"No Joke!"

 "He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself." (John 13:4 KJV)

  "Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up your loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding." (Job 38:1-4 KJV)

 This is really a simple illustration of Jesus awakening to the task that is at hand; not the washing of feet, although He is preparing for that by His actions: but the washing away of the sins, for all of mankind! It is the answer and the response that He expected from Job, as He demanded an answer for Job's lack of understanding. Basically, the action being presented, according to John, is Jesus awakening, if you will, to the task at hand; as if to say, "Okay, here it goes!" 

 When Adam and Eve were afraid because of their nakedness, who do you think clothed them with the skins of animals? It was Jesus! Unlike some, there was something which needed to be done to correct their embarrassment, so He did it, while also establishing a temporary covering for their sins: the spilling of innocent blood! 

 This was something that Jesus was absolutely serious about doing; it wasn't just Him showing the disciples how to be humble, but Him showing them the solutions for the forgiveness of, or temporary covering, for sins. That is not about how God sees us, but more about how we see ourselves and our fellow believers. Just as He clothed Adam and Eve, to satisfy their nakedness, this too was the illustration of what it means to clothe one another, by the washing of one another's feet. 

 To be clear, it doesn't involve us actually washing feet, although that does help produce humility; it is more about helping our brothers and sisters deal with sin, that sin which might cause them to feel unworthy to serve or even be part of the family of God. Instead, we judge! Maybe not out load and in public; but we judge one another in our hearts, comparing what others might do, to ourselves; and using their sinfulness as a temporary covering for our own sin.

 The bottom line is that sin needs to be dealt with! One thing is for sure: it will feel more awkward and embarrassing for the one who needs to have their feet washed, then it does for the one who does the actual washing! That is no joke...

"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below - indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39 NLT)