We no longer walk everywhere now that we have motorized vehicles.. But even if you live in a really walkable town, most people there probably wear shoes most of the time, not sandals. And even if people do a lot of walking with sandals, your streets are likely paved, so they’re not going to get caked with dust and dirt. And even if they were a little bit dusty when they showed up at your house, you (or your non-existent servant) would not bend down with a basin of water and a towel and give them a quick foot bath.
So Jesus’ command that “you should do as I have done for you” poses a bit of an interpretive challenge.
Do we take him literally at his word and example and reinstitute this practice in our homes? (Weird.) Do we turn it into a symbolic religious practice, as we have done with Communion, and as some church traditions have done? (Also weird). Do we risk breaking a command of Jesus by ignoring it altogether, just pretending he never said it? Do we risk being unfaithful to his commands by explaining it away and willfully disobeying it?
Or is there a way to be faithful to Jesus by reimagining his command for our times?
Perhaps not taking Jesus literally, but rather reimagining his commands in different times and places and cultures is a way of being more faithful to him.
As a guide toward such faithful reimagining, consider questions about common tasks like:
- What is a task that no one likes to do?
- What is a common task that is considered dirty?
- What is a task that you feel like is beneath your social standing or skill level?
- What is a task that, if money were no object, you would pay someone else to do?
- What is a task that brings you into humble and intimate proximity to others?
- What is a task that makes you feel more like a servant and less like a boss?
