When you read the Gospels closely, one thing jumps out: the writers spend a huge amount of space on the final week of Jesus’ life. They clearly saw Holy Week as the heart of the story.
For example, Matthew uses almost 30 percent of his Gospel on that one week and what followed. Mark goes even further - about 40 percent of his entire book focuses on it. Luke’s number looks smaller at first (around 20 percent), but if you count Jesus’ long journey to Jerusalem leading up to that week, it jumps to a remarkable 62 percent. And John? Nearly half of his Gospel centers on Holy Week.
Think about that. Out of three years of public ministry, the Gospel writers compress almost everything else into relatively short summaries, then slow down dramatically for those final seven days. The cross, the resurrection, and everything surrounding that week weren’t just the ending of the story- they were the story.
So many earth‑shattering events take place in that one week…the most influential week in the history of creation. And nestled in the midst of Holy Week is a story that can easily get overshadowed by everything else happening around it. During the last meal and moments Jesus spends with his disciples, he offers them one last lesson.
What would be the Great Rabbi’s parting wisdom?
“Let’s clear up some issues on justification…”
“Guys, let’s chat doctrine of Scripture…”
“I want to give some comforting encouragement because persecution is coming…”
Nope. None of those. All important, of course. But what he chooses is yet another shocking twist Jesus is so wonderful for: he washes their feet.
During the meal, Jesus took off his outer robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and started washing his disciples’ feet (John 13:1–17). In the culture of that time, washing someone’s feet wasn’t just an act of service; it was a job reserved for slaves or the lowest servants, often women of low social status.
When the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer of all creation got down on his knees to do it, he flipped the social script completely. The last lesson he leaves them with is humility.
The humility of Jesus is something there aren’t adequate analogies for. A CEO scrubbing toilets? Not even close. A king taking out the trash? Nope. A government official mopping floors? At best, a good start.
The Son of God, the Word made flesh, the Christ, condescended his way all the way to the cross. And as clearly as anything Jesus ever taught, he makes sure to point out that this is an example to his followers. Do this…and you will be blessed. Blessed as a community of self‑giving love and service. More than power, strategy, or one more doctrinal deep dive, the disciples needed to hear humility one more time. I probably need it a few more times too. I had a mentor once say that if our Bible studies, theological systems, and doctrinal convictions aren’t making us more like Jesus, then we are doing it wrong. Of all the ways I may be growing, is one of them in humility?
In our little slice of the world, there aren’t many things more countercultural than humility. Modern culture is obsessed with expression of self, certainly not humility of self. The tragic wisdom of the day insists that identity is found by asserting one’s “true self” against God and community, rather than identity being received from God and shaped by community.
Jesus shows a different path. He “lays aside” his garments, takes the form of a servant, and lowers himself to wash dirty feet, embracing social shame rather than seeking affirmation or status. When he says, “You also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14), he turns humility into a repeated, embodied practice that slowly un‑teaches the reflex of self‑assertion and replaces it with self‑giving love.
Holy Week is threaded with humility throughout. If the disciples were shocked by Thursday’s condescension, they were about to be leveled by Friday’s. The Creator submitting to death for the created.
And then an empty tomb. Since Jesus really did rise from the dead and lives again, we will be okay in our humility. We are safe ultimately. We don’t have to strive. We don’t have to assert ourselves. We can be at ease with both a deep humility and a deep confidence that we are greatly loved and our future is secure.