The Scene: 12 Men lined up at a table (they would be laying …)
Jesus: roles up his pant legs and wraps a towel around his body to use... pours water into a basin and begins washing his disciples feet. Slowly and diligently wash each persons feet and when you get so far begin speaking… “Peter, don’t say that I shouldn’t wash your feet. You have no idea what I am doing and how significant it really is. Just sit down, watch and listen and you will understand soon enough.”
Peter: “NEVER!”
Jesus: “If I do not wash your feet, you have no part in me.”
Peter: “Then wash my hands and even my head as well.”
Jesus: “You have already had a bath and do not need another. Your feet are dirty from the journey. You need only clean them to make yourself completely clean. Most of you here are clean but not all of you. One of you is not clean at all.”
Once you have finished washing their feet. Get up and sit down on a chair next to them and begin talking to them. “Do you understand what I have done? You call me teacher and Lord; and you are right for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.”
Stand up and turn around to the audience and begin speaking.
“Truly, Truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”
Jesus asks his disciples if they understand what Jesus was doing. Do you understand the great significance of the Son of God getting down on His hands and knees to serve a bunch of men who didn’t deserve it? Jesus just did one of the most profound acts in His entire ministry. He did not come to earth to become a king over Israel or to rule the people in the synagogues. Many would have liked to have made him into a king, wearing big crown and leading the people in open revolt against Rome. They even tried to crown him once. Jesus would have none of it. He did not come to be a king but to serve. What does that say to us? If God himself came to earth and subjected himself to humiliation as a servant, what should we do with our lives? Let me give a phrase to catch on to this idea; You will find joy in service.
We are continuing our short series on stewardship. Today we are covering the idea of finding joy through being a good steward of yourself. Last week we covered finding freedom through financial stewardship. The whole key to the ministry and life of Jesus was service. He loved to serve people and see the effects it had upon their lives and in turn he received joy from seeing how much they benefited. However, there are at least two major opponents to a servant mindset; selfishness and pride. These two are the arch nemesis of finding joy in service. Let’s look at these opponents first to see how we can avoid any pitfalls.
Selfishness: “I shouldn’t have to do it.”
This is my favorite one when it comes to children. You know what I’m talking about. “Well why don’t you have the other child do it?” To pick on the Lee kids for a second, I can hear Meagan at one point or another saying something like “Why don’t you have Eric do it?” You can even find this type of attitude in the Bible. John 21:20 is where you can find it. Jesus is giving his last commands before he goes to wait in heaven until his second coming. He then tells Peter about his fate. Peter will be clothed by someone else and led somewhere he does not want to go at the end of his life. We know that Peter was killed in A.D. 68 and according to tradition he was crucified upside down. After hearing of his fate, Peter then asked Jesus in verse 20; What about John? What’s going to happen to John? Will he die a similar fate? Peter isn’t the only Biblical example of selfishness but a good short example none-the-less.
No joy can be had when selfishness abounds like this. Selfishness wraps you up in a game of how can I get out of this. Seriously enough, I think our marriages suffer the most from this syndrome. I am not sure we do it intentionally but we end up drawing battle lines around what we should and shouldn’t have to do. For instance, there are many activities which I hate. The top one on the list is dishes followed closely by doing the laundry and then in third place is paying the bills/ paper work. Answering the phone makes a close fourth. Come on seriously, have you tried to wash dishes in a normal sink. The sink is always two feet off the ground and so you have to bend over and get severe back pain and cramps from trying to reach the dishes. Oh wait, if you have those special deep sinks, you might as well learn to touch your toes to do the dishes. If you didn’t get it, I really don’t like doing the dishes but sometimes I have to anyway. Sometimes Amy is sick or in pain or pregnant for nine months. Stuff happens and sometimes you have to fill in. Selfishness says, “I’m gonna do what I want to and I am not going to do what I do not want to do. It is not my job and I will have none of it.”
I could take that attitude with Amy about the dishes but that would hurt our marriage. It is so much easier to serve her and find joy in her happiness that it is to deal with the stress of being so stubborn about something. You ask Gary and Danelle Nall if all they went through to finally have a child in their arms was worth the smile on Brenden’s face. Every painful moment was worth it to have that little boy in their arms. Why don’t we act the same way in our marriages? Every moment we have to give of ourselves should be nothing when compared to the smiling face of our spouse. Jesus found great joy in serving and loving others. Why? Can you imagine how many smiling and joyous faces he saw in his short lifetime? He still sees smiling faces today because people find forgiveness and salvation through Him. All the suffering he went through on the cross is worth the effort because he found the joy of serving others.
Pride: “I can’t lower myself to do it.”
The second opponent is no better than the worst. The second opponent doesn’t have a catch phrase per-se but just an attitude towards the act of service. The act of service is below pride. This world purports this thought process so intrinsically in lives of so many. Get a better job, become a boss, and then you won’t have to do those menial small tasks. You can become the head honcho and then you can tell other people to pick up the trash and do those things you do not like to do. A prideful person would walk by an old lady who needs help walking and just say that she will be okay. He or she will walk by a piece of trash on the floor and just ignore it and assume someone else will take care of it. “We have janitors so there is no reason why I should worry about it.” The general attitude of pride is that of greatness as compared to mediocrity. No one would ever think to highly of themselves would they?
Paul says in Romans 12 that a man ought not think too highly of himself but have sober judgment according to his faith. You may be you but you are the same as everyone else. If you are super strong and athletic, you are no better than the nerd sitting next to you. If you are a nerd, you are no better than the C and D student. We are all equal. Yet, for some reason those battle lines get drawn. Pride itself is the reason those lines get drawn more often than not. You can say that it is preference or that you had to do them as a child and hate them now (both are some of my favorite excuses) but in reality you just don’t feel like you should lower yourself to that position of service. You get so focused on the issue of lowering yourself that the idea of actually doing it never comes to you. You never get to it because you are too busy trying to figure out how to get out of it.
Somewhere along the way, the fact that you love that person you are serving goes out the window. The love that got you married and that has gotten you down a few years of children and chaos doesn’t even come to light. Where did that love go? I would bet that pride murdered it. Without love, serving one another becomes a huge burden. Pride murdered Abel and even brought down Satan from heaven. Has pride murdered the love in your marriage? Does washing the dishes for your wife become a huge burden? Jesus served with compassion and love. He wasn’t burdened by serving. He loved the people so much that he willingly and happily served them. It wasn’t below the Son of God because he loved the people. It isn’t below you to serve others but you won’t feel that way until you learn to love them.
The Lesson Jesus Taught: Joy is found in Service
Jesus laid down the law in this section of scripture. He set the stage and precedent of how we are to live and to act, especially to our fellow brethren. I have heard of some wonderful acts of love and service in this church. I have heard of a person who shovels driveways for older women. I have heard of a children’s minister who goes above and beyond anything asked of him so that he can serve the people he loves. I have heard of a group of musicians that even when they feel like quitting they get up and sing one more song. I have heard of men and women being willing to serve one another in almost any capacity known to man. If only someone would ask them to serve and help, they would. I know of many who would gladly help clear sidewalks so people don’t slip and hurt themselves. Did you find joy in doing those activities or are they burdens? Remember who you are serving. You are not only serving each other but you are serving your God! You should also remember why you serve; because you love one another.
Serving is difficult. No one ever said serving would be easy. Jesus got on his hands and knees and washed the disciples’ feet. He served with humility and love. Think of all the joy Jesus had in seeing the smiling faces of those he served. Look at the joy in the hearts of Gary and Danelle and tell me that waiting and serving the Lord isn’t worth it. Although waiting and not having children pained them so much, now their lives are filled with abundant joy. If you want joy in your life, serve others and serve God. Joy only comes from those who are good stewards of their own lives. Will you give your life for service?
