each other’s feet” as a central element in Christian leadership and Christian relationships. The scriptural basis for this aspect of Christian living is in John 13 where, on the evening of the Last Supper, we are shown Jesus vacating his place at the head of the table and coming down to wash his disciples’ feet. Washing feet was the lowest chore that one could perform in the Jewish culture of the time, and we should imagine how demeaning it was for Jesus to do this, considering how dirty the feet of his disciples must have been. I believe that Peter’s protestation was not only a result of his concern for Jesus having to perform such a humble act, but sheer embarrassment at the fact that his Lord was going to wash his own dirty feet! This was one of the most powerful demonstrations of Jesus’ humility, all the more so if we consider that he was humble enough to wash the feet of Judas who was about to betray him. But Jesus was not just concerned about demonstrating his humility and the spirit of forgiveness. He wanted to show how important it was for his followers not only to remember this momentous occasion, but to follow his example by doing the same to one another: “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” I will now try to show what a powerful act of Christian leadership washing other people’s feet can be and how such humility can bring about heartfelt reconciliation. What follows is a true story about C Gene Wilkes, a Baptist pastor who had experienced rejection by his church community. Some core members of the church had left, parish membership had gone down, and collections had declined. The church officers wanted to fire the pastor, but decided to start by giving him an ultimatum. They gave him two weeks to pray and consider their position and to tell them what should be done. The following is the pastor’s account of what happened when he met the officers on the day of reckoning: “When we all got into the room, I thanked them for drawing a line in the sand concerning my leadership and my commitment to the mission of God on our church. I told them there was on thing God had told me to do before I gave them an answer. I took a towel…and I walked towards Ted, the chairman of deacons. I knelt before him and began to wipe the dust from his shoes. I began to weep…I asked his forgiveness for not supporting him and allowing us to be drawn apart. I prayed for him as I did what God told me to do. “When I finished praying, I stood up. Ted stood, too. Talk about a pregnant pause… Ted put his hands on my shoulders and turned me around to where he had been sitting. He took the towel from my hands and knelt before me. He, too, wiped my shoes and prayed for me. I could not hold back my emotions. I did not know what was next, but I now knew what reconciliation felt like.” Instead of being proud and protesting against the decision of the church authorities, the pastor humbled himself and washed the feet of those who were about to fire him. The result was that an atmosphere of Spirit-filled reconciliation was created, and the pastor was reinstated and began to lead in a manner that inspired all.