Unless I Wash You

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

January 8, 2026

Unless I Wash You

So (Jesus) got up from the table, took off his robe,

wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin.

Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet,

drying them with the towel he had around him.

John 13:4-5 

Yesterday, we remembered the Supremacy of Christ in Colossians 1:15-20. We remembered that God reconciled everything to himself, making peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. Yesterday, we remembered that we, who have trusted in Christ, have been brought into the presence of God, holy and blameless without a single fault. Today, we see this Jesus, who shed his blood on the cross so that we may come into the presence of God, took upon himself the role of a servant and washed the feet of his disciples.

Handling the filthy feet of his disciples, (remember they had walked around all day in sandals on dusty roads and paths) is both an act of servanthood, and something very intimate. This, from the one soon to be acclaimed as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

This act of Jesus can be processed in many directions, not the least of which is our understanding of a leader. Personally, I cannot not think of one leader, either in public service or in service to a church, who can be favorably compared to Jesus in this setting. What about me? In my service as a leader in my home, with my wife and my children, how do I measure up against Jesus in today’s setting from John’s Gospel?

My Takeaway: Bishop N.T. Wright brought home from a visit to Israel, an olivewood carving of Peter protesting Jesus’ washing of his feet. (verses 13:6-9) The carving reminds him of Jesus’ words to Peter: “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” (8b)

I will never be a Godly leader in my home, or elsewhere, until I first allow Jesus to wash me.

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2026 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.