Vital Signs: Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Serving Like Jesus

“Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that His hour had come to leave this world and return to His Father. He had loved His disciples during His ministry on earth, and now He loved them to the very end. It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had given Him authority over everything and that He had come from God and would return to God. So He got up from the table, took off His robe, wrapped a towel around His waist, and poured water into a basin. Then He began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel He had around Him.” — John 13:1–5 (NLT)

Just days before Jesus’ death, He and His disciples gathered to celebrate the Passover, a Jewish holiday. Jesus and His disciples ate (what we now call the “Last Supper”) and spent time celebrating together. Jesus knew that He would die very soon, so He chose to show His friends just how much they meant to Him by serving them in an amazing way.

Jesus grabbed a towel and a basin of water, knelt in front of His disciples, and washed their feet. This was a common custom at the time—servants would wash visitors’ feet when they entered a house—but someone important would never be expected to wash anyone else's feet. During this era, people walked most places, so their feet would be dusty, cracked, and caked in dirt. When Jesus washed His friends’ feet, He demonstrated the depth of His love by humbling Himself and serving them.

Jesus went completely against the culture of His time just to show how much He cared. After He finished washing everyone’s feet, He challenged them to do the same for one another. He set an example of what it means to serve and treat others with humility—and now, it’s up to us to follow that example.

Make a list of ways you can actively serve those around you, and try to cross one off each day. Humble yourself and serve someone else today.