November 22 — "When Humility and Glory Collide"

Today's Reading: John 13:1-17

Jesus didn’t lecture the disciples into humility—He knelt it into them. John 13:5 paints a scene so tender and so disruptive that if we really saw it, it would undo us. The eternal Word, the One who spun galaxies into existence, is now on His knees with a basin of water and a towel around His waist. No halo. No thunder. Just water quietly lapping against calloused feet. This is the sound of the King of Glory redefining greatness.

Imagine the awkward silence. The room smells of roasted lamb and dust from a long day’s walk. No one moves. No one volunteers. Everyone knows that washing feet is the job for the servant at the bottom of the ladder—the one whose name no one remembers. Yet Jesus gets up from the table, lays aside His outer garment, and chooses the lowest place in the room as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. The Greek word translated “washed” (niptō) means more than rinsing; it speaks of intentional cleansing—hands-on, up close, no distance. The Son of God gets close enough to feel the dirt between their toes.

And here’s the part we often forget: He washed Judas’ feet too. The one already plotting His betrayal. Jesus doesn’t flinch. He doesn’t skip the basin. He doesn’t recoil. He kneels before His enemy and loves him to the end. If you want to know what God is like, look there. Divine love isn’t naïve—it’s intentional. It chooses humility not because people deserve it but because the Father delights in it.

Every time you let go of pride, every time you bend instead of break, every time you serve without applause, you’re entering that upper room again. You’re dipping your hands into the same basin He used. You’re saying, “Lord, make me like You.” You’re walking in a greatness this world will never understand. Maybe for you the basin looks like forgiving someone who wounded you, or caring for someone who can’t repay you, or serving in a place no one sees. Whatever it is, Jesus meets you there—towel on, sleeves rolled up, teaching by doing.

May the Lord Jesus, who stooped to wash the feet of His friends and His betrayer, fill you today with His humility, His gentleness, and His servant-hearted strength. May He wash away every trace of pride, and may you walk in His joy as you serve in His name.