I have given you an example to follow
The first reading narrates Paul’s introductory words to the people of Antioch in Pisidia, the furthest place on Paul’s first missionary journey. Paul prepares the Jews in diaspora to learn about Jesus, by going through their own history, which was familiar to them, up to the point regarding John the Baptist about whom they might have heard. Paul quotes the words of John the Baptist regarding Jesus whom he heralded, when John said: “I am not worthy to undo the strap of his sandals”.
John the Baptist whose single mission was to herald Christ, understood Christ perhaps better than anyone else of his time apart from Mary his mother. He did not have the familiarity of the apostles who wanted to sit one on the left and the other on the right in his kingdom (Mark 10:37). He considered himself unworthy even to do the work of a slave towards him. In the eyes of John the Baptist, if Jesus had sat down and said to him: “It is fine, you may undo the strap of my sandals. I grant you even the privilege of touching them and washing them”, that would have been a great honor. After all, this was the same God who had told Moses not to come any nearer, for he was on holy ground (Exodus 3:5).
If John the Baptist about whom Jesus said that there is none greater than him among the children of men, (Matthew 11:11) was not worthy to undo the strap of Jesus’ sandal, none of us is. And yet in today’s gospel, we hear Jesus himself washing the feet of his disciples. John the Baptist would have been horrified even to think about that.
Among the disciples whose feet Jesus washed was the one who was about to betray him to death. In the gospel Jesus shows that he knew this, and wanted the disciples to know that he knew, so he tells them: “ I am telling you before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe that I AM.” The example he gives them – and us – is that no one should be excluded from our humble service, not even the enemy who intends to do us harm, even when we are not just suspicious but certain of that harm. The other lesson Jesus teachers us is that we should teach his gospel of love, not just by words but by example, just as he did.
