Jesus the servant leader

Takeaway Point: Jesus modeled the way for us to live, he had full knowledge of his worth in God and because of that he came down from the heavens to serve and love us all.

Jesus's Farewell Message to His disciples. He added the most important "action section" to His message when he washed his disciple's feet.

Read 13:1-17 Humility, Jesus and the Father (v1-5)

Background: We can read this in Matt 21-25. Jesus entered Jerusalem on Sunday and had cleansed the temple on Monday. Tuesday was a day of conflict as the religious leaders sought to trip him up to get evidence to arrest him. Wednesday was probably a day of rest and on Thursday he met with his disciples in the upper room to observe passover.

The emphasis in v1-3 was what the Lord knew and in 3-5 was what the Lord did. Jesus knew specifically that "the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father." Jesus was very specific about time and more specifically about "the hour" it began as he talked about 2:4 "Mine hour is not yet come" and later 12:23 "The hour has come that the Son of man should be glorified" and here 13:1 "the hour had come for him". This specific hour pointed to the time in which he would be glorified through his death, resurrection and ascension.

 v3 "Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God" this knowledge helped to determine the things he did in v4-5.

How do we know that?
Keyword here in v4 is "so" v4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.This indicated that it was an act that followed from the knowledge Jesus had in v3.

As aforementioned, Jesus knew that his time on earth was running out and yet out of all the things he could have done he chose to wash the feet of his disciples. Let us take a moment to think about the gravity of this act and how important it must have been! Get the youths to also ponder about this and ask them why they think that this was so significant and what they thought Jesus was trying to show or achieve by this act? 

Background: Walking in sandals on the filthy roads of Palestine in the first century made it imperative that feet be washed before a communal meal, especially since people reclined at a low table and feet were very much in evidence. When Jesus rose from the table and began to wash the feet of the disciples, He was actually doing the work of the lowliest of servants. Even Jewish servants at that time might not wash the feet of their masters, only perhaps the Gentiles slaves might do so. Jesus was a Jew, He was also their Lord and Master!

The disciples must have been stunned at this act of humility, that Christ, their Lord and master, should wash the feet of His disciples, when it was their proper work to have washed His. But then again we should not be surprised because when Jesus came to earth the first time, He came not as a conquering King, instead he came as the suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. As He revealed in Matt 20:28 He came “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The humility expressed by His act with towel and basin foreshadowed His ultimate act of humility and love on the cross.

Jesus also knew that there was this competitive spirit in the hearts of His disciples.We know this because they had just been recently arguing among themselves as to which of them was the greatest in Luke 22:24. It would never have occurred to them to wash one another’s feet as they found themselves so caught up in trying to prove their worth. When the Lord Himself stooped to this lowly task, they were stunned.He gave them an unforgettable lesson in humility and by His actions he rebuked their selfishness and pride. The more you think about this scene and Jesus's act of humility the more meaningful it gets. We see that Paul also referenced this imagery when he was talking about humility, in Phil 2:1-16 and also in 1 Peter 5:5.

Often we might confuse the poor in spirit (Matt 5:23) with the poor-spirited and true humility with inferiority and timidity. This is aptly described in The Screwtape Letters by C.S Lewis, where Screwtape is trying to get his nephew Wordwood to fix in the patient's mind that humility consists in trying to believe those talents to be less valuable than he believes. Then we remember the source of Christ's humility, that it was not out of poverty but from the riches that God had given him in v3 and also seen in 2 Cor 8:9. A Malay proverb says, “The fuller the ear is of rice-grain, the lower it bends.”

It is remarkable how the Gospel of John reveals the humility of our Lord even while magnifying His deity: “The Son can do nothing of Himself” (John 5:19, 30). “For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will” (John 6:38). “My doctrine is not Mine” (John 7:16). “And I seek not Mine own glory” (John 8:50). “The word which ye hear is not Mine” (John 14:24). His ultimate expression of humility was His death on the cross.

We must always remember that Jesus was the Sovereign, yet He took the place of a servant. He had all things in His hands, yet He picked up a towel. He was Lord and Master, yet He served His followers.True humility grows out of our relationship with the Father. If our desire is to know and do the Father’s will so that we might glorify His name, then we will experience the joy of following Christ’s example and serving others.

We today, just like the disciples that night, desperately need this lesson on humility. The church is filled with a worldly spirit of competition and criticism as believers vie with one another to see who is the greatest in various aspects of worship, prayer and even service! We might be growing in knowledge, but not in grace (2 Peter 3:18). “Humility is the only soil in which the graces root,” wrote Andrew Murray. “The lack of humility is the sufficient explanation of every defect and failure.” Jesus served His disciples because of His humility and because of His love. Contrast John 13:1 with 1:11 and 3:16: Jesus came “unto His own [world], and His own [people] received him not.” “For God so loved the world.” In the Upper Room, Jesus ministered in love to His own disciples, and they received Him and what He had to say. The Greek text says, “He loved them to the uttermost.”

I guess as leaders, it is also good for us to reflect on how we as leaders have model after Christ in the way we lead our youths. If we say we love them like Christ said he loved us, how then are we acting upon this declaration of love? I hope that you guys would be able to think and pray about ways in which God has placed upon your heart to show love to your youths. I pray that God would use this simple act of obedience to further his kingdom and glorify his name.

 As for the youths, get them to think of their identity in Christ. Do they believe what Christ believed in v3 that we belong solely to the Father and that we are returning to be with him when Christ comes again? From that what are some action steps in which they can take in the following week/month/year? Get them to share in a smaller group with a leader(facilitate them to share) and then pair them up to pray for one another. Have a blessed week ahead!

 Are we crafting our week in such a way that we are living breathing eating and studying for the Lord? May the spirit fill us so that it would be an overflow from the relationship that we have with Father God.