Daily Devotional | The Towel and Basin

“As a leader,” wrote pastor Crawford W. Loritts in Leadership as an Identity, “you must never forget that you belong to the community of the towel and the basin. Your authority to lead is directly related to your ability to serve. When you have washed feet, the people you lead will know that you value them.”

His insight is based on Jesus’ example found in John 13 (vv. 14–15). Normally, a servant would have washed their feet, but Jesus flipped the script. The Rabbi knelt and washed His disciples’ feet (v. 5)! No wonder they were uncomfortable. The reversal is reflected in the episode’s clothing (v. 4). Jesus removed His outer clothing and wrapped a towel around His waist, then took a basin of water to perform the task at hand. The linen towel would have been long enough to be used for drying their feet.

Just as an ancient hymn says, Jesus “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” (Phil. 2:7). He knew very well that the disciples had been arguing about who was the greatest (Luke 22:24–27). That’s why none of them volunteered for this menial job. But by refusing it, they were essentially claiming to be greater than their  Master (John 13:16).

Jesus acted as a servant—and soon, the Suffering Servant—for at least four reasons. First, He understood the crucial moment had arrived in God’s plan of redemption (v. 1). Second, He served them to show His love for them—even for Judas, the betrayer (vv. 2, 11). Third, He had no need to jockey for position, like the disciples, because He knew that all power and authority had been given to Him by His Father (v. 3). Therefore, fourth, He was perfectly secure in His identity and mission (see also Matt. 20:25–28).