Have you ever taken a cold shower? On purpose? There is some research out there that says maybe you should. Proponents of cold therapy say taking a cold shower, especially after a workout, can provide you with a number of benefits. They say the shock of going from cold to hot water can stimulate blood cells that fight off infection. There are even studies that show how people who switched to cold showers of just 90 seconds called out sick from work 29% less than people who didn’t switch. Some people say cold showers can combat depression, increase metabolism, and reduce inflammation.
It reminds me a bit of the ice bucket challenge. Do you remember that? It started back in 2014 with three men: Anthony Senerchia, Pete Frates, and Pat Quinn. They inspired more than 17 million people to video themselves dumping a bucket of ice water over their heads and donating money to ALS research. They raised 115 million dollars doing that, just by dumping water over their heads, challenging the next person to do the same, and making a donation.
That is water on your head. What about water on your feet? When I was growing up we used to get a big pot from the kitchen and heat water in it. Then we would lug the pot into the living room, take off our shoes and socks, and put our feet in the pot. We soaked our feet in that water until it turned lukewarm. Nowadays you can get small appliances that do that for you. You still have to put warm water in them but they circulate the water and keep it warm longer. They even come with nifty features like bubbles, a remote control, and temperature adjustment functions.
What if you went to a person’s house for a party and everyone was given their own one of these? You might call it a foot washing party. What if you had these foot washers in every pew in church, maybe one every few feet down? I think that would make me feel uncomfortable, probably because I just don’t associate church with getting my feet wet. Pedicures are a different story. People expect to get their feet wet when they get one of those. That is pretty popular. The global pedicure market reached about 8.7 million dollars in 2024. People get pedicures as a way of pampering themselves. You have people serve you by tending to your feet.
Jesus did the same thing.
John 13:2-7
And during supper 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4 got up from supper, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
How would you feel if you went to work one day and the CEO started washing your feet? What would it be like for a head coach to wash the feet of his or her players? How about the teacher washing the feet of the students, or the general washing the feet of the enlisted men and women in the military? None of those scenarios make sense do they? But isn’t this a greater spread, from Jesus to disciple?
Here is the next verse:
John 13:8
8 Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.”
Now this is interesting. Either Peter allows Jesus to wash his feet, or he puts himself in a position where he is telling Jesus what to do. And guess what? He chose to tell Jesus what to do! Can you imagine telling God what to do? I can. We try to do it all the time. What this tells me about Peter is that he is very very human. Notice what Jesus is saying to him. If I don’t serve you, you can’t serve me. What does that mean for us? If you don’t let Jesus serve you then you can’t have a share with him.
What does it mean to let Jesus serve you? You can choose to not allow Jesus to “enter in” can’t you?
One final verse to examine. John 13:9
9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean.
Why is everyone always trying to trick Jesus? That is what this is. It’s a trick to be able to say Jesus didn’t wash his feet. If he lets Jesus wash all of him then he doesn’t have to admit that there was a foot washing at all. But Jesus instead tells Peter to stop looking for ways around this. Let Jesus serve you. Let Jesus care for you and make you clean. Do this so that you can do the same for others. This is the heart of Christianity and is what we are commanded to do as followers of the one who serves.
God Bless,