Serve One Another

If the Lord’s people would please
take your Bibles. I didn’t have much difficulty
finding something to preach, something to share with you this
morning. I want to take you to John chapter 13. I began to look at this passage
just thinking about Resurrection Day, which is next Lord’s Day,
and obviously there are a finite number of passages that I would
be in on Resurrection Day, a relatively finite list of passages, but
as we approach Passion Week, I just figured we would get back
on the road as it were with Jesus and approach Jerusalem with him. Because in chapter 12, if you
want to just flip back one chapter, at the very end of chapter 11
and transitioning into chapter 12, Jesus arrives in Bethany,
the place where Lazarus was raised, and Mary and Martha lived, his
friends. And then in 2 through 11, Mary
anoints the feet of Jesus. Just a remarkable scene. And
so humbling, she wipes his feet with her hair. And what does she get for it? Criticism. Both she and Jesus
are criticized for this very genuine act of worship. And then
that leads into the triumphal entry, the very scene where people
are throwing palm branches and even their jackets into the road
to keep Jesus from having to walk on the dusty trail. Within
six days, they would be calling for his murder. Then Jesus issues a few lessons
in 1220 and following, and Luke records at least his response
by unbelievers. But that leads us into John chapter
13, which is essentially an episode that occurs in the upper room.
And In that upper room discourse, we come to the very edge of the
culmination of God’s plan of redemption, Jesus’ crucifixion.
And this scene in the upper room is one of the most poignant and
profound moments in the history of humanity. Within hours, Christ
will take on our burden as he goes to the cross. But now in
these very solemn hours that proceed, John records Jesus closing
out his earthly ministry. And John does so in the same
amazing way that he introduced Jesus at the very beginning of
this gospel. As we hold the synoptic Gospels,
Matthew, Mark, and Luke, in relief, in comparison, we discover that
this section is one of the most fascinating in that study of
the Gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke walk
deliberately through every detail of Christ’s journey from Bethany
to Jerusalem, a second temple cleansing, multiple parables,
the Olivet Discourse, the exposure of Judas’s crime in detail, and
the grand capstone of this section is the institution of the Lord’s
Supper. All the gospel writers address
that. These details are presented in
six chapters in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 21 through 26. And so
you come to John and his gospel, and you almost feel as if John’s
gospel is somewhat inferior at this point. He hasn’t addressed
all of those details. Six chapters of very sparse detail
or almost near silence in some regard. But John hastens to get
to the upper room. It’s almost as if he’s in a hurry
to get there to talk about things that the synoptic gospels don’t
even mention. He provides five chapters of
his own intimate details that the synoptic writers never even
mention. Here’s some additional perspective.
John’s first 12 chapters detail almost three years of Jesus’
public ministry. Chapters 13 through 17 concentrate
on one evening. In addition to this particular
chapter, chapter 13, consider the richness of what God has
added by means of the gospel report that John brings. Discourses
on the Trinity in chapter 14, the vine and the branches and
the opposition of the world in chapter 15, the ministry of the
Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. verse 16, or chapter
16, and then it’s capped with that high priestly prayer in
chapter 17. Truly, this is one of the most
astounding portions of the entire Bible. As John chapter 13 opens,
Jesus Christ, God’s provision for man’s sinfulness, is preparing
for the culmination of God’s great plan of redemption. and
his particular role in it. In just hours, he will be facing
the injustice, the hypocrisy, the degradation of being arrested,
falsely accused, his trial, and ultimately his crucifixion. But
for now, in these few fleeting moments, a quiet evening with
his most ardent followers, the apostles themselves. They’re
gathered for what we commonly refer to as the Last Supper.
The disciples don’t know that. They don’t know the full significance
of this night. And that’s what makes this scene
all the more dynamic. Here’s Christ, together with
his friends, And he’s largely alone in his thoughts as he prepares
to face his passion. Jesus prepares to deal with this
crisis. It’s the same crisis that still
affects the church, including this church. Jesus is confronting
the same challenge, the same sinful tendency. It’s the sin
of pride. And the church now as then suffers
because of it. If you would, I want to take
these 17 verses in the beginning of John chapter 13 We’ll read
them in full and then we’ll get in to a consideration of them. Now, before the feast of the
Passover, Jesus, knowing that his hour had come, that he should
depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own
who were in the world, he loved them to the end. And during supper,
the devil, having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot,
the son of Simon, to betray him, 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, rose from supper, laid aside
his garments, and taking a towel, he girded himself about. 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. Then he came to Simon Peter and
he said to him, Lord, do you wash my feet? Jesus answered
and said to him, what I do now you do not realize, but you shall
understand hereafter. Peter said to him, never shall
you wash my feet. Jesus answered him, if I do not
wash you, you have no part with me. Simon Peter said to him,
Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus said
to him, he who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is
completely clean. And you are clean, but not all
of you. For he knew the one who was betraying
him, for this reason he said, not all of you are clean. And
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’ve done
to you? You call me teacher and Lord,
and you are right for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the teacher
washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For
I gave you an example that you should do also, do as I did to
you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a
slave is not greater than his master, neither is one who is
sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things,
you are blessed if you do them. Go back, if you would, to verse
one. And I’m gonna get in, I’ll inform you of an outline when
we come to it. John doesn’t mention the upper
room, but that’s where John’s recorded episode here takes place. The synoptic writers, Matthew,
Mark, and Luke, they all capture the preparation for the celebration
of the Passover. John just seems to drop us right
into the midst of it. John’s reference, before the
Feast of the Passover, most likely refers to this unfolding timeline
of events. Because in the very next verse,
John gives additional context of this event that it occurred
during supper, the Last Supper. the Last Supper right there in
the upper room, and all four gospel writers record the institution
of the Lord’s Supper on this same occasion. Well, the Lord
Jesus is fully aware of the significance of this hour. It is His hour. It is the time marked out for
the fulfillment of His mission as Redeemer. It is that point
in time in which God has sovereignly marked out as the moment of mankind’s
redemption. Hundreds of years in the unfolding
plan of redemption have now come down to the ticking of a clock.
And Jesus Christ is not caught by surprise. He knows not only
the timing of this mission, but the success of it. He’s assured
of his return to the Father, and John makes it clear when
he says that Jesus knew that his hour had come, that he would
be departing this world to return to his Father in heaven. The
only way he would do that is if his mission were successful,
if his sacrifice was accepted, if the plan of redemption was
fulfilled. And that’s exactly what motivates
Jesus to this magnificent act of love for those who were in
the world. John so succinctly says it at
the end of verse one, he loved them to the end, to the uttermost,
to the fullest and most complete way possible. He had always loved
his disciples just as the father so loved the world that he gave
his only begotten son to be the savior of the world. But even
in these waning hours, his focus was not on the horrific things
that lay ahead, Jesus knew. His focus was on those that he
loved. Jesus just didn’t have a warm
feeling, an affection for humanity, including these friends. John’s account details that he
exhibited his love in a most significant action. John’s account
here of the foot washing is not even Christ’s greatest act of
love. Christ’s love to the end includes not only these events
in the upper room, not only his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane,
not only his arrest and mistreatment at the hands of sinful men, But
ultimately, His death on the cross, His atonement for sinners,
His payment for the sin of the world. As Paul stated in Romans
5.8, God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us. His love for the world
would not have been complete. until he finished this mission,
until he faced the cross and redeemed his people by his death
on the cross, he loved them to the end. His disciples certainly
knew that he loved them. Now they would know just how
greatly he loved them. Look at verse two and three,
where it records, during supper, the devil, having already put
into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray him,
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. Pause there for a moment. Please
notice this. Verses two and three are all
context. That’s what John’s giving us
there. It’s just the backdrop of what’s taking place. There
isn’t even a subject or anything like a pronoun until verse four,
he rose. We know that John is referring
to Christ here, but note the context. It comes in waves from
John, four of them. The first contextual note is
that John says it was during supper. And I have to tell you
here that the King James incorrectly translates it as the supper being
ended. It isn’t over, it’s just beginning.
Leader verses make that very clear that this is the beginning
of the dinner, not the end of it. Verse 26 pictures Jesus and
the apostles in the midst of eating. Dinner is served, the
meal is in progress. The second contextual note, look
at verse two, The devil having already put into the heart of
Judas Iscariot the son of Simon to betray him. Jesus knows. John
just notes here that almost as a backdrop that Judas has already
given over. The devil is now directing him. He’s already met with the Jewish
leaders. He’s scheming on the best way to betray Jesus. And Jesus himself knows full
well about Judas’s deceitful plans. The fact is yet to be
discovered by the rest of the disciples, however. There’s a
third piece of context there in verse three. The third context
is knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands. This isn’t something that Jesus
is learning as he goes. Jesus knows full well the Father’s
plan of redemption. He knows when he came and took
on flesh that he would be crucified. He knew that this would be the
culmination of the Father’s plan of redemption. Jesus knew that
it was upon him to accomplish redemption for us, for sinful
humanity. Jesus knew, as Paul says in Philippians
2, that his Father would bestow on him the name that is above
every name. And he knew, as Paul says in
Ephesians 1, that God had put all things in subjection under
his feet, that he had given him as head over all things to the
church. Jesus knew all of that. Jesus
knew that the Father had given all things into his hands. There’s
a fourth contextual note at the end of verse 3. and that he had
come forth from God and was going back to God. Jesus knew that
he would be crucified. He knew that he would die. He
knew that he would be buried, that he would rise again from
the dead, and that he would return victorious to be seated at his
father’s right hand. Jesus knew all of that. But that’s
the context that John provides here. And then we come to verses
four and five. Verse four leads us right into
verse five. And mind you, I think that sometimes
the way that we read scripture can obscure the meaning, the
significance. And we miss so much if we’re
not careful. John is giving his eyewitness
account, but in vivid detail here. He gives us a glimpse of
the powerfulness of this moment by a series of short, pithy sentences. And they’re delivered with a
pause at the end of each. likely just as each aspect of
this event was observed by this eyewitness. Listen to this. He, that is Jesus, rose from
supper, and he laid aside his garments, and taking a towel,
he girded himself about. Then he poured water into a basin
and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the
towel with which he was girded. The apostles likely had many
questions in this moment. When they saw Jesus rise, is
he leaving? Where is he going? What is he
doing? And these questions abounded
until Jesus knelt down and began washing their dirty feet. Questions would have quickly
faded, replaced by thoughts of shame and remorse. Look at verse
four, he rose from supper. Let me explain a dinner such
as this. There were these long, low tables
surrounded by couches or pillows. Guests would gather around the
table and usually lie on one side, leaning on their elbows
and these so many pillows. And so guests were in very close
proximity to one another. even as some of the details of
this evening will be presented. But no sooner are they all settled
around the table that Jesus surprisingly rises to his feet. And he proceeds
to do what should have been done when they first came into the
house. He proceeds to wash his friend’s
feet. Foot washing was not a religious
ritual, it was practical. For the most part, in that day,
people wore a very open sandal covering only the soles of their
feet, really. The roads were rarely paved,
so any foot travel would involve a lot of walking on dry, dusty
roads, and that led to dirty feet. But washing was a practical
practice. It wasn’t religious. For anyone
hosting a party, or as in this case, a dinner, it
was a mark of hospitality to provide for this need. A host
would provide water, he would provide the basins and the towels
for such, and depending on the host’s economic standing, he
would provide a servant to assist with the task if possible. On
even rarer occasions, for family and close friends, a host would
even assist his guests personally. And so the problem on this night,
in this borrowed facility, was that there was likely no particular
host, and hence there was no servant assigned to the duty. Jesus and his disciples were
on their own. And so John records, look at verse four again, he
rose from supper, laid aside his garments, if you will, his
outer garment. For us, it would be akin to his
jacket or dress shirt. He pulled off the long, loose
outer garment, laid it aside and stripped down to the equivalent
of his T-shirt. Verse four continues, taking
a towel he girded himself about, he tied or secured a towel around
his waist. He put on the attire of a slave. He was fully dressed now to do
slaves work. This image of Jesus in what essentially
is the garb of a slave, his underclothes and a towel, it’s one of the
most powerful images in scripture, isn’t it? To see your savior,
your Lord, dressed like a slave, doing slaves’ work. It captures
Jesus’ humility, just as it does being born in a stable, riding
into Jerusalem on a donkey and not a handsome white steed. But this image is above them
all. Glance at verse five. Then he
poured water into the base and began to wash the disciples’
feet. and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded.
As I understand this practice, they would not put their feet
into the basin itself, but rather the servant would hold the foot
over the basin and pour water over the foot, washing it over
and into the basin. Then to complete the process,
the slave would gently wipe and dry each foot. This process was
continued guest by guest until all had been served in this manner.
And so Jesus is proceeding with this necessary and practical
task, disciple by disciple, likely on his knees, washing feet, until suddenly a problem arises.
a drama within a greater drama, verses 6 through 11, verses I’ll
offer only minimal commentary on. For these five or six verses, I’ll just
make brief comments. It comes to Peter, and Peter
takes umbrage at this act. Lord, do you wash my feet? Evidently, Peter wasn’t the first
one to have his feet washed. We’re given no information about
who was first or last, what order this was done. But when Jesus
comes to Peter to wash his feet, Peter balks at the idea. Literally,
Peter says, Lord, do you wash my feet? Only in the most intimate
family circles would a superior ever, a patriarch, a ruler, would
they ever wash another’s feet. And so Peter appropriately expresses
his displeasure. He’s right. And Jesus responds
because of that very tenderly. Look at verse 7. Jesus answered
and said to him, what I do you do not realize now, but you shall
understand hereafter. When Jesus says hereafter, he
isn’t referring to some time in the distant future, a week,
a month, several years from now. Everything is going to become
very clear very soon. Jesus insists that Peter exercise
patience until he provides this perspective, but Peter can’t
do it. He can’t wait for the lesson.
And so in verse eight, he presses the Lord. Peter said to him,
never shall you wash my feet. Strong language, especially considering
the one to whom he’s speaking, to which Jesus replies even more
forcefully now. Jesus answered and said, if I
do not wash you, you have no part in me. Jesus is washing
literal dirty feet. He’s doing so because it needed
to be done. And in so doing, he is gently
correcting his beloved disciples. They cannot be above this kind
of correction. Jesus is not saying that foot
washing is essential for salvation, nor is he establishing a new
institution like the Lord’s table or baptism. What Jesus points
to here is the ongoing work of God that a saved man needs. Sanctification. The instruction
that Jesus provided is for that purpose. And unless Jesus has
the privilege, the freedom to reveal sin and to call us to
repentance, Jesus says he has no part in me. Well, Peter quickly
changes his tune. Look at verse nine. Simon Peter
said, Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.
He completely misses Jesus’ point. We can imagine here that if the
basin were deep enough, Peter might have hurled himself in,
right? Make it complete and thorough.
That’s Peter. And Jesus quickly corrects even
this excited suggestion. Look at verse 10. Jesus said
to him, he who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is
completely clean. Jesus, again, is washing literal
feet, literally dirty feet, and he’s doing so because it needed
to be done. But now Jesus makes a metaphorical
application of this to the process of salvation. Basically what
he says is that once a man has placed his faith in Christ alone
for salvation, he’s justified before God. He’s saved. He has
bathed. But he’s not yet sanctified.
The work of sanctification is a process in a believer’s life,
and that is akin to this foot washing. Jesus reminds Peter
that he was already saved, he’s already bathed, but he still
has need of sanctification, dealing with sin on a daily basis by
means of confession and the application of God’s grace. Jesus basically
tells Peter that every time you sin, you don’t need to rush home
and take a bath. You don’t need to be saved all
over again when you sin. A saved man When he sins, does
not lose his salvation. What he needs is his spiritual
foot washing. He needs sanctification. And then Jesus, to close out
this section, introduces, or interjects rather, a brief note
regarding Judas. And it’s important to note this.
Judas has already essentially betrayed Christ. At the end of
verse 10 and 11, Jesus said to him, you are clean, but not all
of you. for he knew the one who was betraying
him. For this reason, he said, not
all of you are clean. Judas, rather, is not a saved
man. This is one of the most shocking
things of this amazing scene. Jesus is going man to man, disciple
by disciple, washing their feet, and Judas is among them. I mean,
that is just astounding to me. Most astounding though is that
even Jesus washing his feet didn’t bring Judas to repentance. And
now, beginning in verse 12, Jesus
verbally engages the entire group. Look at verse 12, if you would.
And so when he had washed their feet, taken his garments again,
reclined at the table, he said to them, do you know what I have
done to you? You call me teacher and Lord,
and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the teacher,
washed your feet, you ought also to wash one another’s feet. For
I gave you an example that you should also do as I did to you.”
Jesus calls his disciples to consider what he has just done.
And I would imagine that there is an air of just stunned silence
among them. They’re not only processing the
act itself, but now also this lesson behind it. This selfless
act of washing his friend’s feet was really a forecast to an even
greater act of selflessness by Jesus. Soon he was going to the
dreadful cross to atone for the sin of the world. What else could
we expect from the one who came not to be served, but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many? Mark 10.45. Note here
what Jesus does. He doesn’t reject the titles
that they’ve applied to him. They’re appropriate. He is the
divine and eternal Lord by nature, and if the Lord was willing to
humble himself and to wash their feet, they ought to be willing
to do likewise. This is a powerful word, this
word ought. It speaks of an obligation, an
obligation before God. Jesus basically says here that
because of our salvation, we owe a debt of gratitude by means
of our humble service to others. And ultimately there in verse
15, Jesus tells his followers, he has provided them an example
for them to follow in his service. So what example does Jesus provide
in the washing of feet? To what end? For what purpose? Is it a perpetual ordinance,
an institution by Jesus here? Baptism, Lord’s Supper? Is it
a ritual of literally washing feet that Jesus calls them to?
Historically, it has been practiced in various circles and denominations. But the apostles never again
speak of the practice, and so it seems unlikely that Jesus
is establishing a formal ordinance here. I’ll tell you, the one
time I’ve ever seen this appropriately used, modeled, was as a wedding
symbol, husband and wife. Now this example of foot washing
was a living parable. It was meant to instruct and
to correct. It was meant to highlight the
need for humble service. If our service, our efforts,
our ministry is truly done unto the Lord as to Christ, then it
is indeed an act of worship. It’s a fragrant aroma to God. And so just like the apostles,
Jesus said he gave us an example. What lessons do we glean from
this? I believe there are three at
least. Jesus is calling us really to
Christ-like service. Ministry that ultimately honors
and glorifies God. And first of all, particulars
of ministry that honor God Christ-like service is self-sacrificing. If you look again at verse two,
and during supper, go to verse four. During supper,
Jesus rose from supper, laid aside his garments, and
took a towel. during supper. We already noted
when we looked at this context, but it’s important to take it
together with the Lord’s actions. Foot washing during supper. I know many people that don’t
even answer the phone during dinner, right? The time of family
is precious. Children’s hands especially are
washed. Everyone is gathered. The food
is hot. And so doing something so disgusting
as washing someone else’s feet is completely out of place. And that’s the whole point of
this little detail. That Jesus certainly could have
made his point by doing the service before dinner or after dinner,
but during supper, Jesus waited until the last possible
moment to call attention to the fact that the disciples all had
overlooked this simple duty. A good host would have provided
for this service or would have done it himself. The moment a
guest walked into his home and every last one of the disciples
knew the circumstances of the dinner, that this was a provided
room. They had no slave. And now it was long past time
when they could have and should have done this. Their pride is
confirmed here. Christ’s rebuke was not of their
slovenliness, not the fact that they had dirty feet. It wasn’t
for their bad manners in skipping this as if it was a mere tradition. It was for their proud refusal
to serve one another. It was the sin of pride. thinking
that some deed was beneath them. That’s what was so offensive
to God. None of these disciples showed
their willingness to serve one another. So when Jesus rose from
the table and eventually knelt down to wash their feet, it was
a severe rebuke of their pride. Jesus waited until the time was
just right, during supper, to provide an enduring example that
service is by nature inconvenient. Ministry is inconvenient. Food
washing was supposed to be done before the meal, not during the
meal. We in our Western mind, we can
hardly wrap our minds around this practice, especially in
the context of a formal dinner. The very idea of Jesus moving
deliberately from guest to guest on his knees, washing feet, and
then returning to dinner, it’s just utterly shocking. Ministry
is hard. Serving others is hard and dirty
and sometimes painful, challenging, frustrating, And much of the time, it’s just
plain inconvenient. The opportunities come at difficult
times. They involve difficult circumstances,
sometimes even difficult people. Paul surely had this in mind
when he admonished the Philippians in 2.3, do nothing from selfishness
or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, regard one another as
more important than yourselves. If Jesus took such an occasion
during the Last Supper to do such an inglorious task, can
anything be beneath us? Ministry is by nature inconvenient. Most often, it is disruptive
to our life and our schedules. Ministry is a displacement of
self. It’s a displacement of our plans.
It’s a displacement of our time. It’s a displacement of our resources. It’s a displacement of our dignity.
Ministry is inconvenient. And therefore, it must be self-sacrificing. Secondly, the particulars of a ministry
that honors God, Christ-like service is not only self-sacrificing,
Christ-like service is self-motivating. Look at verse five, then he poured
water into the basin, began to wash the disciples’ feet. Please
remember this, that this need would have been immediately noticeable
to everyone. At the table, this particular
arrangement Your friend’s feet would probably be right behind
your head. All the disciples should have
noticed that something was missing. There was a regularity to this
practice. It was commonplace. When you
entered a dwelling, everything necessary for this act would
have been provided for this specific purpose. Since this was a borrowed
facility, the disciples would have been aware there was no
slave present for the service. But the most obvious sign of
this need would have been their own dirty feet. Not to mention
their brother’s dirty feet. But even in the face of all of
these things, none of the disciples took the initiative to volunteer
for this task. Maybe it was an oversight, but
12 of them? A more likely reality was that
even if they noticed no slave, they did nothing about it. What
we do know is that the Lord waited patiently and silently all the
while, seeing both the need and recognizing the inaction of his
friends, and then he moved. It was a truly teachable moment
to drive home this point to his disciples. He had addressed the
problem of pride before, but now here is his last best chance. to drive home the point. How
sad that Jesus alone noticed this very needed service. How sad that none of his friends
offered to wash anyone’s feet, including his. And so Jesus gets up from dinner,
washes their dirty, stinky feet. It was a rebuke, a rebuke of
their pride, a rebuke of their inaction. Can we even begin to
fathom the depth of their shame as the Lord Jesus Christ himself
dressed down, degraded his outer appearance with slaves’ clothes,
and went man by man on his knees, washing their feet? There’s no doubt that as Jesus
worked his way toward you, if you were seated at that table,
You would have been sickened with grief. We should be. Let’s face it, this is a disgusting
job. And it really shouldn’t surprise
us to find reluctance to take up this task. It’s not as if
feet were better then than they are now. They had the same calluses. They
had those same unsightly toenails. They had the same smell. This
is, by anyone’s account, an absolutely disgusting job. May I ask you, if Jesus Christ
washed his disciples’ feet, is there any task that is beneath
you? Let me put it in perspective. Consider the feet of those here
in this room this morning, including your own. And these feet, I mean,
by the world’s standards, are rather pampered, washed with
the finest soaps, possibly even pampered with expensive and aromatic
lotion or cream, whatever, kept cool and dry with foot powder, Dr. Scholz placed into leather
shoes, cotton socks. You know what? I don’t think
it’s a stretch to point out that even in those circumstances,
we would be disinclined to take on this assignment, wouldn’t
we? To wash our friends’ stinky feet? Self-motivation not only recognizes
a need, but it wastes no time in taking the action to remedy
that need. The disciples all likely recognize
this need. They just didn’t do anything
about it. There are lots of needs in and around the church, in
and around our society. The trouble is that we condition
ourselves to ignore them. We convince ourselves that it
is in our responsibility, much like the disciples, that we are
somehow exempted from this particular duty. Ministry is self-motivating,
which means that at the beginning of it all, we have to pause and
look and take note of needs and allow those needs to move us
to action. There’s a third lesson that we
can draw. Christ-like service, ministry
that honors God, is not only self-sacrificing and self-motivating,
it’s self-denying. Self-denying. Would you look
at verse 12? Shocking verse. And so, when
he had washed their feet and taken his garments again and
reclined at the table again, he said to them, do you know
what I’ve done for you? As much as clear, none of the
disciples took initiative to do this service. That’s the rebuke.
None of the disciples joined Christ. Wouldn’t it have been
appropriate for someone, anyone, to say, Jesus, can I work the
towel? But perhaps worst of all, none
of the 12 reciprocated. No one, after being served in
such a profound way, no one said, Jesus, may I wash your feet now? It does no harm to our Christology,
the doctrine of Christ, to acknowledge that Jesus’ feet were likely
just as dirty as his friends. Jesus was absolutely sinless,
but just like his friends, he had dirty feet. On another occasion,
Jesus called attention to this very thing. You may recall when
the sinful woman anointed Jesus’ feet, wiping them with her hair. He was criticized by the Pharisees
and his reply. Do you see this woman? I entered
your house. You gave me no water from my feet, but she has wet
my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. Remember
this foot washing here in John 13 was first and foremost a practical
thing. Only secondarily was it symbolic
of sanctification. Jesus had no need at all of a
spiritual cleansing of any degree. But he certainly deserved to
have his feet washed And that’s part and parcel of
the indictment that Jesus gives against these disciples. They
didn’t even wash Jesus’ feet. They didn’t initiate the process
with one another, nor did they reciprocate after Jesus’ profound
lesson. But Jesus didn’t stew about it.
He didn’t pace back and forth waiting for someone to come and
to wash his feet. He served and he sat. And I’m just telling you that
if you’re going to serve in ministry, don’t wait for someone to reciprocate.
Don’t wait for someone to notice your deeds. Don’t wait for someone
to do to you what you have done for them. Ministry is self-denying, self-sacrificing, self-motivating,
self-denying, such is the nature of ministry that Jesus points
out. Would you humble yourself before
him? Lord God, we do humble ourselves
before you. And we are reminded that just
the depth, the extent of our Savior’s love, and that in a very real way,
He did this for us. He did this to provide a lesson
for us. Lord, we With one exception,
note that those disciples learned this lesson. They began to serve as never
before. They took it upon themselves
to notice needs and to humbly roll up their sleeves and tackle
various needs. They indeed were self-sacrificing. They began to recognize needs
on their own. They were self-motivated. And
they didn’t wait around for someone to cheer them on or to participate
with them. Theirs was a self-denying ministry.
Lord, grant us the grace that we too might conduct ourselves
in such a way that we might serve in such a way. Jesus said it
so clearly at the end of that great section that a servant
is not greater than his master. Whatever Jesus did cannot possibly
be beneath us. Lord, we thank you and praise
you. And if there are any here who do
not know the Lord Jesus, they need to know that they could
notice the dirty feet of every person in this world and begin
to set about washing them. And it would earn them nothing.
Our salvation doesn’t come by good works, by good deeds such
as Jesus exhibited. Our salvation comes by faith
in Jesus Christ alone. And then, and then by God’s grace
directed by his spirit come the good works. God grant that every
believer here take this to heart, that we roll up our sleeves fall
on our knees and serve our brothers and sisters in Christ as Jesus
served us. We pray these things in Jesus’
name.