The Shape of Loving

“Jesus knew that the hour had come… Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. He got up from the meal… and began to wash his disciples’ feet.”                      John 13:1,4-5

In his final hours, Jesus doesn’t preach a sermon or perform a miracle. He kneels. He takes off his outer robe. He wraps himself in a towel. He fills a basin with water. And one by one, he washes the feet of his friends.

Jesus knows what’s ahead—the betrayal, the cross, the weight of the world. Yet he chooses a posture of presence, humility, and service. He doesn’t grasp at power; he gives it away. He doesn’t command affection; he enacts it. This is the shape of love.

He says, “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you’re right… Now that I have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example.”

Jesus forms a community, a people marked by humility, presence, and shared way of life. The towel and basin become symbols of our common life in Christ. We meet Jesus not just in private prayer, but in the practice of loving one another.

To center Jesus is to commit to this way—together. To stay at the table when it’s hard. To show up when it’s inconvenient. To serve without spotlight. And, to let others show up and serve us, too. It’s in this mutual love that Christ becomes present again and again.