Washing the disciples' feet

“He came to Simon Peter, who said to Him, ‘Lord, are You going to wash my feet?’ Jesus replied, ‘You do not realise now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’” John 13:6-7
We all know how at the Last Supper, Jesus rose from the table and washed the disciples’ feet. This is a practice that doesn’t really translate into our society – we don’t understand just how menial the task was. When guests would come to a house, the host would ask one of his servants to wash their feet – necessary to keep the house clean because, having been walking along dusty roads in sandals, their feet would be dirty. It was not a chore that was envied, and it was usually given to the lowest servant.
This is why Peter protested. He thought, Jesus was the master; He shouldn’t be washing feet!
But the truth is, becoming human was such a step down for Jesus, that stepping down from master to servant was much less humiliating than that. Jesus came to earth to serve (Mark 10:45). It must have been uncomfortable for the disciples to have Him do this, but it was necessary: as Jesus said to Peter, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me” (John 13:8).
Jesus used this to teach the disciples about service. “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14). Some people today have taken this literally, even though foot-washing is no longer a necessary part of Western culture. What we should do is apply the principle. Nothing should be too menial for us to do, in serving one another.