Behold His Mercy!

Ichthys

Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ.

Ephesians 4:32

[Jesus] wraps a servant’s girdle around his waist, takes up the basin, and kneels before one of the disciples. He unlaces a sandal and gently lifts the foot and places it in the basin, covers it with water, and begins to bathe it. One by one, one grimy foot after another, Jesus works his way down the row.…

You can be sure Jesus knows the future of these feet he is washing. These twenty-four feet will not spend the next day following their master, defending his cause. These feet will dash for cover at the flash of a Roman sword. Only one pair of feet won’t abandon him in the garden. One disciple won’t desert him at Gethsemane—Judas won’t even make it that far! …

Behold the gift Jesus gives his followers! He knows what these men are about to do.… And when they do, he wants them to remember how his knees knelt before them and he washed their feet. He wants them to realize those feet are still clean.… He forgave their sin before they even committed it. He offered mercy before they even sought it.

Just Like Jesus

Lucado, M., & Gibbs, T. A. (2000). Grace for the moment : Inspirational thoughts for each day of the year (88). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.