Dusty Feet

This morning, I did a video call with a dear Christian friend. Somehow, we got on the topic of Jesus washing the feet of His apostles. This led us to discuss Watchman Nee, a Chinese evangelist and the author who died for his faith in Jesus in 1972. Here’s a quote from him:

As we walk through this world, we get dust on our feet. It takes someone else to wash our feet.

paraphrase of something Watchman Nee wrote

Yes, we can wash our feet, but it’s not the same or the point. We need to encounter other Christians, and we need to hear what the Holy Spirit is speaking to them, as they from us. Watchman Nee called this mutual refreshing.

God creates these divine encounters. Unexpected moments when there is an instantaneous connection. It may last no longer than it takes you to exchange smiles with a mother as she sings to her toddler:

Jesus loves me—this I know,
For the Bible tells me so:
Little ones to him belong,—
They are weak, but he is strong¹.

by Anna Bartlett Warner

Our mutual refreshing may happen in a coffee shop or on an airplane. Someone sees you reading your Bible or Christian literature, and that person makes a positive comment that leads to a long, meaningful conversation about God’s grace and mercy. These mutual refreshings can turn our day around and even our lives around. Here is what Jesus said to His disciples after He washed their feet:

After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.

John 13:12-15 NLT – Bible Gateway

Because Jesus said, “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you,” some denominations consider foot-washing, along with water baptism and Communion / Eucharist / Lord’s Supper, as one of the ordinances Jesus gave His Church.

Whether your local church does or doesn’t do foot-washing, the point is that we have a responsibility to refresh other Christians and to provide space in our lives for Christians to refresh us.

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Footnotes

1. Wikipedia contributors. (2023, June 26). Jesus Loves Me. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jesus_Loves_Me&oldid=1162049709 ↩︎