As followers of Christ Jesus, we may not literally wash the feet of our fellow disciples, but we do need to understand and demonstrate the love Jesus clearly displayed the evening before his trial and crucifixion.
After the last supper Jesus shared with his disciples before his betrayal, he took off his garment, put a towel around himself, poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, wiping them with the towel. He insisted that all have their feet washed—including Peter, who protested, and also Judas, who intended to betray Jesus.
Jesus was setting an example for the disciples and specifically illustrating the new commandment he gave them that evening: "That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." He went on to say, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 13:34, 35. Love was to be the basis of all their teaching and preaching and healing. Likewise, the expression of Love, as represented by Jesus' humble service to his disciples, truly sets the standard for our individual practice of Christian Science. We need to become "footwashers-in-prayer," willing to be regenerated and transformed by divine Love.
