Christlike Service

Christlike Service

John 13: 1 – 17.

Introduction

Have you ever put together a “bucket list?”  A bucket list is a list of the things you want to accomplish before you “kick the bucket.”  (In case you don’t understand the phrase “kick the bucket,” a bucket list is a list of things you want to accomplish before you die.)

If you need some help, there are websites you can visit to get ideas about putting together your own bucket list.  Some of these websites even allow you to publish your bucket list online or help other people accomplish the items on their bucket lists.

Here are some of the popular things people have listed on their bucket lists:  fall in love; swim with sharks; skydive; see the Northern Lights; run a marathon; ride an elephant; travel around the world…

Perhaps you have never made a bucket list.  But, have you ever stopped to think about what you would do if you knew you were about to die?  What if you knew you only had one year to live?  What about one month?  What about one week?  What about one day?

None of us really knows how much longer we will live.  We may have years, months or days left to live.  It might be good advice for us to live every day as if it were our last day on earth.

In the Gospel of John, we read that Jesus knew his time had come.  He knew that he had been sent by his Father to demonstrate God’s love for all humanity.  Jesus knew he was headed toward the cross.  He predicted that he would be lifted up on the cross.  He told his disciples that he was going away and coming back for them.  He told them he had to leave them in order to prepare a place for them in his Father’s house.  Jesus knew the time had come for him to die.

Death may come as a surprise for you and me.  But, Jesus was not surprised by death.  He knew how much longer he had to live.  Since Jesus knew he was about to die, I think he was intentional about the way he lived in his last days and hours.  So, what did Jesus do in his last hours with his disciples?

John 13: 1 – 17.

What do you think was going through the disciples’ minds during this time?  If the disciples had lived in the Twenty-First Century, they would probably have Twitter accounts to share every personal thought to the public world.  Let’s pretend that the disciples did have Twitter and eavesdrop on what they were thinking.

Slide 1: Title Page.

Jesus washed his disciples’ feet while they were gathered to share their last meal together.  John sets the context for this meal as “just before the Passover Feast.”  Since Jesus grew up in a good Jewish home—and we assume the disciples grew up in good Jewish homes as well—it makes sense to us that they would want to celebrate the Passover Feast together.

Peter: Today is the first day of the feast.  Wondering where Jesus wants us to prepare?

Jesus gave his disciples specific instruction about where to set up for the Passover meal. 

John:  Looking for a man with a pitcher of water in the city.

The disciples found a private room where they could cook the food and set the table.  They were celebrating the way God rescued his people Israel from slavery in Egypt.  The disciples prepared the lamb and the flat bread and the bitter herbs.  They took care of ALMOST all of the details for the Passover meal.  It seems they forgot one detail.  There was no one to wash their feet before they sat down to the meal.

Thomas: Finally, everyone is here.

We can speculate that the disciples probably noticed this oversight.  After all, it was unheard of to eat a meal without first washing your feet.  Today, we don’t wash our feet before meals.  We wash our hands.  But, that is because we wear shoes and don’t walk around on dusty streets littered with garbage and animal waste.

Simon, the Zealot: The Supper begins!

We don’t know if the disciples noticed or not.  But, we do know that they began eating without washing their feet.

Andrew:  Tonight seems different…

During the meal, something very unusual happened.  Jesus got up from his place at the table and started removing his clothes

Thomas:  OM!  What is Jesus about to do?

Matthew: Why has Jesus changed his garments to that of a servant?

More than likely, Jesus put on a towel as his clothing—a towel that stretched from his waist to the floor.  The slave who washed feet for the guests usually wore this towel and used it to wash and dry the feet.

James, Son of Alphaeus:  Uh-oh!  What is Jesus going to do?

Peter:  Why does Jesus want to wash my feet?  I should wash his!

When the disciples saw Jesus dressed in the clothes of a slave and stooped down to wash their feet, the room fell silent.  No one was willing to say a word.  No one, that is except Peter.  This is not surprising, because Peter is usually the first one to speak.

Bartholomew:  Wow!  Peter just said no to Jesus!

On first glance, it seems that Peter is being humble.  He is startled by the sight of Jesus, the Son of the Living God, kneeling at his feet.  Whether he is being humble or not, Peter is once again trying to tell Jesus how to do his job.

Jude Thaddaeus:  Jesus told Peter that if he didn’t wash his feet, then Peter wouldn’t have any part with him.

Jesus tells Peter that there is only one way to have a “part” with Jesus.  “Part” is probably a reference to an inheritance.  The only way to inherit abundant and eternal life is to allow Jesus to “wash” us.  Not to wash us with water, but to wash us spiritually through his crucifixion and resurrection.

Peter:  I can’t be separated from Jesus—wash my feet, my hands and my head!

Peter:  OK, a little over zealous—just my feet—wash my feet, Jesus—please!

It is interesting to me that Jesus washed the feet of all his disciples.  He methodically knelt down and washed each

James, Son of Zebedee:  How humbling, to see Jesus wash my brother John’s feet.  And, apparently, I’m next.

John:  The room is so quiet.

Jude Thaddaeus:  Why would Jesus wash our feet?  He is going to be a ruling king!  This is an odd way to become a ruler.  Kings don’t act as servants, right?

Andrew:  Three years ago, Peter and I were fishing.  Never would we have thought that following Jesus would place us here—with him washing our feet.

Phillip:  I can’t bring myself to look around the room, but I can hear him stepping in my direction.

Jude Thaddaeus:  I know Jesus will be our king—our ruler.  I will follow him for many years.  I hope he rules soon so I can understand his plan and be a part of it.

Phillip:  Jesus is acting as a servant to each of us—going around the room to clean our feet.  Should I wash the feet of others also?  To be like Jesus?

Jesus Knew His Time Had Come.

For the first 12 chapters of the Gospel of John, we read many references to time.  When Jesus performed his first miracle at the wedding in Cana, Jesus’ mother insisted he do something about the shortage of wine.  Jesus told her that his time had not yet come.  When Jesus preached in his home synagogue in Nazareth, the crowd was enraged by what Jesus said about himself.  They even tried to kill Jesus.  But, John tells us that Jesus walked away unharmed, because his time had not yet come.  In John 7, Jesus’ brothers urged him to go to Jerusalem and reveal himself to the religious leaders.  Jesus would not give in to their demands, because it was not the right time.

Chapter 13 is a turning point for Jesus.  Now his time has come.  It was time for Jesus to reveal himself through betrayal, suffering, crucifixion and resurrection.  Jesus knew it was his time, and Jesus was in control of his time.

Knowing that he would die in approximately 24 hours, Jesus chose to spend all his time with his disciples outside of the public eye.  He was not focused on himself and his own needs and desires.  He didn’t spend his last hours traveling around the world or riding on elephants.  Instead, he spent his last hours investing himself in others.

Jesus Showed Them the Full Extent of His Love.

Washing the disciples’ feet was a teaching moment for Jesus and his disciples.

If we compare the Passover meal in the Gospel of John to the same meal in Matthew, Mark and Luke, we discover a controversy among the disciples.  They were arguing over which of them was the greatest disciple.  In Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus addresses their argument with a teaching about true greatness.  John doesn’t tell us anything about the disagreement among the disciples.  But, it is very possible that Jesus’ actions in washing their feet was intended to show them what true greatness looks like.  If so, then what we have here is something like an enacted parable.  Jesus washed their feet, then explained why he did it.

If we stick with the passage in the Gospel of John alone—and don’t try to compare it to the other Gospels—we still have a teaching moment.  John tells us that in Jesus’ last hours of his life, Jesus demonstrated the full extent of his love for his disciples.

This is what biblical love looks like.  Love is an action, not a feeling.  Love is putting the needs and desires of another person ahead of your own needs and desires.  Love is doing whatever it takes to meet the needs and desires of someone else—even if it means getting your hands dirty in the process…even if it means doing something that people normally think is beneath them.

 In a word…Love is Service.  Jesus demonstrated the full extent of his love for his disciples by serving their immediate needs.

What makes this remarkable is the fact that Jesus knew his time had come.  Jesus knew that Judas was about to betray him.  And, Jesus washed Judas’ feet.  We can assume that Jesus washed Judas’ feet, because Jesus washed all his disciples feet…and Judas was there.  Judas did not leave the meal until John 13: 30—after the meal was finished.

This fits into what we read about Love in the teachings of Jesus found throughout the Gospels.  For example, Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount to “Love your enemies.”  Again, biblical love is not about feelings.  Biblical love is about actions and service.  Therefore, Jesus does not teach us that we have to LIKE our enemies.  Jesus teaches us to LOVE our enemies by serving them and meeting their needs.

Jesus Knew the Father Had Put All Things under His Power.

Washing the disciples’ feet was also an act of humility.

The Gospel of John teaches us that Jesus was well aware of his identity.  Jesus knew he was the Son of God and got into trouble with the religious leaders by telling them he was God’s Son.  Jesus knew he had been sent by his Father to accomplish God’s mission of Love and salvation.  He told his disciples that he would be lifted up.  He told his disciples that he was going to the Father to prepare a place for them in his Father’s house.  And, here in chapter 13, we read that Jesus knew the Father had put all things under Jesus’ power.

Jesus had all the Father’s power and authority.  Jesus was the rightful ruler of Heaven and earth.  But, Jesus chose to exercise his power and authority by kneeling down and accepting the role of a household servant.  This would have been unheard of in the ancient world.  The culture was dominated by the opposing concepts of honor and shame.  Everyone wanted to gain honor for themselves.  No one wanted to bring shame on themselves or their family name.  Jesus willingly stepped down from a position of honor and assumed a position of shame.

Why would Jesus choose to exercise his power and authority this way?  It is because Jesus knew who he was and was confident in his identity.  The  disciples were unwilling to wash each others’ feet, because they were too worried about bringing shame on themselves and what other people might think of them.  Their sense of honor and shame came from the opinions of other people.  Jesus’ sense of honor and shame came from God’s opinion alone.

Conclusion: Jesus Is Our Example.

Notice what Jesus said to his disciples after he washed their feet:  “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done (John 13: 15 NIV).”

Perhaps this raises a question for us.  If Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and told them he did it as an example for them to follow, then why do we not wash each others’ feet today? 

Some churches do wash feet as an element of their worship services.  Some churches hold special “foot washing” services at designated times of the year.  Some churches incorporate “foot washing” into the way they observe the Lord’s Supper.  Some churches hold “foot washing” services once every one hundred years.

What would you do if I announced that we were going to have a “foot washing” service next Sunday morning?  Some of you would probably start right now searching for a good reason to skip church next week.  The rest of you would do the same thing that I would do.  I would trim my toenails and wash my feet extra carefully before coming to church.  (Some of our ladies might even schedule a pedicure for next Saturday.)  It wouldn’t be the same thing that Jesus did.  Jesus didn’t wash clean feet.  Jesus washed disgustingly dirty feet.

Also, go back and read the Book of Acts and Paul’s letters in the New Testament.  We don’t have another example of “foot washing.”  We read about Christians’ practicing baptism and the Lord’s Supper.  We read about Christians’ preaching the Gospel, casting out demons and healing the sick.  But, we do not read about the disciples’ carrying around portable foot washing kits to wash the feet of others.

Apparently, the disciples knew Jesus was speaking figuratively.  Washing their feet was a parable.  It demonstrates how we are supposed to imitate Jesus.  We are to know who we are in God’s eyes.  We are not supposed to worry about what other people think about us.  We are not to think too highly of ourselves.  Then, we can kneel down before others and serve their immediate needs.