“Jesus knew that the Father had given Him authority over everything and that He had come from God and would return to God. So He got up from the table, took off His robe, wrapped a towel around His waist, and poured water into a basin. Then He began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel He had around Him.” (John 13:3-5 NLT)
For all His adult life Jesus had worked with His hands as a carpenter. Some suggest His work was exquisite and His services were in high demand. That’s not a hard scenario to believe when You consider who He was. But for Him to go from an “in-demand carpenter” to a washer of the feet of humble men seems a stretch, even for Jesus…or was it?
Ron Hutchcraft gives us insight when he writes: “You demonstrate your dignity, not by how many people do things for you, but how many people you do things for. That’s manhood! Jesus, the ultimate model of manhood – a muscular carpenter – can be a foot washer. The mighty Son of God can be a servant.”
Jesus was only modeling what He expects and demands of us. In Matthew 20:25ff Jesus said: “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
As a Pastor it amused, but also frustrated me, when someone wanted to be considered for a leadership position but never showed up on workdays; they wanted esteem in the sight of their fellow Jesus followers, but didn’t want to help clean the church bathrooms (among other parts of the church). My kids would sometimes ask me how I knew how to do so many things around the house. My answer was always the same: poverty! When you’re poor you learn to do whatever needs to be done or do without.
That mentality has followed me into my senior years. While a lot of things have far surpassed my ability to even understand, let alone repair, I still do things around the house that I can do. I did learn a valuable lesson when I was, let’s just say, “short on funds,” and that is, it’s still less expensive to hire someone to do a job, than it is to hire them to redo what I messed up. Sometimes a thin line 😊.
What’s my point? As Christ’s servants, He may call us to do something that, in our mind, is far below our “qualifications,” yet, if that’s what He’s asking us to do, who are we, regardless of how long we’ve walked with Him, to question His judgment? Some of the richest and most beneficial “services” I’ve provided to the Lord’s glory have been to visit someone in a hospital or Nursing Center in the last stages of their life.
Others are just as “qualified” or more so, than me to make those calls, yet the joy the Lord brings when we pray together is not something that can be dismissed or devalued. To sense the Lord’s closeness as questions are answered about eternal things, as family members are relieved to know their loved one is ready to meet the Lord; when questions with which they’ve wrestled for years are resolved, there’s almost no greater sense of fulfillment.
While in Peru on my first mission’s trip, I had the privilege of literally washing the feet of the poorest of the poor. I’ve never sensed the Lord’s closeness as richly as in that setting. The Lord is no respecter of persons, so, we should never risk thinking more highly of ourselves than we should. The only appropriate answer when the Lord asks us to do anything is a simple: “Yes, Master!”
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 