Being a Disciple: We Must Serve Scripture John 13:1-17 1 Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4 got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, Lord, are you going to wash my feet? 7 Jesus answered, You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand. 8 Peter said to him, You will never wash my feet. Jesus answered, Unless I wash you, you have no share with me. 9 Simon Peter said to him, Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head! 10 Jesus said to him, One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you. 11 For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, Not all of you are clean. 12 After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, 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 that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another s feet. 15 For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16 Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. Taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible.
Sermon Today I am continuing to preach about what it means to be a growing Disciple of Jesus Christ. The one thing we can see throughout the New Testament scriptures is that becoming a disciple is a long process. Even though Christ called his disciples at one point in their life, even when God imparted upon them the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, they were not instantly made into the disciples God wanted them to be. It took years of training and experience with Jesus while he was on this earth and with the Holy Spirit guiding them as they ministered with the early church and other followers of Christ. The society in which we live in wants, no it demands that instant fix. We live in a consumer driven society. People want to make a decision, do as little as they need to be imparted with some special knowledge or material thing, and be done with it and move on. The struggle is, when it comes to faith, many want the same thing. They want a spoon fed faith. They want a guru to give them the knowledge they need, they want a ceremony to be performed that will impart a special blessing on them, and/or they instantly want the faith of someone like Mother Teresa to be given to them the instant they want it. The problem is, this is in conflict with all that scripture shows us. The Bible shows us there is no instant fix in faith. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ means that our faith grows over time. We grow in our faith as we learn and witness God s love and power, and that process takes time. Most of the time, it takes a lifetime. What the original disciples learned was that being a disciple of Jesus meant a lifetime of growing: growing in knowledge, growing closer to other Christians, and growing closer to God. We in the Methodist Church call this sanctification: growing and maturing in ability to live as Jesus lived. And that is what I am focusing on in the sermons that I am preaching during this season. Today s lesson from the Gospel of John has a lot to teach us about what it means to live as a Disciple of Jesus Christ. [Read the Text: John 13:1-17] In our text this morning we find Jesus with his disciples in Jerusalem, right before the festival of the Passover. It is traditional for Jewish families to gather on the first night of Passover for a special dinner called a seder. Throughout the gospels we can see where Jesus used meals often as settings for his teaching sessions. What we come to find out by reading this and the other gospels, is that this particular Passover seder Jesus and his disciples celebrates together will be the Last Supper we remember in our churches to this day. This is right before Jesus is to be turned over to the authorities to be crucified. Unlike the disciples, Jesus knows what is about to unfold. Today s first verse even explains this. It says, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. His disciples have no clue as to what is coming, but Jesus knows that the cross is imminent. With this knowledge, Jesus decides he needs to teach his disciples an important lesson. Instead of just telling them a parable or preaching to them, Jesus decides to show them the lesson he wants to convey by being the example himself. Profound truths are often communicated more Page 2
dramatically through emotional and sensory experiences rather than through verbal instruction. Jesus knew that by teaching this lesson in this way, his disciples would most likely experience and understand it better if he did what he wanted them to do himself. This is one of the last opportunities Jesus knows he is going to have with his disciples. If you take that into consideration and how he showed it to the disciples, we have to understand that this lesson has to be one of the most important lessons they need to remember. And we have to know and understand it too, if we are to call ourselves a disciple of Christ. The example Jesus decides to show was to wash his disciples feet. Jesus gets up from the table that he and his disciples are lounging around. He takes off his outer robe, and ties a towel around himself. He finds a basin and pours water into it. He then kneels down and goes around the table washing each of the disciples feet. When he is done, he wipes the disciples feet with the towel that was tied around him. After he washes all their feet, he then turns to his disciples and asks them if they know what he has done for them. What we have to know so far removed from this time and place is that during Jesus time, foot washing was practiced in both Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts. Washing someone s feet had three main functions during this time period: it was an act of personal hygiene, it was an act of hospitality, or it was a cultic act. Since the foot washing in our text this morning occurs in the context of a meal, the practice of foot washing as hospitality provides the most helpful analogue in interpreting Jesus action. Foot washing as hospitality was a way of welcoming one s guests. It was really a necessary act of comfort and cleanliness for any who have traveled the dusty Palestinian roads. People traveled mostly on foot in sandals across the dusty roads. Customarily, a host would provide guests with water for washing their own feet. Footwashing was regarded as so lowly a task that it could not even be required of a Hebrew slave to perform the act. As a sign of exceptional love, a disciple might wash a master s feet or a wife volunteer to wash her husband s. But a master, a leader, someone important would never be expected to wash, let alone touch anyone else s feet. It is in this context that the statement John the Baptist makes in another gospel comes more into light. In the gospel of Mark (1:7), John proclaims the statement, The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. He is saying that he, John, was unworthy to even touch the feet of the One who was coming after him, Jesus. What was unusual about this act in our text today was that Jesus, the Master and Teacher, was doing this for his disciples. He wrapped a towel around his waist, as the lowliest slave would do, and washed and dried his disciples feet. Jesus humbled himself in an act of selfless service towards his disciples. Throughout the history of the church, this act by Jesus has been subject to diverse interpretations. Some see in it a veiled sacrament of the baptism or consecration of the apostles. Other Christian groups have taken it literally as a special ceremony instituted by Jesus that we are supposed to emulate even today. But the interpretation I would like for us to focus on today is seeing it as a final acted parable of humility and love that opens the conversation on the theme of Jesus relationship to his disciples and theirs in turn to one another and the rest of humanity. Page 3
In the example of the foot washing, Jesus presents Himself as the example of humble, loving service. He then commands his disciple to do for each other what he has done for them. But there is also another dimension we have, that his disciples do not even understand after this example. Jesus even points to this in verse 7 when he tells Peter, You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand. What Jesus ultimately does with his life for the disciples and for us was to completely lay down His life. After his example of humble love, Jesus does explain what he expects of his disciples. He says, So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. The disciples Teacher and Lord stooped to wash their feet, therefore they should have no hesitation in stooping and serving others. Jesus goes on to say, Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. Humbling ourselves to serve others is Jesus way to greatness. Christ used a humble act to declare God s heart and mind concerning how people are to understand each other. Christ is in fact the Master, but He reversed roles with those who serve by serving them. Thus He revealed God s will for His children to be servants of one another in love and commitment to God s way of life. Instituting the act of foot washing today would be missing Jesus primary lesson from our text today. In our shoe-clad culture the act would be little more than symbolic. Jesus was not inventing a clever way to serve others. In Jesus day, feet were washed for two practical reasons: to remove dirt and to be hospitable. Jesus did not perform a special or unusual act. He was just serving others in a very common way. In our world today we ought to think of foot washing as an example of servant leadership. There are many ways in which we can show a foot washing attitude. This could include: Taking on a menial task or accepting a lesser role. Not insisting on our rights or privileges. Meeting others needs before meeting our own. Looking for a job that needs to be done, that no one else will do, and cheerfully doing it. Focusing on the results being achieved, not who is getting credit. At Ebenezer, we already have a few ways in which we seek to live this out in the life of our church. I know the church just completed the baby bottle drive it does annually for the Pregnancy Refuge center. There is a shopping cart out in the entrance room where we collect food for the local food bank. I also know there are some people who are involved with the Trinity Soup Kitchen in downtown Atlanta. But I am sure, if we truly look for ways of serving others, we can come up with a lot more ways of serving others in and around our community, our nation, and throughout the world too. I believe the lesson of Jesus showing us that he expects his disciples to serve others is not the only lesson we can learn from today s verse. I believe there are also a few things we can take away from Jesus conversation with Peter. Page 4
I am always amazed at how much Peter actions and the way Jesus responds to them can teach all of us valuable lessons. Throughout the gospels, Peter always seems to be a great representation of the human race. We often find him speaking and acting without really thinking it completely through, but he always seems to say and do exactly what many of us might find ourselves doing if we were to find ourselves in the same situation. What Peter says in today s text can teach us at least two important lessons. The first lesson I believe we can learn from Peter comes in verse 8 when he tells Jesus, You will never wash my feet. Just try to imagine being Peter in that situation. He was sitting there watching Jesus go around the table washing the other disciples feet. And each time, he was watching Jesus move closer and closer to him. Seeing Jesus behave like a slave most likely made Peter feel very uncomfortable. Peter probably did not feel that Jesus should be acting like a slave, especially toward him! Peter s response to Jesus could not have been an expression of arrogance but of confusion. Peter probably felt he should be washing Jesus feet, not the other way around. I see this same scenario play out many times today. What we find is that there are many, maybe even ourselves, who find it difficult to accept service from others. Being helped can make us feel inadequate or vulnerable. We often do not know what to do in those situations or just feel unworthy. Plus, it can be hard for us to be gracious when we are not in control. I think one of the things Jesus was trying to show Peter and us is that we must occasionally allow others to serve us. What we have to understand is that accepting service from others is accepting Christ s service. Christ elevated serving others as the highest pursuit to which we can dedicate our lives, and we should allow people to serve us from time to time, whether we completely feel comfortable with it or not. But, we have to be careful here too. If we are to call ourselves a Christian we cannot, nor should we ever treat others like they should be serving us. The second lesson I believe we can learn from Peter comes in verse 9 when he proclaims to Jesus, Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head! After Peter finally opens up and is willing to allow Jesus to serve him by washing his feet, Peter wants more than just the foot washing. He wants a bath! But Jesus knew a bath was not necessary. He knew after one had bathed, the person was still clean except for the feet, which would have been constantly soiled by the dust of the ground. A clean and bathed person just needs to have his or her feet cleaned. One of the things I believe Jesus shows in his response to Peter here is an understanding that when we do offer service to others, sometimes it is okay to say how far we are willing to go or no if we think it is too far. Just like Peter, people may not completely realize what is good for them. They think they need more, because more is better, isn t it? That is what the world teaches us, more is better. I think one of the things Jesus was trying to show Peter and us here is that occasionally a line must be drawn in how far we should serve. The reality I have experienced throughout my years in ministry is that occasionally, there will be people who will try to take advantage of us because of our servant s heart. There will also be people who will not know what they really need. They will not understand, and it is our responsibility to help them understand what is good for them, just as Jesus explained it to Peter. What we can take away from this is that regardless of why Page 5
they ask, we should make sure we meet their needs, not their wants, not their desires, and not their demands. The important thing to remember is that we should not let the possibility of someone taking advantage of us or asking for more than is needed keep us from serving. Jesus did not wash his disciples feet just to get them to be nice to each other. His far greater goal was to extend his mission on earth after he was gone. These men moved into the world serving God, serving each other, and serving all people to whom they took the message of salvation. They would be empowered by Jesus ultimate act of service, which was dying for their sins. I think the last verse in today s text spells it all out for us. Jesus says, If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. What I have seen time and time again is that God blesses His servants, not for what they know but because of what they do with what they know. God s grace to us finds its completion in the service we, as recipients of His grace, perform for others. The reality for us who call ourselves Christians is that we will find our greatest joy in obeying Christ by serving others. Page 6
Sources Used Basic Bible Commentary: Volume 20; 1994 by Normal P. Madsen; Abingdon Press; Nashville, TN. Bible Background Commentary, The IVP; 2000 by John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews and Mark W. Chavalas. Database 2006 WORDsearch Corp. Disciple s Study Bible; 1988 Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, TN; Database 2012 WORDsearch Corp. Holman Bible Dictionary; Copyright 1991 Holman Bible Publishers; Electronic Database 2008 WORDsearch Corp. Interpreter s One Volume Commentary: The Gospel According to John; Massey H. Shepherd, Jr.; 2010 Abingdon Press; Nashville, TN. LifeGuide Bible Studies; 1985-1996 by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship; Downers Grove, IL; Database 2004 WORDsearch Corp. Life Application Bible Commentary: John; 1998 by The Livingstone Corporation/Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.; Wheaton, Illinois; Database 2004 WORDsearch Corp. New Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Testament; 1990. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60187; Database 2012 WORDsearch Corp. New Interpreters Bible, Volume IX; 1994 Abingdon Press; Nashville, TN. The Teacher s Commentary; 1983, by Scripture Press Publications, Inc.; Database 2007 WORDsearch, Inc.