Thursday April 17th: Hierarchy turned upside down!

“So, if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”

John 13:1-5

We have all been served and we have all served others in our lives. Jesus, on the brink of departing this world, gives his disciples an example of how they should live – in loving humble service.
Jesus, our model servant leader, by washing the feet of his disciples turned hierarchy upside down. Unheard of in his time that a Master will kneel before his students and wash their feet. As teacher, Jesus leads by example and metaphor. The leader must serve his followers. In a very intimate moment Jesus shows his love for his disciples; again, a characteristic of leadership which he models for us.
The servant leader must not be afraid to get close to her/his followers. Jesus wants to be close to us and invites us to be as open to him in love as he is to us. He invites us to be close to those whom we serve – in church, in our schools, in the workplace, in society. “We cannot truly serve without humility. Without humility, there is no forgiveness. Without forgiveness, we cannot be made clean.”