April 5 – The Upper Room (Thursday)
by Brennen & Kaitlin Febles
Read: The First Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:14-20; John 13:1-17)
Key Verses: And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way He also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22:19-20)
“You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:13-14)
Earlier this year, we stood before family and friends and joyfully vowed to forever on our wedding day. Well, we stood for the reading of Scripture, our minister’s message, and the exchanging of rings. But for one specific part, Kaitlin sat, and Brennen knelt – at Brennen’s request—to wash Kaitlin’s feet.
The night before His crucifixion, Jesus established the Lord’s Supper – a sacrament to remind us of the salvation and sustenance found only in His sacrifice for us. Then He took off His outer garment, knelt down, and washed His disciples’ feet.
Actually experiencing a foot-washing brings a new kind of reality to the story—the living sacrifice of a husband who kneels down and takes up the charge to love his wife as Christ loves the church, cleansing her by washing with water through the word as she submits to him like the church submits to Christ (Eph. 5:22-26).
The King of kings and Lord of lords emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant to wash our feet and grant us a share with Him (John 13:8, Phil. 2:6-7). He commands us to do likewise by humbly serving and washing others’ feet. This is not only a charge for husbands. This is a charge for all followers of Jesus to love one another as He loved us (John 13:14)—in our families, workplaces, schools, city, and wherever we go.
It’s not lost on us that we had the privilege of demonstrating this at our wedding—a ceremony intended to represent Christ as the groom unveiling His bride, the church. And we’re not only referring to a wedding veil. Jesus washed His disciples’ feet (and so washes each of us as His followers from our sin) in order to “present the church to Himself in splendor” (Eph. 5:27). Following this night in the Upper Room, Jesus’ death would tear apart a veil (temple curtain—Matt. 27:51) in order for the truest, unfailing groom with perfect love to be united to His bride, the church, forever. Having loved His own who are in the world, He will love us to the end (John 13:1).
This is the eternal wedding feast for which we wait and in which we hope. And it is His example we seek to show the world in the meantime, humbly serving others as a representation of the One who first loved and cleansed each one of us.