John 13:1-17
1It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. [1]
___________________
Am I a servant like Jesus? That’s the question that this passage asks me today.
You can’t miss the strong theme of servanthood in John’s telling of what took place at the beginning of the gathering in the upper room:
Look at verses 3-4. The washing of the disciples’ feet is presented not as an unrelated add-on to Jesus’ mission, but integral to it. Because he knew who He was and where He was going, He got up to wash their feet. It was all about being a servant
Look at verse 8. Unless Jesus serves us we have no part in Him. Following Jesus doesn’t begin with serving Him, submitting to Him, surrendering to Him. It begins with being served by Him. And this is not a one-time thing, but ongoing in our relationship. Jesus continues to want to serve me, washing my feet, forgiving me, blessing me, and so on. It’s really mind-boggling. Amazing grace.
Look at verse 15. His serving of me is to lead into my serving others. Discipleship is all about growing in the character and competence of Christ, becoming like him and doing what He did. He came to serve, so I serve. He came to bless others, so I seek to be a blessing. It’s really quite simple. Not easy, but simple.
This is a message that I have to keep returning too, especially as one in Christian leadership: Jesus is all about serving. Jesus serves me. I serve others. Simple.
My prayer is simply that I may be a servant today.
What is the Word leading you to pray about today?
[1] The New International Version. 2011 (Jn 13:1–17). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
