A King Washes FeetSample

Honoring Our Enemies

It’s how we treat Judas, not Jesus, that reveals the true state of our hearts.

How we treat the people we like, agree with, and who treat us well in return says absolutely nothing about our character or heart.

How we treat the people who hurt us, disappointed us, betrayed us, came after us . . . that says everything about whether we think being worthy of respect is dependent on good behavior.

How Jesus Treated Judas

Jesus taught us how to treat our enemies by the way He treated Judas. Jesus treated Judas so well that no one suspected Judas was the ultimate betrayer.

It’s not as if Jesus wasn’t aware of what Judas was planning. If Jesus had been in the dark about Judas’s agreement to hand Him over, the way Jesus treated Judas would tell us nothing about how to treat our enemies. It’s because Jesus was already aware of Judas’s betrayal, that the way He treated Judas tells us everything.

Jesus continued to offer relationship and restoration to Judas without holding back from him. If it were me, and I knew a friend of mine was planning on betraying me, the first thing I’d do would be create distance and put up walls between us as a way of protecting myself. I would cut that person out of my life ASAP. I certainly wouldn’t choose to invite them to spend the last night of my life with me. But what did Jesus do?

He continued to offer relationship to Judas with so much of the same openness that no one had a reason to wonder whether Jesus was treating Judas differently.

Jesus Healed His Enemies

What was Jesus’ last miracle He performed before His death? It was healing His enemy’s wound. In the Garden of Gethsemane during Jesus’ arrest, Simon Peter cut off the right ear of Malchus, Caiaphas’s slave, but Jesus defended and healed the man (Luke 22:50–51; John 18:10). Jesus, the true High Priest, healed a wound He hadn’t caused and took the punishment for crimes He had not committed. Jesus didn’t treat His enemies the way they deserved.

It was Jesus who said,

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:43-45

Do I treat everyone with the same respect, dignity, honor, willingness to serve? Why am I more eager to serve an important leader than an unknown stranger on the street?

It is easy to serve and honor those we like. But how are we serving those we don’t like, who don’t treat us well?

This is what makes Jesus a radical servant king— His willingness to serve everyone the same. His friends and His enemies.

Final Words from the Author

Whether you most need Jesus to wash the feet of your friends, enemies, or even yourself, the footwashing stool is open for you. And so is the towel. I encourage you to drop the ‘rocks’ you’ve been unthinkingly picking up during moments of anger, disappointment or pain, and kneel to pick up a basin and towel instead. The way you ‘wash feet’ could change the course of history.

These five days together has been a tiny glimpse of the 40 chapters in A King Washes Feet, where we take a brave breath and dive deeply into tough real-life topics like mental health, cancel culture, healing from abuse, celebrity culture, politics, church hurt and more. Footwashing holds the answer! It’s not outdated, it’s essential.

Remember; it’s not about who’s on the seat, it’s about Who’s washing the feet.

Content from this plan is adapted from A King Washes Feet: How to Love and Forgive Your Friends and Enemies—An Illustrated Bible Study by Jessica Claire Bond. Available now.