Jesus washes feet · the greatest bends down to serve
A Bible story to tell as a family · John 13:1–15 · ages 4–12 · 10 min
The story
It was the night before the Passover, the great feast when God’s people remembered how they had been set free from Egypt. Jesus was having supper with his twelve disciples. He knew his hour had come: soon he would leave this world and go to the Father. And John tells us something beautiful about that night: Jesus had loved his own, and he loved them to the very end.
Back then, people walked dirt roads in sandals, and their feet arrived covered in dust. Washing the feet of guests was a servant’s job, the lowliest work in the house. But that night, it was Jesus who got up from the table.
Jesus knew very well who he was. He knew the Father had put all things into his hands, that he had come from God and was going back to God. And what did he do with those hands? He took off his outer robe, tied a towel around his waist, poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, one by one, drying them with the towel. Listen to the little splash of water in the basin. See the Teacher kneeling on the floor.
When it was Peter’s turn, he couldn’t hold back: “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered calmly: “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Stubborn Peter said, “Never shall You wash my feet!” And Jesus: “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me.” Peter changed his mind right away: “Then, Lord,” he said, “not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!”
Jesus explained that someone who has already bathed only needs to wash his feet. And he said something sad: not everyone there was clean. He knew Judas was going to betray him. Even so, Judas was still at that table when Jesus picked up the basin and the towel.
When he had finished, Jesus put his robe back on, sat down, and asked, “Do you know what I have done for you?” They called him Teacher and Lord, and they were right. Then Jesus said, “So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example so that you should do as I have done for you.”
The lesson wasn’t only about water and a towel. It was about a new way of being great: the greatest bends down to care for others. The disciples didn’t understand everything that night. They would understand later, after the cross and the resurrection, that Jesus had done something far greater for them than washing dusty feet.
1It was now just before the Passover Feast, and Jesus knew that His hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the very end. 2The evening meal was underway, and the devil had already put into the heart of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3Jesus knew that the Father had delivered all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was returning to God. 4So He got up from the supper, laid aside His outer garments, and wrapped a towel around His waist. 5After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel that was around Him. 6He came to Simon Peter, who asked Him, “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?” 7Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8“Never shall You wash my feet!” Peter told Him. Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me.” 9“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!” 10Jesus told him, “Whoever has already bathed needs only to wash his feet, and he will be completely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” 11For He knew who would betray Him. That is why He said, “Not all of you are clean.” 12When Jesus had washed their feet and put on His outer garments, He reclined with them again and asked, “Do you know what I have done for you? 13You call Me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, because I am. 14So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15I have set you an example so that you should do as I have done for you.
What the Bible says
- v. 1: Jesus had loved his own who were in the world, and he loved them to the very end.
- v. 5: Jesus himself poured water into the basin, washed the disciples’ feet, and dried them.
- v. 14: If their Lord and Teacher washed their feet, they also should wash one another’s feet.
What we learn
Jesus knew he had all things in his hands, and he used that power to serve. That turns upside down the idea that being important means being served. Peter also teaches us that sometimes it’s hard to let Jesus take care of us: first we receive his love, then we learn to serve. At home, serving isn’t one person’s job; it is Jesus’ way for big and small alike. And serving doesn’t mean accepting mistreatment: it is love freely given, never humiliation.
Questions to talk about
For little ones
- What did Jesus use to wash his friends’ feet?
- Who takes care of you at home? How can you take care of someone today?
For kids
- Why didn’t Peter want Jesus to wash his feet?
- What household chore that nobody likes could you do for someone this week, without anyone asking?
For teens
- Jesus served at a table where the one who would betray him was sitting. What does that say about serving people who don’t deserve it? And what’s the difference between serving and letting someone mistreat you?
For adults
- In our home, is the serving shared well, or does it fall on one person? What concrete change could we make this week to serve like Jesus?
Activity
Family foot washing: a basin of warm water and a towel. One of the adults starts by washing and drying each child’s feet (or hands, if someone prefers); then anyone who wants to washes someone else’s. No one has to. At the end, each person names one way to serve someone at home tomorrow.
To memorize: John 13:15
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you had all power and chose to serve. Teach our family to bend down and care for one another, without pride and without keeping score. Help us to receive your love first. Amen.