2012-09-23

Feet Washing is not about Washing Feet

Jesus set the example of washing feet and now people are encouraged to wash feet to show humility and servant-hood not knowing humility is not about showing and washing feet in today environment has no meaning. So 'feet washing' is not about 'washing feet' but about not associating tasks with honor or glamour but with needs and doing the needful things even as a leader.
Jesus set the example for washing his disciples feet in John 13:1-7 (See Bible Study John 13:1-17 Servant Leadership - Real Meaning of Feet Washing.).Now people, especially the Chinese Church (Chinese culture has a big emphasis on 礼仪, the right manners) are encouraged to wash one another feet to show humility or servant-hood.

But if we wash feet to show humility then it is really an act, a real wayang(wayang is a Malay term for a show, now popularly used in Singapore English) show of false humility because humility is not in showing off! Humility is power packaged in gentleness. It is having ability or resources but not showing off, serving without claiming credit, giving without advertising, or quietly contributing. For more on humility, see Christianity Rediscovered: Kingdom Discussion 12 Law of Humility ... and Christianity Rediscovered: Humility is Forceful Too.

'Feet washing' is then not about washing feet,  but about 
"doing the needful but lowly, non-glamorous task that no one want to do". 
Task has no Glamour or Honor Associated - Only with People who want to Show-off
Needful Task has not honor or dishonor associated with it.

A truly humble leader will do it because it is needful and not because it is honorable (which will have lots of people running for it).

We can find such behavior of people in church rushing to serve for the on-stage tasks, the speaking, the chairing, the singing, the music playing. Much less people wanting to do the back-stage unnoticeable tasks.

If we have such a honor and no-honor classification of task, it is only natural that the non-honor tasks that got neglected and no one want to do it. Jesus was trying to break such a worldly mindset from being served to serving others. The greatest is the one who serve. In serving, there is only right and needful things to do and not honor or no-honor things to do.

So, "Feet Washing" is not about "Washing of Feet" but about doing the needful things even as leaders quietly.

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