24 Filthy Feet: Love and Service

Hello you beautiful 1 in 7.8 billion miracle, you.

I have three things I have been thinking about that all intersected at the same time to the point where I might just have enough of an idea to write about it in these here dark corners of the internet. 

The first is that I recently finished a biography about Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood fame. He was a fascinating individual who spent his life speaking to children through his television show, telling them they were special and being one of the kindest people to ever walk the planet. He once said, "There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.” He spoke of love, kindness, and compassion in ways that were similar to the words of Jesus Christ. And he not only spoke these words, but by all accounts he lived them too. 

The second thing I recently encountered was the 13th chapter of the book of John during the nine-month journey through that Gospel I am doing with my Bible study group. In this chapter, which takes place at the Last Supper, Jesus washes the feet of all twelve of His disciples, alerts them to a traitor in their midst (Judas Iscariot), tells them to love one another, and tells Peter he will disown Jesus three times. It is an unbelievably packed chapter.

The last thing was a thought that stuck me during my walk this morning with good ol' Moses in tow. We have established a pretty repetitive route that takes us through subdivisions in the wee hours of morning. And as I passed by the houses at my brisk pace, it struck me that each of those houses contained multiple people. And each of those people contained a multitude of information in the form of their lives. Neuroscientists have estimated the human brain has a storage capacity of somewhere between 10 and 100 terabytes. 1 terabyte is 1,000 gigabytes. 1 gigabyte is 1,000 megabytes. 1 high resolution photo is about 3 megabytes.  Imagine everything you've ever experienced in your life: smells, sights, actions, conversations, memories. Imagine that unbelievable amount of information times 7.8 billion. That is the contents of humanity. Does it make you feel small? Overwhelmed by the human experience? Astounded by all that exists in the world?

It made me feel like I needed to heed the words of Christ. 

During the Last Supper, in John Chapter 13 verses 34 and 35, Jesus says something that I have referenced before.

"A new command I give to you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Right before he said these words, he had washed the feet of His 12 closest friends in the whole world, including THE MAN WHO WAS ABOUT TO TURN HIM OVER TO BE CRUCIFIED!!!!!! Listen, I know not everyone believes in this stuff. But just think of this story: Here is a man who has lived a perfect life yet knows He sits on the precipice of being arrested and brutally murdered on a cross with the weight of the world's sins on Him. Despite knowing the darkness that lies ahead and the sacrifice He is going to make, He still is in complete service to others. He is washing the undoubtedly disgusting feet of His friends, as well as the person who will be responsible for turning him over to the authorities that will lead to this gruesome death He knows is coming. 

Essentially, imagine you have been accused of a crime you didn't commit and you are sitting on death row awaiting your execution the next morning but instead of a nice steak dinner and a calm needle in your arm the next day, you are washing one of the most disgusting body parts of your 12 best friends and one of them is the person responsible for falsely testifying against you to put you on death row in the first place and the death you will experience the next day is essentially the most painful experience that humanity has ever created in its sick and twisted mind. Un. Be. Lievable.

To love someone is to serve them unconditionally. Not if they are related to you. Not if they are nice to you. Not if they like you. Jesus calls us to love not just our family, friends and literal neighbors, but our enemies as well. By serving others, we are showing our love for them. Fred Rogers understood this quite well. Most people know that he was an ordained Presbyterian minister. Instead of the the pull to preach from the pulpit on Sundays, Rogers felt his pulpit was the medium of television and his task was to speak to children. To communicate characteristics like empathy, kindness, acceptance, and generosity to people of a young age in hopes that during the most important developmental time of their lives, they would take these lessons to heart and become loving, friendly neighbors of a worldly neighborhood.

Now, don't get me wrong here: Fred Rogers is not Jesus. Mr. Rogers was a sinner, as am I, as am all humans to have walked this Earth, save one. But he did indeed personify the call that Christ gave out to His disciples at the last meal they would share before His crucifixion. 

And here is where it all comes full circle. Everyone one of those 100's of terabytes of stories is a person we are called to love and serve. Regardless of their history, regardless of their past, regardless of their color, age, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc, etc. We are called to love them and to serve them. This service could manifest itself in a variety of ways. Some people serve by giving their treasures to those in need. Some people serve by giving their time through acts of service. Some people serve by lifting others up by their actions and words. But one thing is absolutely certain: we are supposed to humble ourselves in service to others and not to discriminate in who we serve. 

Jesus washed 24 feet, two of which were utterly traitorous. He then went to die on a cross as a perfect sacrifice. 

Fred Rogers dedicated his life to spreading kindness, love, and empathy to multiple young generations of people to make the world a more loving place. 

How will you love? How will you serve?

2021 Resolution Tracker

Moses Miles Walked: 148.9 miles

Bible Progress: Judges 7

Books Read: 4

    Completed 

•     The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons review here
•     Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller review here
•     The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick review here
•     The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers review here

    Currently Reading

    Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans