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Stories & Blog
Footwashing Is Weird!
EAST ASIA — Seventeen kids swarmed onto Crossworld worker Sarah’s concrete patio as soon as she opened the tin door. They had been stopping by all day to ask for a snack and make sure the Bible study was on for that evening. School was closed and they were getting stir crazy. When 5 p.m. finally came, they were bouncing off the walls.
“Come in and sit down in a circle,” Sarah said to the group. “Today our Bible story is about Jesus washing His disciples’ feet.”
“But isn’t Jesus the teacher?” they asked.
“That’s right, the teacher washes the students’ feet,” Sarah said.
The kids looked suspicious as Sarah picked up her Bible to read the story from the book of John.
“Let’s try it ourselves,” Sarah said after she finished reading. She paired up the kids and gave them each a wet wipe to wash their partner’s feet.
One boy didn’t have a partner, so Sarah bent down to wash his little feet.
Veana, the boy’s sister, gasped and scolded him: “How can you let Teacher wash your feet?”
“Remember our story?” Sarah prompted. “Jesus was the best teacher and He showed us it’s good to humble ourselves, no matter if we’re older, richer, smarter, or higher in position. He taught us to serve one another in love.”
The other kids, who had stopped what they were doing to watch, turned back to their partners. Some got it and set about their work merrily. Others scrubbed with obvious distaste, while others missed the point and began working on their own feet.
After a few minutes, Sarah collected the dirty wet wipes and handed out coloring sheets of Jesus’ washing the disciples’ feet. The volume rose as colors filled the pages. There were petitions for tape, fights over favorite crayons, questions about how to spell a name, and requests for comments on their art.
Amid the frenzy, Veana said, “Teacher, I want to meet Jesus!”
Sarah tuned everything else out for a moment to see Veana. “Me too!” she said. “I’m so glad we can speak to Him in prayer anytime.”
As beautiful as the colors on the kids’ pages, none of it compared to the beauty Veana was glimpsing in Jesus for the very first time.
“Come in and sit down in a circle,” Sarah said to the group. “Today our Bible story is about Jesus washing His disciples’ feet.”
“But isn’t Jesus the teacher?” they asked.
“That’s right, the teacher washes the students’ feet,” Sarah said.
The kids looked suspicious as Sarah picked up her Bible to read the story from the book of John.
“Let’s try it ourselves,” Sarah said after she finished reading. She paired up the kids and gave them each a wet wipe to wash their partner’s feet.
One boy didn’t have a partner, so Sarah bent down to wash his little feet.
Veana, the boy’s sister, gasped and scolded him: “How can you let Teacher wash your feet?”
“Remember our story?” Sarah prompted. “Jesus was the best teacher and He showed us it’s good to humble ourselves, no matter if we’re older, richer, smarter, or higher in position. He taught us to serve one another in love.”
The other kids, who had stopped what they were doing to watch, turned back to their partners. Some got it and set about their work merrily. Others scrubbed with obvious distaste, while others missed the point and began working on their own feet.
After a few minutes, Sarah collected the dirty wet wipes and handed out coloring sheets of Jesus’ washing the disciples’ feet. The volume rose as colors filled the pages. There were petitions for tape, fights over favorite crayons, questions about how to spell a name, and requests for comments on their art.
Amid the frenzy, Veana said, “Teacher, I want to meet Jesus!”
Sarah tuned everything else out for a moment to see Veana. “Me too!” she said. “I’m so glad we can speak to Him in prayer anytime.”
As beautiful as the colors on the kids’ pages, none of it compared to the beauty Veana was glimpsing in Jesus for the very first time.
Your part in this story...
Crossworld worker Sarah asks you to pray for these requests.
- As the kids grow up, they have more responsibilities at home and at school, and they can’t come as often to study God’s Word. Pray for them to grow in their relationship with Jesus, who is so great to know.
- One of my coworkers is related to the brother and sister in this story. She is a follower of Jesus, so pray for her to engage her family with the love of Jesus as God provides opportunity.
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