From Worthy Sheep To Smelly Feet

From Worthy Sheep to Smelly Feet

John 13: 12-21 April 28, 2002

Last week we talked about worthy sheep – this week, we’re talking about smelly feet… Last week we talked about Jesus as the Good Shepherd – this week, we see Him as a humble servant, a foot washer…

ILLUS: There’s a story about a woman who lived in a big city neighborhood that was going down hill… It was becoming overcrowded, noisy & dirty, it was a bad situation… Finally, she decided something would have to be done about & she knew that it would take money to change the situation… So she started a fund-raising drive… She called people, she sent letters, she solicited support from private foundations… She finally raised $85,000 and then she used the money to move to another neighborhood…

Problem solved, right? She was pretty self-centered wasn’t she?

ILLUS: Another story tells of a cold winter storm, the snow was falling, the wind was howling when a doctor received an urgent call at home… The caller said his wife needed medical attention, it was an emergency… The doctor was understanding – He said, “I’ll be glad to come, but my car is being repaired, could you come get me…” The man replied in an angry voice, “Are you kidding, in this weather?”

Pretty self-centered wasn’t he?

ILLUS: And then, most of us remember the story about the two hunters who came upon the bear & they didn’t know what to do… One man said, I don’t know about you but I’m running… the man said, “you can’t outrun a bear…” He replied, I don’t have to outrun the bear, all I have to do is outrun you…”

Pretty self-centered wasn’t he?

Do you remember the ending to the bear story… That bear came running towards the man and the man knew he couldn’t outrun the bear so he began to pray… He prayed, “Lord, I just hope this is a Christian bear…” About that time, the bear stopped in its tracks, folded its paws and said, “Lord, thank you for this food…”

In our scripture today, we see Jesus, our Lord & Savior, take on the roll as a foot washer… As He & His disciples sat down to share the Last Supper, Jesus got up, took off His robe & tied a towel around Himself… He pored water into a basin & began to wash the disciples feet & wiped them with His towel…

What a wonderful demonstration of who Jesus really is… He “laid aside His garments!” He set aside His authority, His majesty, His dominion over all creation – to be a servant… What an example! Jesus the humble servant…

In our call to worship from the words of Philippians (2: 3-5), we read, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves… Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others… Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus…”

Friends, the mind of Christ was focused upon others… Verse 1 tells us that Jesus knew that His time had come… He knew He was about to face His accusers & the Cross… Just hours later, He would go to the Garden of Gethsemane, and it was there that He prayed so hard that He sweat blood… and knowing that the hour had come, His mind was on the interests of others…

ILLUS: C.D. Meigs wrote a beautiful song entitled “Others,” wherein he writes:

Lord, help me live from day to day, in such a self forgetful way,

That even when I kneel to pray, My prayer shall be for others.

Others, Lord, yes, others – Let this my motto be.

Help me to live for others, that I may live like Thee…

That’s the message of Jesus Christ… We are to become servants to others…

Look at verse 12 & following, “After Jesus 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? You call me Teacher and Lord – and you are right, for that is what I am. 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…”

Friends, this is where the rubber meets the road… Knowing what Christ has done for us – giving His life for our sins – dying on the Cross – buying each of us with His own blood… And we call Him Lord & Teacher, and yet, look how some of us live our lives… Some of us are no more concerned with “others” than the man in the moon… Preacher, get real! We don’t have time for others – we have our own life, our own families, our own problems to worry about – We can’t be bothered by others…