Serve in a Spirit of Humility Background Passage Gospel of John, Chapter 13 Lesson Passages Gospel of John, Chapter 13:12-20, 33-38 Lesson for December 7-8, 2013 Dr. James Patterson Introduction - Quotations Regarding Humility I m the most humble person I know. They broke the ol humility mold when they made me. I suppose in the entire history of the world, there s never been a person as humble as me. (Anonymous) There is no limit to what our group can accomplish, as long as no one worries about who gets the credit. (Bible Study teacher) Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 So whenever you give to the poor, don t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. I assure you: They ve got their reward! 3 But when you give to the poor, don t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:1-4) But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 14:10-11)... Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave;... (Matthew 20:26-27)
Today s passage encourages us to show Christlike love to others and to offer service with humbleness, expecting nothing in return. John 13 in Context In Chapter 10 of John s Gospel, Jesus described His relationship with His followers with the illustration of a Shepherd and His sheep. He explained that those who place their faith in Him will never perish or be taken out of God s grip. Chapter 11 told the story of Jesus raising His friend, Lazarus, from the dead. This miracle heightened the animosity and fear of Jesus among the Jewish leaders to the point that they began to plot His death. In Chapter 12, Jesus declared His mission was to be the Light of the world. Those who believe in Him receive eternal life. Those who do not believe will be judged on the last day. LESSON PASSAGE 1 John 13:12-15 (HCSB) 12 When Jesus had washed their feet and put on His robe, He reclined again and said to them, Do you know what I have done for you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord. This is well said, for 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 given you an example that you also should do just as I have done for you. Verse 12 The foot-washing event most likely took place at the Passover meal in the upper room, in Jerusalem. Jesus wanted to be sure that His disciples understood the reason He had undertaken this act, which was usually performed by a servant. He sought to demonstrate a Spirit-empowered attitude of humble, loving service that Christ-followers are to display. Verse 13 The two titles Jesus mentioned in this verse reflect common titles by which disciples typically addressed a rabbi. The rabbi held an honored role in relation to the followers. Rabbis were spiritual mentors, often emulated in behavior. As the Supreme Mentor as well as their Lord, Jesus embodied sacrificial love and expected His followers to be emulate Him in their actions. To His disciples, Jesus had just demonstrated a radically new understanding. For
those who follow Jesus, true greatness comes from humbly serving, not from being served (see also Mark 10:43-45). Verse 14 Any one of the disciples could have taken the basin and towel to perform the task of washing the others tired, dirty feet. But none of them did. Jesus performed an act more humble and kind than any of them would have considered doing. Now, humble service among peers was one thing, but humble service by the Master to His followers was life-transforming. The disciples never forgot it. This would not be the last such act of humble sacrifice performed by the Lord. Verse 15 Jesus referred to this episode as an example to be followed by the others. The point is not for us to pull out the basin and towels at every gathering. The point is for us to develop the attitude of sacrificial service, expressed in countless ways through innumerable opportunities. LESSON PASSAGE 2 John 13:16-20 (HCSB) 16 I assure you: A slave is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. 18 I m not speaking about all of you; I know those I have chosen. But the Scripture must be fulfilled: The one who eats My bread has raised his heel against Me. 19 I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He. 20 I assure you: Whoever receives anyone I send receives Me, and the one who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. Verses 16-17 Jesus called attention to two common relationships within His culture. One was the relationship between slave and master. The other was the relationship between a messenger and the official they represented. The first example illustrates that Jesus followers were not paid employees, but willing slaves. The second example emphasizes that believers are Christ s ambassadors to spread His message to the world. If His followers were indeed devoted to Him, their greatest blessing in life would come from doing what He taught them. Jesus encouraged them to emulate their Master s example of humble service.
Verse 18 With a degree of abruptness, Jesus changed topics, announcing that one of the twelve would soon betray Him. This was foreshadowed by Psalm 41:9, where King David wrote of being betrayed by a trusted friend. ( Even my friend, in whom I trusted, one who ate my bread, has raised his heel against me. ) Verses 19-20 Jesus sought to prepare His disciples for the time of His death. He did not want their faith in Him to be shattered by His upcoming suffering, humiliation, and burial. He reassured them of His authority as the Son of God. Those who receive Christ through His followers proclamation of the gospel also receive God the Father, the One who sent Jesus. This illustrates a double level of Divine authority for the followers to obey. LESSON PASSAGE 3 John 13:33-35 (HCSB) 33 Children, I am with you a little while longer. You will look for Me, and just as I told the Jews, Where I am going you cannot come, so now I tell you. 34 I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. Verse 33 Jesus indicated that His time had grown short. However, the end would not be one of defeat but of glory. One aspect of that glory would be Jesus return to the Father. He recognized that after His death they would be confused and uncertain for a time, looking for Him but unable to access Him in the ways that they had in the past. Verses 34-35 The underlying message was that the disciples would have an ongoing responsibility to serve Christ after He departed. Of course, the Old Testament contained the two great commandments to love God with one s entire being and to love one s neighbor as oneself. Jesus now took the love requirement to a new level. He stated that His followers would not be renowned by what they say, how they dress, or even what they know. The distinctive quality of believers must be clearly evident in the patient and sacrificial love they showed to one another. The disciples thus came to know, as we do today, that to be Christlike is to love one another with the same thoroughness as Jesus loves us. Shortly after making this statement to the disciples, Jesus laid down His life for the ultimate
salvation of His disciples and all future believers. This type of love has thus become the gold medal standard. LESSON PASSAGE 4 John 13:36-38 (HCSB) 36 Lord, Simon Peter said to Him, where are You going? Jesus answered, Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you will follow later. 37 Lord, Peter asked, why can t I follow You now? I will lay down my life for You! 38 Jesus replied, Will you lay down your life for Me? I assure you: A rooster will not crow until you have denied Me three times. Verse 36 Peter could not imagine anywhere the Lord would go that Peter could not, or would not, follow. Meanwhile, Jesus clarified that His statement was more about timing than location. The disciples would follow Jesus later after He had prepared a place for them. Until then, they had a mission to fill. Verse 37 Still not satisfied, Peter continued to press the issue. Why couldn t he follow the Lord at this time? To express his level of his devotion, Peter boasted, I will lay down my life for You (if necessary). Verse 38 Many Christians since have found themselves in similar situations where they unwisely promised the Lord deeper levels of commitment and devotion than they could deliver in their own strength. A more fitting oath would be similar to, Through Your strength, Lord, I would be willing to die for You. None are immune from the temptation to falter when the cost of serving the Lord is high and when they are operating in their own strength, alone. The time would come when Peter faced and passed a severe test because of his love for Jesus, but the day of Jesus arrest would not show Peter at his finest. He would deny even knowing Jesus before the day was over. Including Peter, we all need to be humble not boastful servants.
LIFE APPLICATION: How will we apply the lessons learned in today s passages? Practically everyone will say what a blessing it was for them to have participated on a mission trip, helped out with the Angels of Light program, or assisted at a nursing home. It is clear that one gets an immediate Heavenly blessing for their service, but they will also get their reward at the resurrection of the righteous. The Kingdom needs more workers who are willing to love so much that they will place others needs before their own. The first one to call Scott gets a $10 gift card to the bookstore. They will commit to doing the concrete things to meet those needs, without looking for any reciprocity from those being served. However, sometimes love for self takes up so much of our resources we do not have the time to love others in a pure and humble way. At such times, desire for public recognition might lead to a prideful spirit and haughty actions. We are tempted to become proud of our service and we want to be sure everyone around us is aware of what we have done. However, as Christians, we should demonstrate humility in our day-to-day living, no matter how big a service role we play. Genuine humility goes against the grain of today s society, where many people value (and practice) self-exaltation. Scripture tells us that God views pride and arrogance as wicked. To exalt one s self is to invite being humbled, but to humble one s self is to invite being exalted. Genuine, humble service will be rewarded appropriately at the right time and in the right way. Jesus, Himself, is the quintessential example of sacrificial love and humble service. He humbled Himself to wash the feet of His disciples with the same spirit of love that took Him to death on the cross for all mankind. But God exalted Him and gave Him the name above every other name. Do you exemplify humble Christlike love and service for others? Here is a self examination: Do you ever fire off a quick prayer, just to cross it off your to-do list, or do you make time to earnestly seek God s favor in the needs of your family and friends? Have you ever participated in some helping activity primarily because it would give you an opportunity to spend more time with a certain person that you are interested in starting a relationship with?
Have you ever expected special treatment because you donated considerable time or money at a certain place? Do you sometimes not get around to that Godly service that has been in the back of your mind for months? Have you ever made excuses why you are not serving the Lord now, although you plan to later? Are you selfish? Is your prayer something like, Bless us four and no more? Do you give the Lord a reasonable amount of your energy and resources, whether you finish the work He has given you, or not? Do you have the courage to continue in service when things or people get in the way? In other words, do you subordinate our own interests to the interests of Christ? CLOSING PRAYER: Heavenly Father: Please direct us so that we do not trade the blessings in Heaven for the fleeting glory that comes from a life of self-seeking privilege and honor. Please direct our motivation to be for the glory of God and not for the applause of men. Help us to act on the basis of what others need and not on the basis of what they can give back to us. Help us to store up our treasures in Heaven. We ask these things in the Holy name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, Amen.