Once A Teacher Always A Teacher
Text: John 13:1-17
Introduction
1. Illustration: In May of 1846 an evangelist, now mostly forgotten, named “James Caughey” (pronounced “coffee”) visited a chapel in Nottingham England and preached a sermon on the words recorded in St. Mark, “Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Caughey preached that the key to this verse was to learn to desire God’s desires, and that God’s foremost desire was that we develop the character of a servant, to help the poor, and to spread the gospel that souls might be saved. A gangly young man was present at this service. He’d been saved for two years but had been drifting. But that day in May, God spoke to this gangly young man through evangelist James Caughey. The Holy Spirit gave the young man a passion for desiring servanthood. The young man acted on God’s direction, and he devoted himself to starting an organization committed to the salvation of souls and service to the needy. A sermon on “desiring servanthood” inspired the young, gangly William Booth to fulfill his destiny and found the Salvation Army.
2. Servanthood is an essential characteristic of being a Christian.
a. It is one of the five purposes of the church.
b. It was so important that Jesus spent the last hours before His crucifixion teaching on it.
3. He spent time at the Last Supper teaching His disciples to:
a. Serve
b. Be Served
c. Lead By Example
4. Read John 13:1-17
Proposition: We need to learn from Jesus and be people that serve.
Transition: In Jesus last hours...
I. Taught Them to Serve (1-5)
A. Began to Wash His Disciples Feet
1. Our text begins with "Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father."
a. The word "knew" is a very important word in this text. It appears 3 times (vv.1, 3, 11).
b. The point in verse 1, is that He knew His time had come, and that He would only be with His disciples a little while longer.
c. He wanted to take this time to teach them things that were vitally important.
2. This shows the servant heart of Jesus.
a. Even though He knew what was waiting ahead of Him.
b. Even though He knew the painful and humiliating road that lie a head of Him.
c. Even though He knew, He would be separated not only from His friends, but most importantly, from His Father.
d. Even though He knew all these things, He chose to think about others.
3. Why was Jesus willing to do this? Simply because of His love for them. John tells us "He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end."
a. The NIV translates this portion of the verse "Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love."
b. He loved them so much that He was willing to lay aside His own concerns to focus on teaching them.
c. He put the concern of His disciples ahead of His own.
d. Phil. 2:3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.
4. Another thing that shows the servant heart of Jesus also revolves around the word "knew." Verse 3 says, "Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God."
a. Jesus knew that all authority had been given Him by the Father.
b. This may seem like an unlikely place to talk about divine authority, but John didn’t view the cross the same way that the casual observer might view it.
c. To him it was the place that a divine work was done, and divine glory shown (Morris, NICNT, 546).
d. Although Jesus knew His authority was higher than any power on earth, He chose to take the position of a servant.
e. Phil. 2:6-8 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges ; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
5. John tells us that the next thing that Jesus did was "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."
a. The immediate situation was that they had come to the banquet room directly from the street.
b. Ordinarily on such an occasion the host would have delegated a servant to the menial task of removing the sandals of the guests and washing their feet (Expositor’s Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM).
c. In fact, this task was considered so menial that it was usual delegated to Gentile servant because the Jews felt is too lowly as task for a them.
d. Luke tells us that when they came into the supper they had been arguing about who was the greatest in the kingdom.
e. Jesus, however, by prime example shows they who is truly the greatest - the one who serves.
B. Willingness to Serve
1. Illustration: “’Servant’ in our English New Testament usually represents the Greek doulos (bondslave). Sometimes it means diakonos (deacon or minister); this is strictly accurate, for doulos and diakonos are synonyms. Both words denote a man who is not at his own disposal, but is his master’s purchased property. Bought to serve his master’s needs, to be at his beck and call every moment, the slave’s sole business is to do as he is told. Christian service therefore means, first and foremost, living out a slave relationship to one’s Savior (James Packer, Your Father Loves You, Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986).
2. Jesus teaching on servanthood was not just for His disciples then, but it is also for us today.
a. If Jesus was not too important to serve others, than neither should we be too important to serve.
b. If Jesus thought serving was an essential characteristic, so should we.
c. If Jesus was willing to be a servant, so should we.
3. Serving is not an option; it is a prerequisite.
a. It is a prerequisite if we want to be a Christian.
b. It is a prerequisite if we want to lead.
c. It is a prerequisite if we want to be considered greatest in the kingdom.
d. Matt. 18:4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
4. Serving builds character.
a. It keeps us humble.
b. It keeps our priorities straight.
c. It keeps us focused on Christ.
5. Serving keeps the church going.
a. When more people serve, there are less people getting burned out.
b. When we serve, we show that we are committed to the mission and vision of the church.
c. When we serve, others are built up.
d. When we serve, we are built up.
Transition: Jesus also...
II. Taught Them to Be Served (6-11)
A. You Will Never Wash My Feet
1. As Jesus began washing His disciples feet nobody said a word, until He got to Peter.
2. When Jesus came to Peter, he responds “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
a. In the Greek, the words "you," and "my" are emphatic, placing them in sharp contrast to one another (Morris, 548).
b. In other words, Peter is saying "you are not going to wash my feet."
c. Peter felt that this was beneath Jesus, for He was Peter’s Lord and teacher.
3. Jesus then tells Peter, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”
a. Peter sees only the menial task of footwashing, but Jesus wants to teach them so much more.
b. Jesus is not simply giving them a lesson in humble service; he is doing something that symbolizes his greater act of sacrifice on the cross (Burge, NIV Application Commentary, New Testament: John, 369).
c. It wouldn’t be until after the resurrection that they would fully understand what Jesus was trying to do.
d. They had to be willing not only to give, but also to receive.
4. Peter again resist Jesus’ attempt to wash his feet, but Jesus tells him “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”
a. Peter is talking about feet washing, but Jesus is talking about much more.
b. You cannot have your feet washed and still be a Christian.
c. However, Jesus is talking about a washing from sin that can only come from Him.
d. Without this washing, we are doomed for eternity.
5. Peter still doesn’t understand and insists that Jesus wash his head and hands as well. Jesus tells him “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.”
a. Jesus indicates that He is talking about a spiritual washing.
b. They had been cleansed spiritually, except for one - Judas.
c. Again, this is a service that we have to be willing to receive. Unless we allow Christ to come into our lives we cannot belong to Him.
B. Humility Not Charity
1. Illustration: When Orville and Wilbur Wright finally succeeded in keeping their homemade airplane in the air for fifty-nine seconds on December 17, 1903, they rushed a telegram to their sister in Dayton, Ohio, telling of this great accomplishment. The telegram read, "First sustained flight today fifty-nine seconds. Hope to be home by Christmas." Upon receiving the news the sister was so excited about the success that she rushed to the newspaper office and gave the telegram to the editor. The next morning-believe it or not--the newspaper headline stated in black, bold letters, "POPULAR LOCAL BICYCLE MERCHANTS TO BE HOME FOR HOLIDAYS." The scoop of the century was missed because an editor missed the point.
2. We need to not only be willing to serve, but to be served.
a. Sometimes we are unwilling to be served because we look at it as being charity.
b. This is false pride. Thinking that we can do it by ourselves all of the time is contrary to what the Gospel teaches us.
c. We our dependant upon an all-loving, giving God, who sometimes uses others to meet our needs.
3. When we are unwilling to be served, we rob others of a blessing.
a. When we give, God blesses us for our giving.
b. If we refuse to receive a blessing from someone else then we rob them of a blessing.
c. It is true that it is more blessed to give than to receive, but if the other person is unwilling to receive, where is the blessing?
4. Just as we need to receive Christ’s free gift of salvation, we need to receive what He gives to us through others.
a. This is true humility, recognizing that we are totally dependant upon God to meet our needs.
b. To refuse to allow others to serve you is the same as refusing to receive from God Himself.
Transition: Jesus also...
III. Taught Them to Lead By Example (12-17)
A. Your Lord and Teacher
1. When Jesus finished washing their feet, He sat down and asked His disciples “Do you understand what I was doing?"
a. Jesus wasn’t going to leave anything to chance. He had been with His disciples long enough that He understood that they were a little slow to understand.
b. It took them a long time to begin to comprehend the intensity of Jesus’ love for them and the nature of his humility in dealing with them ( Expositor’s Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM).
c. This was a lesson that He wanted to be sure they understood.
2. He tells them "You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet."
a. "Teacher" and "Lord" are both titles of respect that placed Jesus on a level above the disciples.
b. "Teacher" the equivalent to "Rabbi" was the ordinary respectful way of addressing a religious leader. "Lord," on the other hand, was not so common and expressed a high reverence, perhaps even having overtones of divinity (Morris, 551).
c. Jesus emphasized the fact that if he, whom they regarded as their leader, had stooped to serve their needs, they should do the same for one another (Expositor’s Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM).
3. Jesus then comes to the point He is trying to make with them, "I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you."
a. This was no casual thing that Jesus had done. He lets them know that He was intentional in His actions.
b. He was trying to teach them a lesson about humility and service.
c. He was setting them an example to follow. "Do as I have done."
4. He goes on to tell them, "I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message."
a. They are not to stand on their dignity or think too highly of themselves (Morris, 552).
b. If Jesus, their Lord and teacher, was not too high to serve others, then certainly they are not too high.
c. They are not more important than He is, and therefore, they are to serve one another as He served them.
5. He concludes the lesson by telling them to go out and do what they have been taught. He says "Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them."
a. Knowing and doing are two different things.
b. Simply knowing is not enough; you have to take what you know and put it into practice.
c. James 1:22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
B. Lead By Example
1. Illustration: Many of you I’m sure remember Charles Barkley, the NBA Basketball star who didn’t want people watching him too closely. People were disappointed with his actions and attitude on and off the court and challenged him to be a better role model. His response was basically, “Hey, I’m a basketball player. I didn’t ask to be anyone’s role model and I don’t need that added responsibility.” As an NBA star, Barkley didn’t have the option to choose whether or not he wanted to be a role model. That decision had already been made for him when he signed a contract to play in the highly publicized NBA.
2. The same is true for those of us who call ourselves Christians.
a. Once we make that decision to follow Christ, people are watching.
b. Whether you like it or not or whether or not you think it’s fair, you’ve become an example for the family of God.
3. Words are not enough; God requires action.
a. We cannot say that we are following Christ and not be willing to serve others.
b. He set an example for us to follow, and commanded us to follow it.
c. Our actions have to match our words.
4. Jesus tells us to lead by example.
a. Be willing to serve, and others will see your example and do likewise.
b. Be willing to serve, and people will see Jesus in you.
c. Be willing to serve, and you will lead others to Jesus.
d. Matt. 5:16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
Transition: Do your actions match your words?
Conclusion
1. In His last hours, Jesus took the time to teach His disciples a very important lesson. He taught them to:
a. Serve
b. Be Served
c. Lead By Example
2. Which lesson do you need to learn?
a. Are you willing to serve, even when it isn’t glamorous or fun?
b. Are you willing to let others serve you?
c. Are you leading by example?
3. Let us learn from our ultimate example - Jesus.
