As we prepare for the solemn Passover service, we focus on the significance of foot washing, a symbol Jesus Christ introduced to teach us humility, service, and forgiveness. He desired to instill in His disciples an attitude of serving others, reflecting the mind of God. In the world, humility is often seen as weakness, while arrogance and intimidation are prized, driven by man's carnal nature. Yet, God's way is to be unpretentious, giving, and always willing to serve. During that last Passover evening, Jesus Christ took on the role of a servant by washing His disciples' feet, a task considered demeaning in that culture, typically reserved for the lowest servant. By laying aside His garments and kneeling before them, He demonstrated profound humility and vulnerability, showing that true greatness in His Kingdom comes through service. He taught that if we wish to be part of God's Kingdom, we must humble ourselves and be willing to serve others, just as He did, even in His final hours before death. Foot washing is not merely a ritual for Passover evening but an everyday attitude we must embody. Jesus Christ, as Lord and Master, showed that submitting to others is part of our calling. True service involves self-sacrifice and self-denial, without expecting conditions or rewards. It means giving up time, desires, resources, and energy for the service of God and others, remembering that the servant is not greater than his master. Our Creator came to serve us, and He continues to do so every day. If we aspire to be like Christ, we must grow in humility and serve others with a foot washing attitude of forgiveness, sacrifice, and service all year long.

Jesus impresses on His disciples the difficult and continuous service He requires of them and the attitude in which their service should be given. His followers must give complete obedience to Him no matter what trials come upon them and like Him they must conquer their own human nature by suffering. As servants or bondservants they are not their own but belong to Christ who bought them with His blood. They have no right of ownership of anything because God owns them and all they have even their time. This means they are at His disposal. He demands their total effort at all times and has every right to expect it as He has given all owns all and has a right to all. They are His by creation by redemption and by their surrender of their lives to Him. A master is not required to refresh or compensate his servant immediately even when he has plowed his master's fields or fed his sheep. The servant has merely done his duty. Before the servant can sit down and rest he must prepare and serve his master's meal. Though tired he is still under obligation to serve. From the master's point of view all the servant had already accomplished was a matter of obligation and now he demands further obedience and additional service from him. His needs must be satisfied first and then at the proper time the servant may eat. There is no point at which servants can claim that they have done enough and are entitled to ease. The servant is always a debtor of service and the master is never a debtor of reward. Servants should not expect even thanks. God promises rewards but servants do not work for the Master simply to receive compensation. They serve Him because they are His to command as He wills and because they love Him. He has every right to their service and is under no obligation to thank them for their obedience. The servant does not serve for nothing but receives consideration for the gift of salvation because of his dedicated obedience and humble service. The lowly attitude of the servant is seen clearly in the word translated servant in verse 7. It is the Greek word doulos meaning bondservant. During Christ's time such a servant-slave was under the complete authority of his master. Servants must take this lowly position if they are going to serve their Master well. Their service will always fall short of the suffering and sacrifice Jesus received while in the flesh on earth. Therefore there is no such thing as an excess of earned credit in them. Even after serving their best at what the Master requires they are still unprofitable servants in comparison to Christ. After performing their duty perfectly they are still short of earned credit before God. They cannot build anything on their own effort. If they expect thanks and reward for fulfilling the minimum requirement of work their thoughts are not on the duty but on what they may gain. Christ expects every church member to do his duty in a mind and will unified with His. His emphasis on humility is a hard lesson for those who will not serve unless given recognition honor and position. In reality much of the service performed for Him is humbling and obscure by the world's standard. A humble obedient serving attitude goes a long way to increasing faith and practicing true forgiveness.

Meekness, a tolerant, yielding spirit, represents having the right of way but not insisting on it. Jesus Christ sets the tone of this approach in His discussion with the sons of Zebedee and the other disciples. Even though Jesus spoke with authority, the Gospels show His manner to be peaceable and yielding in most situations. The one with a vast reservoir of experience who has concluded that there are even vaster funds of knowledge yet to be learned will appear as the more provisional and tolerant. As one continues to grow in knowledge, a quality of meekness replaces intolerant rigidity. Through a meek spirit, a teacher can inspire and facilitate the human natural desire to learn by engaging the student's internal motivation. Meekness seems to come about as the result of intense trials and tests. The servant-leader Moses learned meekness and obedience from what he suffered just as Jesus Christ learned obedience through what He suffered so that He could empathize with His brethren. The meekness that accrues from sore trials and life experiences equips people with the sympathy, empathy, and sensitivity to help others enduring similar difficulties. Abraham's learned meekness and gentle spirit he bequeaths to his son Isaac. Because of his yielding and meek behavior, God promised to bless him and increase his descendants as He had his father Abraham. Meekly yielding for the ultimate good does not mean weakness but instead strength, wisdom, and common-sense survival. Jesus promises that the meek will inherit the earth. As our patriarchs Abraham and Isaac demonstrate, meekness represents having the right of way, but not insisting on it.