Do you know who worked on the street and road cleaning crews in Israel back then? Nobody! The roads in Palestine were unsurfaced and never cleaned. They were made of dust in the dry seasons and mud in the wet times and the feet of all travelers were subject to getting VERY dirty very quickly. The shoe of the day was the sandal, which did little to protect the foot from dirt, and the roads were also travelled by animals of various sorts, which eliminated themselves upon those roads, so the dirt on the feet was not always pleasant to smell. There were always large waterpots at the doors of the homes and a servant would be there to wash the feet of the travellers. To not provide this service was considered a breach of hospitality (1Sam 25:41, Luke 7:44, 1Tim 5:10). From the previous reading in Luke it seems unlikely that any of the disciples had volunteered to wash the feet of his fellows as they had entered and there were no servants at this private celebration. Tenney notes that “they were ready to fight for a throne, but not for a towel.”

1 Samuel 25:41  She bowed down with her face to the ground and said, “Here is your maidservant, ready to serve you and wash the feet of my master’s servants.”

Luke 7:44  Then he turned towards the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

1 Timothy 5:10  and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.

Temple comments that “We rather shrink from this revelation. We are ready, perhaps, to be humble before God; but we do not wnat Him to be humble in His dealings with us.” He goes on to note that “man’s humility does not begin with the giving of service; it begins with the readiness to receive it. For there can be much pride and condescension in our giving of service.” But it is difficult to receive something we need from a volunteer without humility.

The 2 disciples were Andrew, whose name is given in verse 40, and though his name is not given, possibly John, the disciple Jesus loved, which has been thought since early times.