Day 3: He Washed Judas's Feet Too

Main Idea

You already know this, but let's say it out loud anyway: Judas was in that room.

The guy who was going to hand Jesus over to the people who wanted him dead — he was sitting at that table. He had already made the deal. Thirty pieces of silver, already arranged, and that same night he would lead soldiers to Jesus in the garden and identify him with a kiss.

Jesus knew all of this. John 13 makes it clear — Jesus knew everything that was about to happen. He knew who Judas was. He knew what Judas was going to do. He knew exactly what that betrayal was going to cost him.

And he washed Judas's feet anyway.

He knelt down in front of the man who was about to destroy him, picked up his foot, and washed it.

That is not a small detail. That is the whole thing.

It would be one thing to serve people who are good to you, who appreciate you, who have your back. That's manageable. Most people can pull that off on a decent day. But Jesus didn't lay down the principle of servant leadership for the easy cases. He demonstrated it on the hardest possible case — an act of love directed at someone he knew was about to betray him.

Think about the person in your life who has hurt you. The friend who turned on you. The person who humiliated you or spread something about you or stabbed you in the back. Now picture Jesus telling you that they are exactly who he's talking about when he says, "Do as I have done to you."

That's not comfortable. It's not supposed to be.

But here's what's also true: the happiness Jesus promises in verse 17 doesn't come with an asterisk. It doesn't say "happy are you if you serve the deserving ones." It says happy are you if you do these things. All of them. Including the Judas in your life.

What Else the Bible Says About This

• Matthew 5:44 — Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
• Romans 5:8 — While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
• Colossians 3:13 — Bear with each other and forgive one another... Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
• Luke 6:32 — If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?

Let's Apply This...

Is there a "Judas" in your story right now? Someone you're carrying bitterness toward, someone who hurt you and maybe hasn't even apologized? You don't have to minimize what they did. But today, pray for them by name — genuinely, not sarcastically. That single act is an act of servant love that costs you something real.

God's Message to You

"I washed his feet. I want you to really let that sink in. I knew what he was about to do, and I knelt down in front of him anyway. Not because what he was planning was okay. Not because the betrayal didn't hurt. But because the principle I was building my kingdom on couldn't have any exceptions. If servant love only applies to the people who deserve it, it isn't really servant love — it's just being polite to people you like. I'm calling you to something harder and something better than that. I'm calling you to love the way I love. And yes, I know who's hurt you. I know exactly what they did. And I'm still asking."

(Based on John 13:1-17; Romans 5:8; Matthew 5:44)