TITLE: HOOKED ON A TITLE
SCRIPTURE: ST. JOHN 13:1-17
In the earlier chapters Jesus had given His ministry to the people of GALILEE and JERUSALEM. In ths 13th Chapter and following Chapters, Jesus turns from an unbelieving world to minister the Father’s love to His INNER CIRCLE OF DISCIPLES. He gives these lasts days of love and instruction in the upper room to those who had devotedly opened their hearts to Him and His revelation. The disciples are now found gathered with Jesus for what would become their final meal. They are all there - PETER - JAMES – JOHN – JUDAS ISCARIOT – JUDAS THE BROTHER OF JAMES - ANDREW – THOMAS -- PHILIP – BARTHOLOMEW – MATTHEW – JAMES THE SON OF ALPHAEUS - SIMON THE ZEALOT. Reclining around the low table, they chatter in a nervous tone. The men know that something is up. Jesus seems PENSIVE and QUIET. He talks, but it seems as if he has something on his mind, and indeed he does.
• Jesus, as he eats that meal, knows that before long Judas will come with a kiss
• The Roman soldiers will come to arrest him
• Soon he will stand before CAIAPHAS – HEROD – PILATE
• In less than twelve hours he will be hanging on a cross
• The conversation goes on back and forth and Jesus listens
The Gospel writer LUKE is the one who tells us the MOOD of the disciples as they enter the Upper Room.
• They had previously been arguing about which one of them is the greatest
• They do not sense the danger of this moment as Jesus does
• They sense what they think after 3 years is finally victory
• They are getting ready to cut up the Kingdom of God like a pecan pie
• Arguing about who deserves the biggest piece
• They are in no mood to serve each other
• They are simply Hooked on a Title
This is the atmosphere that Jesus encounters as he enters the Upper Room with the disciples to establish this final meal - this LORD’S SUPPER. I don’t know about you, but this sounds like much of what we view today. So many around us in the local church are so caught up in a TITLE – trying to elevate themselves above everyone else – Hooked on a Title.
• Just like the disciples – much internal bickering in many denominations
• Who is the greatest among us
• I’m a Bishop so I am over you
• I’m a Pastor, you’re just a Minister – I’m over you
• I’m the Moderator – I run the show here
• I’m an Apostle so I am over you
• I’m a Prophet so my calling is higher than yours
• I’m a Master Prophet so my calling is over everybody
• Trying to lay claim to something that does not belong to us
• Hooked on a Title
The synoptic gospels tell us of the institution of the Lord’s Supper which John omits, including the dispute over which of the disciples would be the greatest. John though includes events which they omit. To John we owe this PRICELESS TEACHING ON THE HUMBLE NATURE OF OUR LORD.
• Jesus is in complete command of the situation
• He knows that His hour had come
• It did not take Him by surprise
The hour for Jesus to complete the supreme task and reason He came into the world was at hand. The cross would decisively mark the end of Jesus’ visible earthly ministry. The way back to the Father was the way of the cross. Knowing His time is short Jesus chooses to concentrate on those He loves intimately. And he could not have selected a better time. He is preparing to return to the Father, and those that will take the Reign of Leadership and birth the new Church are arguing and upset with one another because they are Hooked on a Title.
Isn’t it amazing, no matter what we attempt to do for the Lord, the devil is always at work. Seems like he does his best work when he PUFFS UP OUR EGO. We see the hand of the adversary at work during the meal to ruin the fellowship by stirring up treachery against Jesus – as VS 2 reveals - During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him - Judas had already determined to betray Jesus. In His rebellion against God, he has opened himself up to greater and greater influence by the devil. Later, in Vs. 27 he will become possessed by the devil and come under his control.
Let me be as plain as I can this morning. When our Ego’s get puffed up and we begin to focus upon our titles and think we are more important than those around us, we are being used by the adversary. When devil Puffs up our EGO he has full control of you - I CORINTHIANS 10:12 “WHEREFORE LET HIM THAT THINKETH HE STANDETH TAKE HEED LEST HE FALL.” Jesus picked up on what was bothering the disciples during that Supper and He would leave them a tremendous message in HUMILITY and SERVANTHOOD.
Suddenly Jesus stands up, takes off his Outer Cloak, and wraps a towel around his waist. Not sure why Jesus did this, but I can only imagine that he wore a rather expensive cloak, or perhaps impressive looking. Had to have been worthy enough for guards to gamble for it in just a few more hours. So Jesus strips himself from anything worldly that would even give the impression of royalty. He had to show his disciples that there is a danger to being Hooked on a Title. Releases his robe and wraps a towel around his waist.
Taking a basin of water, he goes to the end of the table and kneels down. Without a word he takes the feet of one of the disciples, brushes the dirt off, and washes them with water, one foot at a time. When he is finished, he takes the towel and wipes the feet dry. He goes to the next one and does the same thing. In the room there is silence. No one dares to speak. They cannot believe what Jesus is doing.
What seems odd to us would not have seemed odd in the first century. Because most people wore sandals and the roads were dusty, even a short trip meant that your feet ended up dirty. The Romans had built such a fine road system ("all roads lead to Rome” was more than a slogan) that some of those roads are still in use today. After constructing a road from one city to another, they put a kind of dirt on the road that provided a smooth finish. But that dirt left indelible marks on anyone who walked on the roadway. So it was common in the ancient world to provide a basin of water for visitors to wash their feet.
In those days you normally washed your own feet after the host offered you a basin of water. You knelt down, removed your sandals, washed your feet, and then dried them with a towel. If a man had servants - they might be delegated to do the job for you. This was the mark of a high achievement in society - that servants washed the feet of your guests.
• But under no circumstances would the host wash the feet of his guests
• The master would never stoop to position as to wash the feet of those socially beneath him
Have you ever tried to wash someone’s feet at the end of a long, hot day? Have you ever tried to wash somebody‘s feet when they are covered with grime and sweat? Have you ever put your face right down next to an old smelly foot? It’s not an easy thing to do.
• Some groups observe foot washing as a church ordinance
• I have no objection whatsoever to that practice and in fact think it can be a beautiful remembrance of that night in the Upper Room
• But if you know you’re going to a foot washing service, what do you do first?
• You wash your feet!
• That’s what I would do
• We just naturally do that because we don’t want someone having to wash our dirty sweaty feet
When we read the narrative of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, we may think we understand why He was doing such for them.
• John, for instance, was a close friend
• Then there were Peter and Andrew, who had been so faithful in following the Master
• Each of the disciples must have had something that endeared him to Jesus
• But why did He wash the feet of Judas?
• Jesus knew that He was stooping down to serve the one who would soon stoop to perform history’s worst act of treachery
Jesus was performing the most menial of tasks for a person who treated the Creator of the universe as being someone worth no more than 30 PIECES OF SILVER. Knowingly, the One whose name is associated with giving life got His hands dirty to serve the one whose name would stand for betrayal and death for the rest of time.
• Doesn’t Jesus’ example tell us something special about service?
• Doesn’t it remind us that we are not called to serve only those who are like us, or even those who care for us?
• We are called to serve all people - the lovely and the unlovely, the friendly and the not-so-friendly
• When was the last time you "washed the feet" of someone like Judas?
• When Jesus took a servant’s towel His honor was set aside
• He humbly showed us how to serve
• He humbly showed us how to conquer pride
• It’s difficult to stand on a pedestal and wash the feet of those below
• Jesus was teaching his disciples not to be Hooked on a Title
Jesus did not ANOINT THE HEAD of the disciples - he did not call for a bottle of Holy Oil - he did not ask them to get in a Prayer Line. This may not be apparent at first, but think about it. YOUR FEET CARRY AN ENORMOUS LOAD.
• Did you know that the average person walks the equivalent of three times around the earth in a life time?
• And the foot itself is a complex mechanism made up of 23 bones, 33 joints, and over 100 muscles and tendons
• Whether you know it or not, your feet represent all of you
• After all, wherever your feet go, the rest of you must follow
• If your feet hurt, your whole body hurts
• If your feet are cold, you are cold all over
• If your feet are dirty, you can’t feel clean until your wash your feet
• Your feet take you anywhere you want to go
• That’s why the Bible says - HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THEM THAT PREACH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE, AND BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS - ROMANS 10:15
Although a SERVANT WAS NOT PRESENT at the time, not one of the disciples came forward to perform this necessary task. You see, up until this time, they were more concerned with more important things like "who would sit where" and their own places of recognition in the kingdom. Sometimes men feel that they are too distinguished to do the humble things; they feel that they are too important to have to do some menial task.
Apparently there was a DEAD SILENCE in the Upper Room as Jesus washed the disciples feet until he approached Peter in VS. 6. So He came to Simon Peter. Simon Peter looks at Jesus and presented a question – “LORD, DO YOU WASH MY FEET?” Peter sensing Jesus’ reversing of their natural roles, asked why He, Peter’s Lord, should wash the feet of His servant Peter. In Peter’s question the word You is EMPHATIC in the Greek. Peter felt that JESUS SHOULD NOT PLACE HIMSELF IN A SUBMISSIVE ROLE BY WASHING THEIR FEET.
Peter’s reaction in VS. 8 is characteristically forceful. Peter said to Him, “NEVER SHALL YOU WASH MY FEET!” You see, Peter pushes aside Jesus’ words of revelation and replies no, “You shall never (EMPHATIC DOUBLE NEGATIVE) wash my feet. Apparently he did not feel that Jesus should act like a servant toward him.
• In essence he was saying, Come on Jesus, you should respect our Titles
• We have significant titles around here
• We don’t clean bathrooms in the Church – we have Titles
• We don’t take out the trash in the Church – we have Titles
• We sit down and are served in Fellowship Hall – we have Titles
• We just wave a hand and the ushers bring us water – we have Titles
• We are Ushered to the Pulpit – we have Titles
Jesus answered him, “IF I DO NOT WASH YOU, YOU HAVE NO PART WITH ME.” Jesus responded that if He does not wash Peter’s feet he has no part with Him. Jesus was saying Peter, don’t be so quick – you are Hooked on a Title. You will be no good for Kingdom Building if you are Hooked on a Title. It expresses the necessity not simply to make Peter’s feet acceptable to recline at the dinner table, but also for the inner cleansing that makes one fit for the kingdom of heaven and fit for fellowship with Jesus. Peter’s response is classic – NOT ONLY MY FEET, BUT MY HANDS AND MY HEAD AS WELL.
If we get caught up in our titles it will allow our egos to take charge instead of the Spirit of the Lord. As long as you stand apart from Christ, all the knowledge and religious experience in the world makes no difference. Our egos will cause Christ to stand on the outside of us. It was CHARLES SPURGEON who pointed out that Peter’s many spiritual advantages made no difference:
• He was humble but humility is not enough
• He experienced miracles but miracles are not enough
• He heard Christ teach but knowledge is not enough
• He walked with Christ but merely being close to him was not enough
• He performed acts of service but doing good was not enough
• He saw Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration but spiritual experiences are not enough
• He was full of enthusiasm for Jesus but even that was not enough
Peter must HUMBLY SUBMIT TO HAVING HIS FEET WASHED by the Son of God, and he must do it even though he did not fully understand it.
--Peter must embrace the same sense of Servanthood
--In the same way coming to Christ is like having our feet washed
--We must come to him, dirty and unclean, embarrassed by the stain of sin we cannot remove
--And we must do nothing at all while Christ does the work in us
--Our journey through life is much dirtier than we think
--You never know what you might step in that will leave you defiled and unclean
--Every now and then we step into something that we were not aware was there
--Step in something on life’s highway that leave our feet smelling bad
--We don’t like to think about that but it is true
--No matter how hard we may try to stay clean
--We are all dirtied along the way
--Although Peter had bathed and was clean, his feet had to washed
--Do we have that same sense of Service?
--Are we too caught up in Titles to be effective for Service?
--Are we too Hooked on a Title to be useful?
--I’m glad today that He Washed Me Whitier Than Snow
--I’m glad today, I’ve been Cleansed – been Redeemed
