It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:1-5
As I sit here writing this devotion, I have a dish towel on my desk. I received it as a gift from one of my daughters for Christmas and printed on it are the words “Divine service conducted here three times a day”. There’s nothing fancy about this towel. It’s a simple piece of muslin cloth, nothing decorative and no embellishments. Hardly anything to get excited about, but it does the job.
In the first few verses of John 13 we learn that Jesus used a simple towel to teach a sublime message. Jesus often used what was on hand to exhibit and fulfill the will of His Father.
In John 2 for instance, Jesus used the water pots at a wedding. Then there was the man born blind in John 9 and Jesus used clay and spit to give him new eyes to see. Let’s also remember the barley loaves and two fish that He took in His hands, gave thanks and fed thousands.
Our Lord never required special means to accomplish what He knew to be the will of God. He simply took what was given and transformed each task, in every setting and whatever the need of the moment required and gave glory to God.
There are many profound lessons in John 13 and if taken verse by verse we could discover so many jewels. For now let’s just take the simplest lesson. The washing of the disciples feet was meant to show us that there is no service that is beneath a true follower of Christ. But I keep coming back to that towel. When Jesus wrapped that towel around himself and dried the feet of all those men even the one who would betray him, it accomplished a great service!
What has the Lord put in your hands?
Are you married? Your husband is your divine service to the Lord. Are you a mother? Your little one’s (or big ones) are in fact your divine service to the Lord. Are you single? You can serve God greatly by babysitting for an overwhelmed mom or bring a meal to a family or even sit regularly with an elderly person who is lonely and longing for company.
We don’t need to wait for a better time, more convenient circumstances or better gifts to be the hands and feet of Christ in our corner of life. Let’s take what God has already put in our hands! Let’s allow Him to transform those simple and humble means to touch the lives of others in ways we never could have imagined. A simple towel for divine service!