After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them. (John 13:12-16 NLT)They get through with dinner. Jesus rises and takes off his outer garment. He kneels in front of his apostles and begins to wash their feet.
Wait! This is the actions of a servant, greeting his superiors. Jesus is the Lord. They are servants. They should wash his feet, not he theirs.
But it is too late. He has already started. The apostles don’t know what to do. Jesus is always doing things to make them feel uncomfortable.
When he gets through, he puts his coat back on and sits down.
Now then, he says, you understand what I was doing? They didn’t, of course. They were probably baffled.
He said, I was showing you something. You call me Lord and Teacher, and I am. But if I can wash your feet, you being my followers, then you have nothing to feel big about.
That is the problem with the church. Everybody wants to be in charge. Everybody wants to be catered to. It boils down to a matter of control.
However, Jesus, although he was on his knees in front of his apostles, was in control. He was still Lord and Teacher and he was still in charge.
But he was also serving.
People do not come to church to be served, but to serve. They do not come to church to cater to, or control, or be committee chairmen. They come to serve.
Philippians 2:5-11 says that Jesus gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. He came as a slave, a servant, not as a boss. And when we are servants of him, we are slaves, servants, not bosses.
Church is not about control and being in charge. It is about serving others and helping others find God.
Only then can we really be his servants, servants of a servant.
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