How do we "Wash Feet" for Today?

Washing the other's feet is identifying and forming solidarity with those who have the least amount of leverage in your community.
 
Washing the disciples' feet moved Christ down to level of the unnamed non-present servant - He was not only serving the disciples but forming solidarity with the unknown servant.

Washing the disciples' feet encompassed all those that should be served.  The Creator of the Universe stoops down below the disciples to the least of these - those who had the least amount of leverage - or no leverage at all.  Everyone in-between are to be served in this same manner.

So who's feet do we "wash"? - what if Jesus washed the feet of the servant of the house.  He didn't but if the servant were there - would he have done so?  Whether he would or wouldn't, what he did was to show the disciples that they are to do at least two things because of his example - to serve and form solidarity.

It's not just benevolence that we need to give because benevolence on its own doesn't  ensure an ethical decision.  There are incredibly benevolent acts of mercy, generosity and love given by the most miserable, violent and criminal people in the world.  Benevolence by itself looks good but if other virtues are attached, a stronger accountability is attached and helps to communicate that an act of benevolence is actually coming from a place of conviction, humility and self-giving love.  So solidarity alongside benevolence, though not fail-proof, does help to ensure that one's motivations are from a place of conviction and love.  If someone gives benevolence but refuses to align themselves, through solidarity, with those who have the least leverage in their community, the act of benevolence can be scrutinized more closely.  Generally speaking, this kind of act of benevolence  is coming from a place of guilt, paternalism, control, placation, or just simply that ability to feel that at least something has been done, even if the thing that should have happened didn't happen.  This self-deception allows the perpetrator to seemingly placate not only the victim but also their own conscience - if they still have one.  In Christ's actions, he didn't just wash the disciples' feet for political reasons or really just to give a one-off example of how wonderful he was.  It was to lead by example in identifying and forming solidarity in a way that cost him something with the lowest of society - the lowest level servant with the least leverage in that community. 


So, how do we "wash feet"?  We need to look for those in our community that have the least leverage - economically, politically, culturally, familiarly, historically, reputation-wise, ethnically, linguistically, geographically, educationally, even morally.  We then look at the areas that we have leverage in - do we own a home, do we have a good job, do we have better chances at education, do we have a higher salary cap options, do we have more political leverage within a given community, do we speak the dominant language, are we the dominant skin color, do we have a less "spotted" past, do we belong to the dominant cultural expressions, has our family or group historically owned and managed the resources and land in a given area, do we have a strong reputation, etc....  

Where we have power and leverage and others don't, we are called to de-elevate (not condescend - too negative) from the elevation we have been given and worked for.  We do this in order to make space for others to be raised up both by grace, because of the grace we have given, and by giving them opportunities for growth in competence as we have been given the same opportunities to grow in competence.  

The flip side of this discussion is that Christ, when looking at all of his disciples, saw them for what they would be rather than for what they were at that present moment.  He saw their identity in the "already-not-yet" status - both seeing where they are presently and what they were to become.  This creates the ability for us to do the same and to see the "other" through the eyes of God and not our own limited and natural eyes.  The eyes of faith see people for what they will be or could be in the future and not just for where they are at.  This is the ultimate equalizer because Jesus is able to see us all as equal in the New Creation while at the same time seeing the temporal hierarchy that we exist in presently - a hierarchy that we use to subsume, alienate and oppress the "other."  Hierarchy isn't wrong, because it also protects people and helps to establish healthy boundaries for healthy relationships, but all too often it is used to oppress or alienate.

The way that Christ dealt with that was to take his own glorious position in this "hierarchy" and de-elevate himself as an example to project where we will all end up in equal positions in the New Kingdom and to deconstruct the present hierarchy that we impose upon each other because of the way that the world works, both for ill and for good. 


As we look for the leverage-less in our community, we will see dynamics that we have never seen before and experience perspectives of our own community in ways that we could have never imagined possible.  There are so many gifts we have to receive through this process, it just might hurt a bit, or a lot.  


I'm writing this from a place of privilege as a white American male who is educated at a Master's level.  I wonder what this would sound like if it was written by someone from a place without privilege.  Is it wrong of me to assume I have privilege - is that condescending in and of itself?  Questions for me to ponder on this one.


-Nathan