Washing Feet

John 13:3-17

Our true story comes from a part of the Bible called the Gospel of John. John was one of the friends and helpers of Jesus. And the word “Gospel” means “good news!”

We begin with Jesus’ friends, the disciples. The disciples were about to have a special dinner with Jesus. But there was a problem. The disciples’ feet were super-dirty!


Why? Well, their feet were dirty because back then, they didn’t have cars. They didn’t have buses. So, if they wanted to go somewhere, how would they travel? They had to walk! 


And the roads were very dusty and dirty. After walking on dusty roads, the disciples’ feet were very dirty. They needed to wash their feet before they ate dinner.


But . . . guess what happened? Someone wanted to wash their feet for them! Can you guess who wanted to wash the disciples’ feet? Jesus wanted to wash His friends’ feet!


Why would Jesus, God’s Son, who is SO super-special, want to wash His friends’ dirty feet?


Jesus’ friend Peter said, “No Jesus, don’t wash my feet!”


Peter knew Jesus was SO special and didn’t think Jesus should be doing a job like washing feet. But Jesus explained that if Peter was going to follow Him, he would have to let Jesus wash his feet. 


So, then Peter REALLY wanted Jesus to wash his feet.


Jesus loved His friends and put them first. Jesus showed them how they could love others and be a friend like Him.


Do you think Jesus is a good friend? YES! Jesus is such a good friend! And Jesus wanted to show us how to be a good friend too. So, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. WOW!


Jesus is such a good friend. And we can be good friends too. You can be a good friend by sharing your toys.


You can be a good friend by letting someone else go first on the slide.


You can be a good friend by giving someone else the biggest cookie.


You can be a good friend by helping clean up, even if you didn’t make the mess.


Every time we think of others, and when we put them first, we’re being a good friend like Jesus. And Jesus is the best! I’m so glad Jesus wants to be our friend forever! So, when someone asks you, “Who wants to be your friend forever?” You can say, “Jesus wants to be my friend forever!”






Bible Paraphrase: “I have called you friends.” —John 15:15, NIV

Text Truth: Jesus is a good friend.



Family Devotional

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
—John 13:12-15

In our Bible Story, Jesus did something with His friends’ feet. What did Jesus do? Jesus washed His friends’ feet. Jesus washed His friends’ feet to show them how to be a good friend. And when we put others first and love people the way Jesus loves us, we are a good friend like Jesus! Jesus is the best because Jesus wants to be our friend forever!

“I have called you friends.” —John 15:15, NIV

Jesus wants us to be a good friend like Him. So, with your family, take a piece of paper and make a list of ways you can be good friends. Have each family member write town a way they can be a good friend. Suggestions include: Pray for a friend; make a get-well card; let a friend go first in line; share food/toys; say kind words; give a hug; etc. And make sure each family member writes down their name next to their way to be a good friend.

Pray with your family. Allow any family members to pray if they wish. In your own words, say, “Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus to show us how to be a good friend. Help us to love others the way Jesus loves us and do things like (read the list your family made). We want to be a good friend, like Jesus. We love You, God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

-
Some story illustrations are the copyright of Sweet Publishing and licensed by FreeBibleimages (http://freebibleimages.org) for free download under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike 3.0 unported licence.

Some story illustrations are in the Public Domain.

All story illustrations are the property of their various owners.
-

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Early Christians Shared Everything

Image
Acts 4:32-37 Our story comes from a book of the Bible called Acts. That name is short for “the Acts of the Apostles.” The word "Apostle" is another word to describe a helper of Jesus. Our Bible story tells us about some people who loved Jesus. The people were gathered together in a room. Buzz, buzz, buzz. The room filled with talking and laughter. The people called themselves Christians because they did what Jesus Christ said to do (Christian means "follower of Christ"). The Christians knew that Jesus was God’s Son. They wanted others to know about Jesus, too. Grandmas, grandpas, moms, dads, and children met together in homes. They would pray, sing, and learn about Jesus together. All these people loved Jesus. They were like one big, happy family. Because they loved Jesus, the Christians happily shared what they had more than others. Everything a person had was happily shared with the rest of the Bible-time Christians. They shared food so every
Read more

Abraham and His Family Moved to a New Land

Image
Genesis 12:1-9 Our story comes from the book, or part, of the Bible called Genesis. Genesis means "the beginning." A man and woman lived in a land called Ur. The man was named Abram and the woman was named Sarai. Abram and Sarai were husband and wife. God called Abram and Sarai and gave them new names! Abram means “nobel father.” But God changed his name to “Abraham,” which means “father of many.” Sarai” means “princess.” But God changed her name to “Sarah,” which means “mother of nations.” Now they were Abraham and Sarah, "father of many" and "mother of nations!" Abraham grew up in the land called Ur. When he was grown, Abraham moved with his family to a new land called Haran. But then, in the land of Haran, God appeared to Abraham and told him to leave his country. God told Abraham to move to a new land. God promised to be with Abraham and show him where to go. God also promised to give Abraham children, grandchildren, and many g
Read more

Isaac Did Not Fight

Image
Genesis 26:12-25 Take-Home Our story comes from the book, or part, of the Bible called Genesis. Genesis means "the beginning." The Bible tells us about a man named Isaac. God gave Isaac lots of land. God blessed Isaac by helping him have many animals and servants. When the animals needed water to drink, Isaac and his helpers took them to a well. A well is a hole in the ground that helps you reach water that is under the ground. The animals and people drank the water from the well. The people who lived near Isaac were upset because he had more animals than they did. They filled Isaac’s wells with dirt so the animals couldn’t drink the water. But Isaac didn’t fight. He knew fighting doesn’t fix problems. The people told him to move away. Isaac didn’t have to go, but he packed his things and moved. Clippity-clop. Isaac made a new home on his land for his family and animals. Diggity-dig. Isaac dug a well so his animals would have water to drink. But Isaac
Read more