Learning to Serve

Today we are going to look at the passage in John 13 where Jesus washes the feet of his disciples.  Of course in the context, Jesus knows that he is soon to be on a cross.  As is normal in situations of separation he seeks to drive home the theme of his ministry and what he is trying to change about the "religion" of his people.  Over the last month we have talked about what it means to grow in becoming like Jesus.  It is precisely in this area of serving that we find the core of Christ's heart.

The ultimate aspect of becoming like Jesus is to realize this:  His heart is love and at the center of that love is serving.  If love were to be pictured as a cavern then it is our tendency to always fear going deeper.  "What if I can't get back?  What if I die and know one comes after me?  What if there is something down here that is dangerous?"  These questions can paralyze or cause us to run in fear and only settle for surface relationships.  But deep down in the depths of the cavern of love, if you are brave of heart, you will come to find that it's heart is service and we are going to see that today in this passage.  Jesus loved us by serving us.  That is the heart of God for mankind.

Jesus Lovingly Served us to the very end

The picture of Jesus on his knees with a basin and towel washing the disciples feet is hard to get away from precisely because it is almost surreal.  What leader serves his followers?  Isn't it supposed to be the other way?  But before we get into this I think we will find it helpful to follow the biblical account.  Now the main point of verse 1 is to let us know that Jesus loved his disciples to the very end.  This "end" is not explicitly spelled out and we can see it going at least 2 ways.  In light of his soon death it clearly emphasizes that he loved them all the way to the end of his life, all the way to the cross.  It is easy when our flesh encounters such resistance and threats to quit.  But Jesus didn't quit and run away, forsaking his disciples.  Rather, he persevered and continued to teach them.  Love never retires.  It continually seeks to help others even when it is under threat.

The second way that this can be seen is not exclusive of the above.  To the end can also have the sense that he loved them to the fullest extent possible.  In other words, Jesus loved them to the full limits possible within himself.  In fact, as God, Jesus shows us that the depths of God's love for us go deeper than we deserve, and deeper than we even desire.  I'll come back to that last statement in a bit.  When we might be tempted to only love so deep Jesus plumbed the very depths of love till he reached rock bottom of that dark cavern.  He held nothing back.  The scriptures tell us that in Jesus God was "lavishing" his love upon mankind.  He poured it out upon us without care of overflow.  Jesus was far more than we deserved and far more than we wanted.  In him love was poured out in exceedingly great amounts.  Notice though the qualifying phrases in verse one.  Jesus did all this knowing that his time to die had come.  He also knew that he was headed to the Father.  Knowing he was just about out of here, Jesus continued to love.  Knowing that he was being rejected by the world and sent back to the Father as a shamed ambassador, he still loved those frail, weak disciples.  Instead of dispising them and their boasting, he rather embraced and loved them because they were his.

Jesus Lovingly Served us with Full Knowledge

 Verse 3 tells us that Jesus knew several things as he approached the cross.  First he knew that all things had been given into his hands.  This phrase should remind us of Matthew 28:19-21.  Jesus told his disciples that all authority had been given to him.  The Scriptures had promised that when the messiah would come he would be given the authority over all things.  This is hinted at in Genesis 3:15.  Here God tells the serpent that the Seed of the Woman would crush his head.  This is a picture of complete domination and ruling.  Joshua did this with his generals when they were taking over the promised land.  He had several kings lay on the ground and had his generals put their feet on the ex-kings' necks.  This picture demonstrates that even your life is under my command.  It represents complete authority to be under the foot of another.  In Psalm 8 is speaks thus about the "son of man," the title Jesus most used for himself.  It says,

"What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?  You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings, and crowned him with glory and honor.  You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet."

 Jesus understood that he had full power over everything on earth and yet he spends that authority by not only going to the cross, but by also washing his disciples' feet, serving.  This just isn't normal.  Those who realize they have absolute power generally use it for themselves.  But Jesus did not do this.

Jesus also understood his divine origin and heavenly destination.  People have tried to figure out when Jesus understood his divinity.  Though the Bible does not give us the details that our curiosity desire at  some point Jesus clearly knew he was from heaven.  He knew he was divine.  This of course is the common lot of dictators, tyrants, and yes we must say Ceasars.  But know one who ever thought of themselves as a god, much less GOD, has acted as Jesus did.   With full faith in his true station as the highest over all creation he kneeled down and washed their feet.  The choices Jesus made are baffling if you truly believe he is what the Bible says he is.

Jesus Lovingly Served them Despite Contrary Influences

I know I skipped verse 2.  However we are going to back to it now.  The Bible tells us that Jesus did all this even as the devil had put it in Judas' heart to betray him.  This points out one of the things in this world that resists the service of love.  Satan hated Jesus and wanted to thwart his purposes.  The thought that killing Jesus would stop him was, of course, wrong.  But it represents a contrary influence none the less.  Satan found a willing accomplice in one of Jesus' disciples, one of those whom he loved to the very end.  Jesus didn't find out about Judas' betrayal after the fact.  Rather, he knew about it in advance and even warned his disciples that one of them would betray him.  There are few things as hurtful as betrayal.  Betrayal has poisonous affects upon love.  It not only tends to neutralize love, but can turn it into some of the most vicious hatred possible.

How often we run into problems that seem to have a supernatural source.  How easy it is to give up and quit serving, quit loving.  It is easier to do a hard thing when those around you are with you in spirit.  But when they actively work to thwart your purposes it can be very damaging.  How did satan find a willing accomplice?  Judas was lured by an expert fisherman.  Satan fishes for men just as much as Jesus.  But he seeks to catch them in order to use them for his own evil ends.  Judas clearly loved money was that the only trigger?  We may never know.  Some have speculated that Jesus' seeming inability to act like a "great leader" may have added to his ability to be turned.  However, it was done satan found fertile ground.  This contrary influence can cause us to give up.  Know this, if you attempt anything for God then the devil will fight against it in one way or another.  In that moment you will be tempted to give up or change direction, and quit loving. 

The second contrary influence came from the human pride that is demonstrated by Peter in verses 6-8.  Peter would not even think of letting Jesus wash his feet.  This may appear on its face to be a humble statement but it really is a statement of pride.  You see Peter is the #2 disciple in Jesus' little band of followers.  If Jesus is the messiah then Peter has a lock on being one of the greatest in the kingdom.  Peter could see himself standing beside Jesus when he had become King of Israel and vanquished the Romans.  He could see himself sitting on a throne only slightly lower than Jesus'.  His flesh, however, viscerally rejects the picture of Jesus washing their feet precisely because he knows what that means for him.  Jesus is inviting them to join him in service, not ruling.  Peter's pride doesn't want to accept it would rather deny Jesus the chance to do so to him.  Oh, friend, hear me when I say this.  None of us can rule with Christ until we have been broken in service along with him.  Service is not exalted in this world.  It is despised and only used to get a foothold to climb higher.  But it should not be so with God's people.  The greatest of us ought to serve the least of us, the most.

May God help you chew on these things.

John 13:1-8 mp3