The Art of Servanthood
John 13:1-17
A. Introduction
1. The Water (Anonymous)
It was one of the hottest days of the dry season.
We had not seen rain in almost a month. The crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk. The creeks and streams were long gone back into the earth. It was a dry season that would bankrupt several farmers before it was through.
Every day, my husband and his brothers would go about the arduous process of trying to get water to the fields. Lately this process had involved taking a truck to the local water rendering plant and filling it up with water. But severe rationing had cut everyone off. If we didn’t see some rain soon...we would lose everything. It was on this day that I learned the true lesson of sharing and witnessed the only miracle I have seen with my own eyes.
I was in the kitchen making lunch for my husband and his brothers when I saw my six-year old son, Billy, walking toward the woods. He wasn’t walking with the usual carefree abandon of a youth but with a serious purpose. I could only see his back. He was obviously walking with a great effort...trying to be as still as possible. Minutes after he disappeared into the woods, he came running out again, toward the house.
I went back to making sandwiches; thinking that whatever task he had been doing was completed. Moments later, however, he was once again walking in that slow purposeful stride toward the woods. This activity went on for an hour: walk carefully to the woods, run back to the house.
Finally I couldn’t take it any longer and I crept out of the house and followed him on his journey (being very careful not to be seen...as he was obviously doing important work and didn’t need his Mommy checking up on him).
He was cupping both hands in front of him as he walked; being very careful not to spill the water he held in them...maybe two or three tablespoons were held in his tiny hands. I sneaked close as he went into the woods.
Branches and thorns slapped his little face but he did not try to avoid them. He had a much higher purpose. As I leaned in to spy on him, I saw the most amazing site. Several large deer loomed in front of him. Billy walked right up to them. I almost screamed for him to get away.
A huge buck with elaborate antlers was dangerously close. But the buck did not threaten him...he didn’t even move as Billy knelt down. And I saw a tiny fawn laying on the ground, obviously suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion, lift its head with great effort to lap up the water cupped in my beautiful boy’s hand.
When the water was gone, Billy jumped up to run back to the house and I hid behind a tree. I followed him back to the house; to a spigot that we had shut off the water to. Billy opened it all the way up and a small trickle began to creep out. He knelt there, letting the drip, drip slowly fill up his makeshift "cup," as the sun beat down on his little back. And it came clear to me. The trouble he had gotten into for playing with the hose the week before. The lecture he had received about the importance of not wasting water. The reason he didn’t ask me to help him.
It took almost twenty minutes for the drops to fill his hands. When he stood up and began the trek back, I was there in front of him. His little eyes just filled with tears. "I’m not wasting," was all he said.
As he began his walk, I joined him...with a small pot of water from the kitchen. I let him tend to the fawn. I stayed away. It was his job. I stood on the edge of the woods watching the most beautiful heart I have ever known working so hard to save another life. As the tears that rolled down my face began to hit the ground, they were suddenly joined by other drops...and more drops...and more. I looked up at the sky. It was as if God, Himself, was weeping with pride. Some will
probably say that this was all just a huge coincidence. That miracles don’t really exist. That it was bound to rain sometime. And I can’t argue with that...I’m not going to try. All I can say is that the rain that came that day saved our farm...just like that actions of one little boy saved another.
2. Today we are going to be talking about the Art of Servanthood. What does it mean to be a servant and how can you be a servant?
3. Let us read from John 13:1-17 and John 12:1-8.
B. The Art of Servanthood
1. The title of this sermon is “The Art of Servanthood”. Why would I call being a servant an art? Because art is something beautiful. It is something meant for others to see and enjoy.
2. Art is a creation that is a tribute to its
creator.
a. Matthew 10:24-25: A student is not above his
teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is
enough for the student to be like his teacher,
and the servant like his master.
3. When we look at a piece of art, we see the final
piece, what the creator wants us to see!
4. You can tell that a lot of time and effort has
gone into a piece but by merely looking at the
piece, you don’t know what troubles the creator
has had with this piece. You don’t know how many
hours he has spent on it.
5. The same is true with us as Christians. We are
God’s piece of art, a tribute to the creator.
a. The one thing that is different is that we are
constantly being formed and shaped into a better
piece. People don’t see the final result until we
see them in heaven. They see the process of us
being made into something better.
b. Why does God do this, because he wants others to
see that we are no different than they are except
for one thing and that is that we have a hope and
a future of eternal life. That is why when others
give up, we go on in order to show them that
there is something worth living for.
C. What is a Servant?
1. According to Webster’s dictionary a servant is a
person paid to wait on another or others,
especially to do work in or around a house.
2. In the days of the Old Testament being a servant
was little bit different than the definition
given to us from Mr. Webster. The Israelites were
servants or slaves of the Egyptians for a long
time. They suffered much cruelty, punishment, and
harsh conditions until God delivered them from
their bondage.
3. In the bible we are told that even as a servant,
you are to glorify God. Even at the worst points
in your life, you are still to praise God. Even
at a dead end job with a boss that is jerk, you
are to work for God not man.
4. This is sometimes easy advice to give but hard
advice to follow. I believe that Jesus knew that
we would have trouble being a servant at times in
our lives so that is why he led by example.
5. In order to help us understand this concept a
little better Jesus not only talked about being a
good servant but he lived what he taught.
6. The best example of a servant is Jesus Christ and
one of his acts of servanthood comes from John
13:1-17. I want you to notice what Jesus does in
verse 5.
7. He washes the disciples feet. The King of kings,
the great I AM, our Savior was bending down to
his knees to wash the feet of his disciples. In
this time this was unheard of. Jesus was the
teacher, the rabbi and the disciples were to
serve him not the other way around thus Peter
responds “No!”
8. But what does Jesus say, “Unless I wash you, you
have no part with me.” It is important to realize
that Jesus did not have to do this.
a. He did not have to wash his disciple’s feet.
b. He did not have to be beaten, spit on, or mocked.
c. He did not have to carry a cross.
d. He had been given the power to rule over all the
earth and at any time he could have made it all
stop. But instead, he chose to endure the pain
and suffering to save us from our sin and Wash
our sins away.
e. He didn’t want to endure the pain, and the
suffering.
f. We see this in the Garden of Gesth. When he
says “Father, take this cup from me but if there
is no other way not my will but yours be done.
g. What a servant, willing to give up his life for
his the people that hate him.
9. A true servant leads by example, is humble, and
is willing to sacrifice everything to please his
master. The reason why is because a true servant
doesn’t really think of it as being a sacrifice
but rather as a joy to please his master.
D. Being A Servant
1. Being a servant is many different things.
a. A servant is person who gives up a month during
the summer to go on that missionary trip in
Mexico.
b. A servant is a young man stopping to change a
tire for an elderly lady on a cold, dark, rainy
night.
c. A coach of a team.
d. A Sunday school teacher.
e. A father playing ball with his kid.
f. A mother teaching her daughter how to make
cookies for the first time.
g. A doctor who refuses to abort a child even
though it might cost him his job.
h. A servant is a husband who stands beside his
wife even though she has even after they have
found that lump in her breast.
i. A wife sitting by her husbands bedside after one
of his many Chemo therapies.
2. Being a true servant is showing others by example
just like Jesus did for us.
3. Matthew 5:14-16 states “You are the light of the
world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither
do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives
light to everyone in the house. In the same way,
let your light shine before men, that they may see
your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
4. In what ways are you being a servant? How are you
letting your light shine?
