Try to understand me, Master,
I cannot let you wash my feet
Considering where I have
walked
Out there on the dirty
streets.
My feet are dusty and dirty
I can wash them by myself,
You don’t have to stoop to wash
them
And risk your fragile health.
I am strong and robust
And accustomed to the dust,
I could wash yours if you like
But as for mine, there’s no
fuss.
Deep down you must understand
I won’t be washing another’s,
Mine I will wash of course
But with theirs, I won’t be
bothered.
How dare they expect of me
To ever stoop that low!
No way! I am telling you,
Master,
But I have no doubt you know.
I will wash yours, Master,
And I will do so in a flash
But if I am forced to wash
theirs,
There will surely be a clash.
What I don’t want for me
I certainly don’t want for
them
And once we all understand
this,
I do not expect a problem.
This must have been the issue
That ran through Peter’s mind
When Jesus attempted to wash
his feet
On that very first time.
The issue was not the feet
It was really about the heart
But quite a lot was wrong
therein
So, the feet provided a start.
The heart is loaded with pride
The feet represent humility,
The bending or stooping is
critical
To correct a heart that is
haughty.
And the lower the degree of
person
To whose feet we must attend,
The better the character
building
As the lower we must bend.
Peter would gladly attend to
Jesus
But not to the lowly sheep,
It was much too far to be
bending
To wash another’s feet.
It took him a while to
understand
The lesson Jesus was teaching,
It was never really about feet;
It was definitely more far
reaching.
He tried to apply it to his
body
He had not gotten it yet,
He felt it had to do with
being clean
But the humility he didn’t
get.
It would take a while longer
When Jesus gave that command:
Yes! It was about feeding the
sheep
And ministering to the lambs.
On the day of Pentecost
It finally settled down on
Peter
The servant-leader he was
called to be
That day he was the preacher.
Stewart Russell © June 2020
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