Christian Music Central: Mike Donehey’s Artist Column: Mike Donehey’s Artist Column: Washing Judas' Feet

Washing Judas’ Feet
09-09-2008
by Mike Donehey

You know, I’ve got to be real honest with you today. There are some things that Jesus does that I just plain don’t understand.

Maybe you’ve got a more perceiving mind than I do, and you’ll have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about here, but I’ve been reading through the gospels lately, and the more I read, the more I realize I don’t get this God-man at all. It’s weird, I know, just coming out and saying I don’t get Jesus, but it’s true.

I remember growing up in church and Christian school, and it always seemed like people understood Jesus just fine. Like He was just so great, and so encouraging, and so easy to talk to, and when we hung out with Him He would just pat us on the back and make us feel so much better about ourselves. The problem with that though, I’m learning, is that most of what Jesus did and said is designed to make me feel uncomfortable with who I am and where I’m at. He doesn’t do things to make me feel better about myself. He usually does things to show me just how much more God He is than me and just how much more I need Him than I think I do.

I think I understand why people might prefer an easy Jesus to the real one. It’s much more fun to feel better than other people, than to actually feel your own need; and the real Jesus can be frustrating in that respect, because it’s the one thing He won’t let me do. He is determined to promote in me poverty of spirit, not a pompous one.

The more I study the life of Christ, the more bewildering He becomes. He remains silent when I feel He should speak. He hangs out with people that my youth pastor told me I shouldn’t. And He does things that are absolutely, without a doubt, impossible. Here’s one example: He washes Judas’ feet.

OK, so maybe you were thinking about Him calming a storm or walking on water or something truly impossible like that, but tell me, what could be more supernatural than serving the one who is about to betray you? And it wasn’t just Judas either. It was all of those guys. Every one of the disciples scatter like sheep when Jesus is handed over, and only one of them even shows up at the cross two days later. I mean, we’re talking absolute and total abandonment here. And so what do you think Jesus does to his group of mutineers the day of their disloyalty? He washes their feet. Down on His hands and feet, scooping handfuls of mud and water from their toes, Jesus becomes an actual door mat. Interesting thought, considering how many times people tell me that Christians aren’t supposed to let others “walk all over them.” This is exactly what Jesus does, and this is exactly what I’m talking about when I say I don’t understand Jesus.

In a world that tells me to stand up for my rights, Jesus is on his knees. In a world that tells me to stand on a chair and not let anyone “drag me down,” Jesus is already on the floor. In a world that tells me to recycle revenge, Jesus stops the rotation. “The greatest among you must be your servant…the slave of all." Roll that around on your tongue for a while. “The slave of all.” Is that how you would explain following Jesus? Is this how you would describe your life’s calling? Is that how you would describe your favorite Christian rock star? To follow Christ into a life of complete and total servitude, becoming a door mat and joyfully washing the feet of those who will later betray us is probably not what we had in mind, but it’s exactly what Jesus would have us do.

Now, I don’t know about you, and I especially don’t know about all the aspiring rock stars out there, but I’d have to say that this causes me to look at a stage and why I’m on it very differently. With a guitar in my hands, lights on my face and hundreds to thousands of people watching my every move, I have to ask myself, “Am I washing their feet?” I don’t even really know what that means, but I know that it has something to do with becoming less and Him becoming more. And I know that it has something to do with focusing on my serving and not my leading. And I know that if the way Jesus leads baffles me, than my leading should confuse those who are watching me.

To follow Christ is to wash Judas’ feet.

Mike Donehey is the lead singer and guitarist for Tenth Avenue North. The band’s debut project is called Over and Underneath (Reunion). Check out tenthavenuenorth.com for more info.

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