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Gospel Reading - The footwashing

^1-3Jesus knew on the evening of Passover Day that it would be his last night on earth before returning to his Father. During supper the devil had already suggested to Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, that this was the night to carry out his plan to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had given him everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. And how he loved his disciples! ⁴So he got up from the supper table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his loins,^{a 5}poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel he had around him.

¹²After washing their feet he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? ¹³You call me ‘Master’ and ‘Lord,’ and you do well to say it, for it is true. ¹⁴And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. ¹⁵I have given you an example to follow: do as I have done to you. ¹⁶How true it is that a servant is not greater than his master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends him. ¹⁷You know these things — now do them! That is the path of blessing.

1. wrapped a towel around his loins, as the lowliest slave would dress.