1 Jesus Taught Us How To Serve Text: John 13:1-30 Focus: John 13:1-17 December 2, 2018 Key Verse: If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. John 13:17 Sunday Devotional: Having the Mind of Christ, Philippians 2:5-8. Application: The student will follow the pattern of service set by Jesus that results in happiness. A FIRST LOOK Jesus gave us a new pattern for living. He said in Matthew 20:28 that He had not come to be ministered to, but to minister. He was rightly hailed as the Messiah and the King of Israel, but Jesus had not come into Jerusalem to rule as a king; He came to die as our Savior. It is very important to note that Jesus humbled Himself. Situations and circumstances often humble us. We can be humbled by other people in our lives when they act and react differently than we expect. There is no situation beyond the control of our Lord. No human being who ever lived has more power or authority than He does. He chose to do everything that He did, and His choice here was to humble Himself. In taking on the form of the lowliest of servants, Jesus taught us how to serve. There was a process here. This was not a series of random events. Every- Daily Devotionals M. Jesus Predicts His Betrayal, John 13:18-30. T. Jesus Gives a New Commandment, John 13:31-38. W. Humility in Our Giving, 2 Corinthians 8:7-9. T. Humility in Our Interactions, Romans 12:9-16. F. Humility in Dealing with Weaker Brethren, Romans 15:1-6. S. Identifying with Other People, 1 Corinthians 9:19-22. 4
Text: John 13:1-30 5 thing Jesus did was to teach us a great lesson, and the order of events is instructive as well. Voluntary humility must come first, then spiritual cleansing will follow, and the result will be happiness. Our sinful world tries to reverse this order. Many think that the pinnacle of happiness would be to have others serve them. That attitude will not produce either happiness or spiritual righteousness, much less humility. The world s way of doing things produces human misery, not true happiness. Jesus taught us that the way to true reward is to become a servant of all, not a ruler. A CLOSER LOOK I. Jesus Example of Service John 13:1-5 1. Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. 2. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon s son, to betray him; 3. Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; 4. He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. 5. After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Clearly, Jesus knew things that His disciples had not yet grasped. Jesus had told His disciples plainly that He would go to Jerusalem, suffer many things, be crucified and rise again on the third day. However, these prophetic words fell on deaf ears (Luke 9:22). Jesus had come into Jerusalem to die for the sins of the world; the disciples had come there to observe another Passover. Jesus knew that His hour, or time, had come. God is not bound by time in the way we are, but He has bound Himself to timing. God sent Jesus into the world when the fullness of time was come, and Jesus ministry proceeded according to a time schedule. That
6 Jesus Taught Us How To Serve schedule was not known to men, but it was known to our Lord. Jesus had previously stated that His hour had not come (John 7:30; 8:20), and now He knew that it had. Jesus knew that He would soon leave this world and return to His Father in Heaven. Jesus also knew that He loved those who were His own. The love God has for us is not circumstantial nor is it limited to a time and a place. The actions of Jesus were motivated by His love for His own. This is a great example for any teacher or leader. The best thing a teacher can do is to love those he teaches. Importantly, the love of Jesus did not prohibit the activities of Satan. Jesus also knew that Satan was at work in the heart of Judas. Perhaps, Judas did not initially intend to betray Jesus. Certainly, Judas did not begin to follow Jesus knowing that in a few years his own life would end in disgrace. Satan is a liar, and he lied to Judas. Judas believed that money would solve his problems. He was greedy when the ointment was poured out in the home of Lazarus, and he was greedy when he was offered money to betray Jesus. Most importantly, Jesus knew that the Father had given all things into His hand. Jesus was in control of the earth and all that was in it. Often it may seem that things are out of control, truly they never are. The next few days would be chaotic from the viewpoint of the disciples, but to Jesus they proceeded according to a perfect plan just as He knew they would. Jesus knew where He came from and where He was going. He endured the shame of the cross because of the glory that was waiting for Him in eternity. When His redemptive work on earth was finished, Jesus knew that He would return to Heaven to be with His Father. There is a wonderful comfort accepting the fact that we will go to Heaven when we die. Knowing that should put a smile on our faces and a spring in our step, no matter what else may happen. Life can be filled with troubles, and the next few days would bring heartbreak and trials for Jesus; yet, at the end of it all, He returned to Heaven. We can face our trials secure in the knowledge that because of our faith in Jesus one day the angels will take us into the presence of God. What wonderful and comforting knowledge! With these thoughts in His mind, Jesus rose from supper and began to perform the most menial of tasks. He took off His outer garments, took a towel and began to wash the feet of His
Text: John 13:1-30 7 surprised disciples. This was the kind of service that no Hebrew, even a Hebrew slave, would be asked to perform. A Gentile slave might have been asked, but no Jew would have been required by another Jew to stoop this low. Jesus was performing the most humble and menial task imaginable in that day. The man, who held all things in His hands and could do anything, chose to pick up a towel and wash feet. This is a great lesson for us today. Often our pride can keep us from serving. The task at hand may seem to be beneath us, or we may think that those we are serving are not worthy of our service. Either way, when we refuse to humble ourselves, we lose a blessing. II. Peter s Misunderstanding John 13:6-11 6. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? 7. Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. 8. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. 9. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. 10. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. 11. For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. When Jesus came to Peter, He found overt resistance to this ministry. At first, Peter did not want Jesus to wash his feet. Jesus patiently explained that Peter would understand all this in the future. If Jesus did not wash his feet, Peter would have no part with Jesus. Peter then went overboard and asked Jesus to wash his feet, hands and head. This shows clearly that Peter did not understand what Jesus was doing, but like most of us, this did not keep him from offering his opinions. Jesus then patiently explained what His actions were symbolizing. Jesus was trying to teach His disciples the importance of maintaining fellowship with God. When a sinner trusts Jesus as Savior, that person has his sins washed away and forgiven (Titus 3:3-7). That transaction is permanent and will never need to be
8 Jesus Taught Us How To Serve repeated. But, as a believer walks in this world, he can become partially defiled. Such a person does not need to be bathed all over again; he simply needs to have that defilement cleansed away. God promised to give us this cleansing when we confess our sins to Him (1 John 1:9). When God cleanses us in salvation, this results in a permanent union with Christ. This is a settled relationship that cannot change. It is a spiritual birth, and it is a onetime experience. However, our fellowship with Christ depends on our keeping ourselves unspotted from the world (James 1:27). If we have unconfessed and unforgiven sin in our lives, we interrupt our fellowship with the Lord. This is when we need to have our feet washed. Peter would learn this lesson very painfully when he denied Jesus three times in one night. There is a very important lesson to be learned from the actions of Peter. We must never question the Lord s will or His work, and we should not try to change it. Jesus knew what He was doing. Peter obviously was reluctant to let Jesus wash his feet because Peter was not willing to minister to others in this same way. It takes humility and grace to serve others, but it also takes humility and grace to allow others to serve us. The beautiful thing about a truly submissive soul is that it can give as well as receive and do both to the glory of God. III. Following Our Master John 13:12-17 12. So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? 13. Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. 14. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another s feet. 15. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. 16. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. 17. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. Jesus then asked His disciples if they understood what had just happened. Of course, He knew that they did not, so He explained this example of service to them.
Text: John 13:1-30 9 Jesus was truly their Lord and Master, and the disciples recognized this. If He was willing to humble Himself and wash their feet in submissive service, then they should be willing to do as He had done. In this incident Jesus gave us an example of humble service, not a specific command to imitate this particular action. We do not have to wait for someone with dirty feet in order to humbly serve the Lord; we can do it in any situation in life. We do not find this practice repeated among other churches mentioned later in the Bible. It is not mentioned or taught in the church epistles. The two church ordinances are baptism and the Lord s Supper. In fact, this kind of foot washing was not an ordinary practice in early Jewish homes. It was done, but it was not required. Foot washing was a sign of special affection on the part of a host, not a standard practice in every home. This event took place after the meal was completed, not when these men first entered the room. Jesus wanted His disciples to have an example of humble service, but more than that, He expected them and us to imitate this example in the thousands of ways that we can serve each other. True happiness is found in practicing the things we understand. In fact, understanding without practice is usually frustrating to all involved. A FINAL WORD This is an example of how to serve, not what to do when we serve. The principle taught here is that the servant is not above his master. If Jesus could humble Himself and serve others by performing a menial task with no thought of honor or reward, we should be willing to do the same. This kind of humble service will be unconsciously motivated. We cannot take pride in our humility. In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus told about people who had helped others and served Him without knowing that they were doing it. True humility is not thinking lowly about yourself; it is not thinking of yourself at all. A truly humble person will do what is right just because it is right, taking no thought at all about position or pride. In our sad world where people are constantly concerned about their image and status, Jesus gave us this contrary but refreshing example of a King who was willing to perform the lowliest
10 Jesus Taught Us How To Serve task in order to teach those He loved a valuable lesson about service. It is certain that most of these men never forgot what Jesus did that night. Of course, we must keep in mind that Judas was there and this whole incident made no impression on him. Satan had taken over his evil heart, and he was no longer considering the wonderful lessons that Jesus was teaching. There is no job that is beneath us. The only promotion in the service of the Lord is to be the servant of more people. In God s sight it does not matter how many people work for us or with us. It only matters how many people we serve. Opportunities to serve the Lord by serving others are everywhere, and they are eternally rewarding. FOR CLASS DISCUSSION 1. What things had happened to signal that the crucifixion was at hand? 2. What was unusual about Jesus washing His disciples feet? 3. Why do you think Peter did not understand what Jesus was doing? 4. How will doing what we know to be right make us happy?