John 13:2-5 (NASB)
2 During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him,
3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God,
4 got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself.
5 Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray Him. He also knew that He was the Son of God, Who had come from His Father and was returning to His Father. He also knew that these things were going to start that very night, so He only had a short time left with His disciples. He wanted them to understand what He had been teaching them for the last few years, so He gave them an object lesson.
Foot Washing
Foot washing in that day was very useful. They typically wore open sandals and walked on dry, dusty roads. These were also roads used by horses, donkeys, and other animals, so they were definitely not clean. Normally, foot washing was done by individuals themselves. If you were a guest in someone’s home, they would usually bring some water for you. If you were a highly honored guest in a wealthy person’s house, they would have one of their servants wash your feet. To wash someone else’s feet was not an honor. It actually showed how the other person was far more honorable. Why would Jesus do this?
John 13:12-15 (NASB)
12 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?
13 “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.
14 “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another s feet.
15 “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.
Jesus wanted us to see and follow His example.
Deity
John 1:1 (NASB)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
John tells us in his gospel that the Word (Jesus) was God, has always been God, and He always will be God. He also had an equal part in the creation of the universe. This shows us that He had all of the supernatural qualities of God, the Father—eternal life (having been with God from the beginning), omnipotence (He created everything in the universe), and omniscience (fully knowing the mind of the Father and the Holy Spirit).
Humility
Philippians 2:5-8 (NASB)
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Even though Jesus was equal with God the Father, He humbled and submitted Himself to His Father’s will. He “emptied Himself” so that He could become a man. When He became a man, He did not choose to become a rich or powerful man. He chose to be born as a baby into a poor family. He then grew up as a regular boy, then became a typical Jewish man.
Ministry
When He started His ministry, no one knew Him, because He had not gone to the “best” schools or grown up with “important” people. For His support, He depended on the contributions of others—some of which were women (yet another “embarrassing” thing). He had humble beginnings and a humble life.
Death
Being crucified was not just a shameful thing; in the Jewish law, it was a curse. Before He was crucified, He was whipped, mocked, spat upon, and beaten. A rich man gave Him his own tomb, because neither Jesus nor His family had enough money for one themselves.
During the Last Supper, Jesus knew all of these things were about to happen, yet He still took the time to wash His disciples’ feet.
Example
John 13:12-15 (NASB)
12 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?
13 “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.
14 “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another s feet.
15 “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.
Jesus said that He gave us this example, so that we “also should do as I did to you.” How many times, though, do we do just the opposite? If someone does or says something that we don’t like, we get offended. We might even think or even say that we are just as important as they are. “We have rights, after all.“
Service
Philippians 2:3-4 (NASB)
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
If we consider others as more important than ourselves, we won’t be worried about being offended or hurt. We will be focused on how we can help those around us.
Lord, help us to know how we can help our brothers and sisters around us. Make us humble, as You were humble. Let us serve You by serving Your people.
Give us the heart and mind of Christ.
In Practice
We might wonder how we can help others. What can we do?
Matthew 25:34-40 (NASB)
34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;
36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?
38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?
39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?
40 “The King will answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.
There are people all around us who need help. Are we there for them? It can be uncomfortable and even inconvenient. It might cost us money, friends, family, or reputation. If we see Jesus, in His people, needing help, are we willing to take the risk?
Elders
In the early church, we see that there were pastors and elders in each church. They had the responsibility to look after the needs of the people and lead them in their Christian walk.
1 Peter 5:1-3 (NASB)
1 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed,
2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;
3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.
Being in a position of leadership can be difficult. Many times, you have to make hard decisions, and if you make a mistake, others will be affected.
At the same time, some want to be in a position so that they can have power or influence over people. Some even do this to make a lot of money. Peter was telling them that was not right. If we are putting others before ourselves, ungodly ideas won’t even cross our minds. We will simply want to do what is best for others. A leader should live what he teaches others. His or her life should say more than what their mouth says.
Moses
In the Old Testament, we see Moses who led the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, defying the king of the most powerful nation in the world at that time. He then led the Israelites for forty years in the desert, while meeting with God personally in the tent of meeting on a regular basis. He had the ultimate authority over all of the people of Israel, with God backing him up, but he never lorded it over them. He remained humble, and allowed God to stand up for him.
Numbers 12:3 (NASB)
3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.)
Paul
When Paul was a young man, he was very prideful. Before he met Jesus, he persecuted Christians. After he was saved, he submitted himself to the leadership in the church, and God gradually raised him up. He became one of the greatest apostles ever. God brought him up to heaven and showed him things that he was not even allowed to tell anyone else. He had authority over many churches, but he did not exercise it for his own purposes.
1 Thessalonians 2:5-9 (NASB)
5 For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed God is witness
6 nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority.
7 But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children.
8 Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.
9 For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.
Paul and his travel companions would even work (Paul made tents) quite often, so that they did not have to depend on donations from the churches they were establishing.
Husbands
Ephesians 5:25 (NASB)
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
If a husband is going to lead his house as Christ loved the church, he needs to be willing to sacrifice himself—his pride, his finances, his time—for the benefit of his wife and children.
Daily Life
Most of us are in some type of leadership, whether we realize it or not. You might be a parent, responsible for your children, or you might be a manager or boss, responsible for employees. You might be a friend to someone, not realizing that you are responsible for influencing them in a godly way, leading them to Jesus, and humbly serving them, putting their needs above your very own—just like Jesus did.
More…
We would love to speak with you or have you worship the Lord with us. Please let us know how we can serve you.
