Humility Of Christ

Opening illustration: We all can relate to Linus in the “Peanuts” cartoon strip when he shouts in frustration, “I love mankind; it’s people I can’t stand!” It’s easy to love the human race in the abstract, but when it comes to loving specific irritating people that I can’t avoid, the process becomes a lot more difficult! [Play video: I am Perfect!]

Introduction: In our text we see the Lord Jesus loving men who did not deserve it. Luke (22:24) tells us that at the Lord’s Supper, just after Jesus announced that one of them would betray Him, the disciples got into a dispute about which of them was the greatest.

But sometime during the supper, Jesus got up and performed this task, which normally was the job of slaves. Since the foot washing came before Jesus mentioned the betrayer (John 13:26), the dispute among the disciples about which of them was the greatest probably came after the graphic lesson they had just observed. Not only were the disciples bickering; also Jesus knew that Judas was about to betray Him, Peter was about to deny Him, and all the disciples would desert Him (John 13:2, 38; 16:32). All of these sins show that the disciples did not deserve Jesus’ love.

Also, the fact that they needed to have their dirty feet washed pictures their need for cleansing from sin. And, we’re just like them. We all have dirty feet that Jesus needs to wash. In fact, the very reason Jesus came was to die in the place of dirty sinners so that they can be cleansed. Also, His example of humility in washing the disciples’ feet gives us a practical example of how we can love those who do not deserve it, even as He has loved us.

So, how can Christ’s humility be a reality in our lives?

1. Christ’s love, which you didn’t deserve, should be a reality in your life:

John emphasizes through repetition Jesus’ love for His own (John 13:1): “Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” That last phrase seems to be deliberately ambiguous. It can mean that Jesus loved the disciples up to the end of His life. Or, it can mean that Jesus loved them totally or to the uttermost. Both are certainly true.

John also emphasizes that Jesus’ disciples were “in the world.” Jesus was about to depart from this world, but His disciples were still in it. As Jesus will pray (John 17:15-18), He doesn’t ask the Father to take these men out of the world. That is the sphere of ministry to which He sends them. But they are to be distinct from the world. But walking in this world means that you get your feet dirty. Thus, the need for cleansing.

John (13:1) states that Jesus “loved His own.” John 3:16 states that God loves the world, but here the emphasis is on Jesus’ love for His own, not for the world. God loves the world by making provision for the sins of all that will believe in Jesus. The invitation goes out to all: Come and take the water of life without cost (Rev. 22:17). Yet at the same time, Jesus has a special love for His own that He does not have for the whole world. As Paul writes (Eph. 5:25), Christ “loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” There is a difference between the love of your own and the love for the world.

As a Christian, I’m commanded to love all my sisters in Christ, but I have a special love for my wife. I’m commanded to love all God’s children, but I have a special love for my own children. In the same way, Jesus has a special love for His own, whom the Father gave to Him (John 6:37). If you have put your trust in Christ, He wants you to know and to feel His special love for you. He loves you “to the end.”

So John wants to ask you: In spite of being painfully aware that you don’t deserve it, do you know the love of Christ as a reality in your life? Does His love humble you before the cross? Does His love cause you to hate your sin? Does His love motivate you to serve others in love, even as He has loved you? And, if you’ve never experienced His love, will you respond now to His love?

But John doesn’t just tell us about Jesus’ love. He also shows it in a dramatic, shocking way:

2. Christ’s example of humble service should be a reality in your life: