If you ever struggle with serving others, here’s a helpful perspective to ponder

It's Maundy Thursday, and every year I seem to miss it.

I don't mean I miss the date on the calendar, or the service many churches will gather for to commemorate Jesus' last supper and washing of his disciples' feet. I mean it's easy to miss the translation of "he washed his disciples' feet" of John 13:5 into the reality of just who these people were that Jesus cleansed.

Think for a moment about who sat around that table.

None of them deserved it, yet all of them desperately needed it.

Peter and Judas are named in John's account of the feet washing, but all of Jesus' twelve disciples were sitting there. That's important. It's important because it reminds us of the unconditional nature of what Jesus did for them that night - and the next day on the cross.

Consider the thoughts that might come to mind if you were going around that table, washing each set of feet:

• Judas Iscariot: He would betray Jesus. What do we do with those who betray us? We tend to want to fix them, guilt them, shame them, repay them.

• Simon Peter: Enthusiastic, strong-willed, impulsive, and, at times, brash. All this before he would deny Jesus that evening.

• James & John: The two brothers were full of zeal, passion, ambition. They wanted to be the closest to Jesus, and greatest in the eyes of others.

• Matthew: The tax collector would no doubt have been seen as traitor to many, known for dishonest gain and as a supporter of Rome.

• Simon the Zealot: Likely the extreme opposite of Matthew, Simon would've opposed anyone who didn’t have same view as his.

• Thomas: Had a reputation for doubting that earned him a nickname even today.

• Andrew: One of the first disciples, but not necessarily "inner circle" like we see with Peter and John.

• Philip: Philip reminds me of the realists in life, always calculating. He measured the capacity to actually carry out the feeding of multitudes.

• Nathanael (or Bartholomew): Nathanael had an episode that revealed his honest skepticism of Jesus. Perhaps he'd judged a book by its cover in his initial impression of Jesus.

• Judas (or Thaddeus): Known for his statement, “Reveal yourself to the whole world Jesus," his attention was on the big, powerful stuff. We're much the same, wanting to force others into our way of doing things.

• James the Lesser/Younger: Not much is known or said about him. We all have these people in our lives...those we don't know much about. They're obscure to us, not on the radar.

With that stuff in view, I confess I'd be reluctant to wash some of those feet.

As I read through this list, thinking about similar people in my own life, it's easy to think of all the things I would do to fix them before I'd be inclined to serve them. And yet, these are the faces that Jesus looked upon in that late hour of his life, and saw a deeper, different kind of fixing. What happened that night they would only later understand more clearly.

While we prefer to fix what's in front of us, Jesus stepped off his throne to fix what's inside of us.

To make sure they/we don't just keep that as a lofty ideal, Jesus returned to his place at the table and gave the implications of what he'd just done:

This evening, whether at a church service or on your own, consider the eternal impact upon your life: that Jesus washed your feet.

I pray we all preserve that in the heart and mind as we encounter the unique faces, personalities, preferences, and differences of the people in front of us.

Until next time,

Nathan