If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.
Washing feet was a servant's job — the dirtiest, lowest task in the room. Jesus, described here as Lord and Teacher, picked up the towel Himself. Then He told the people watching to do the same for each other.
It's a strange move for anyone claiming authority. Most people who reach a position of respect stop doing the tasks nobody wants. This story runs the other direction: the one with the most standing chooses the lowest job, on purpose, as a demonstration.
Maybe you've been burned by religious people who acted more interested in being served than serving. This moment is offered as the actual standard, not the exception — an example given, in Jesus's own words, so it could be copied. Worth asking: what would it look like if that were actually the norm, not the rare exception?
If you've mostly seen religion demand service rather than give it, this moment with the towel is worth a second look.
A short video on this is coming soon — for now, read on.