From Worthy Sheep to Smelly Feet
John 13: 12-21 April 28, 2002
Last week we talked about worthy sheep – this week, we’re talking about smelly feet… Last week we talked about Jesus as the Good Shepherd – this week, we see Him as a humble servant, a foot washer…
ILLUS: There’s a story about a woman who lived in a big city neighborhood that was going down hill… It was becoming overcrowded, noisy & dirty, it was a bad situation… Finally, she decided something would have to be done about & she knew that it would take money to change the situation… So she started a fund-raising drive… She called people, she sent letters, she solicited support from private foundations… She finally raised $85,000 and then she used the money to move to another neighborhood…
Problem solved, right? She was pretty self-centered wasn’t she?
ILLUS: Another story tells of a cold winter storm, the snow was falling, the wind was howling when a doctor received an urgent call at home… The caller said his wife needed medical attention, it was an emergency… The doctor was understanding – He said, “I’ll be glad to come, but my car is being repaired, could you come get me…” The man replied in an angry voice, “Are you kidding, in this weather?”
Pretty self-centered wasn’t he?
ILLUS: And then, most of us remember the story about the two hunters who came upon the bear & they didn’t know what to do… One man said, I don’t know about you but I’m running… the man said, “you can’t outrun a bear…” He replied, I don’t have to outrun the bear, all I have to do is outrun you…”
Pretty self-centered wasn’t he?
Do you remember the ending to the bear story… That bear came running towards the man and the man knew he couldn’t outrun the bear so he began to pray… He prayed, “Lord, I just hope this is a Christian bear…” About that time, the bear stopped in its tracks, folded its paws and said, “Lord, thank you for this food…”
In our scripture today, we see Jesus, our Lord & Savior, take on the roll as a foot washer… As He & His disciples sat down to share the Last Supper, Jesus got up, took off His robe & tied a towel around Himself… He pored water into a basin & began to wash the disciples feet & wiped them with His towel…
What a wonderful demonstration of who Jesus really is… He “laid aside His garments!” He set aside His authority, His majesty, His dominion over all creation – to be a servant… What an example! Jesus the humble servant…
In our call to worship from the words of Philippians (2: 3-5), we read, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves… Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others… Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus…”
Friends, the mind of Christ was focused upon others… Verse 1 tells us that Jesus knew that His time had come… He knew He was about to face His accusers & the Cross… Just hours later, He would go to the Garden of Gethsemane, and it was there that He prayed so hard that He sweat blood… and knowing that the hour had come, His mind was on the interests of others…
ILLUS: C.D. Meigs wrote a beautiful song entitled “Others,” wherein he writes:
Lord, help me live from day to day, in such a self forgetful way,
That even when I kneel to pray, My prayer shall be for others.
Others, Lord, yes, others – Let this my motto be.
Help me to live for others, that I may live like Thee…
That’s the message of Jesus Christ… We are to become servants to others…
Look at verse 12 & following, “After Jesus had washed their feet, had put on His robe, and had returned to the table, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord – and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you…”
Friends, this is where the rubber meets the road… Knowing what Christ has done for us – giving His life for our sins – dying on the Cross – buying each of us with His own blood… And we call Him Lord & Teacher, and yet, look how some of us live our lives… Some of us are no more concerned with “others” than the man in the moon… Preacher, get real! We don’t have time for others – we have our own life, our own families, our own problems to worry about – We can’t be bothered by others…
But, what kind of example is that? No wonder there’s a decline in church attendance… No wonder there’s a decline in church membership… The world looks at the church as a source of life, hope, joy, help… and we the people of the church don’t have time for a hurting world… If we don’t have time, we’ve failed the church & in doing so, we’ve failed Christ.
Romans 10: 15, says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! But not all have obeyed the good news…”
Friends, if you’re not following the example of Christ, if you’re not reaching out to a hurting world, if you don’t have time for others – You’re the one with smelly feet…
How can you say, “I’m a Christian – and call Jesus, Lord & Teacher – and yet, not follow His example, His command – for He said, “you should do as I have done to you…”
Do you know why we don’t follow the example of Christ? It’s because our mind is not set on Christ…
Romans 8: 5 says, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, set their minds on the things of the Spirit… To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”
Friends, many of us have smelly feet this morning… We need our feet washed…
Have you ever attended a foot washing service? I just happened to have my basin & water pitcher today… I would venture to say, that if I asked for volunteers to wash feet or to have their feet washed, it would make you feel very uncomfortable… Am I right?
I think people are uncomfortable with smelly feet…
No one wants to take off their shoes this morning… they would be embarrassed – they might have holes in their socks or stockings… they may have an odor of smelly feet… they may have holes in their shoes…
And I suspect no one would volunteer to tie a towel around their waste and kneel down at the feet of someone else to touch & to wash their smelly feet…
But I think feet washing humbles both the servant & the person who is being served…
ILLUS: I remember as a youth minister, one night I had a feet washing service for the youth… I caught them by surprise… they weren’t prepared… At first, they thought I was kidding, they made a lot of jokes… they were laughing… they didn’t believe I would do it…
But one by one, as I went around the room washing their feet, they quit laughing, they got serious… some of them even shed some tears… Just like Peter, some of them didn’t want me to wash their feet, they didn’t want to participate & I didn’t force them…
But those who didn’t participate that night missed out on something special… they missed a lesson on servant hood… they missed the example of Christ…
ILLUS: Now might be a good time to lock the doors… At the close of the service this morning, I’m going to call someone at random to come wash our feet, I want them to follow the example of Christ and take on the roll of a servant… I’ve got to think about who it is that I’m going to call…
Friends, I think this is a tough lesson that Jesus is trying to teach us today… And if I’ve stepped on your toes this morning, don’t get offended with me… I’m just preaching the Word of God… for Jesus said, “If I, your Lord & Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet…”
Hear the Word of God… let it speak to your hearts this morning… Serving is our duty… Jesus said, “do as I have done to you…”
ILLUS: Sometimes as a pastor, I get over whelmed with serving others… Serving others takes time, it takes me away from my family – In order to serve, I have to give up a part of myself… to be a servant is to give & give & give… and sometimes I find myself saying, “Oh Lord, I’m too tired to serve, want you send someone else…” And then I hear the Lord speaking to my Spirit, and HE says, “Oh, Mike, Whom shall I send?” And I say, “Yes, Lord, here am I, send me…”
Friends, serving is our duty… We are called to serve one another as Christ has served us… even those whom we despise… for remember, Jesus washed the feet of ALL of His disciples, including Judas, the one who was about to betray Him…
Can you imagine the moment… Jesus kneeling down & washing the feet of the one that was about to betray Him…
Some of us don’t like serving others, even the people we like – but we just plain refuse to serve those who don’t like us… But that’s not the real message of Jesus, is it?
He didn’t pick & choose… and we don’t have that option either… We are called to serve to whoever, whenever, wherever, there is a need…
It’s called obedience… Obedience unto Christ!
ILLUS: I read that Arabian horses go through rigorous training in the deserts of the Middle East… The trainers require absolute obedience from the horses, and they test them to see if they are completely trained…
The final test is almost beyond endurance… The trainers force the horses to go without water for several days… then he turns them loose & of course they start running toward the water, but just as they get to the edge of the water, the trainer calls them… The horses that are completely trained and have learned to be obedient, they stop, they turn around, and come running back to their trainer…
They’re dying of thirst, they want a drink of water so bad, but they just stand there beside their trainer in perfect obedience… When the trainer is sure that he has their obedience, he then leads his horse to the water and allows it to drink…
Those of us who have become obedient to Christ, will serve as Christ has served… We will humble ourselves to do what Christ has done… We will be the servant that Christ calls us to be… And if Christ finds un obedient, He will lead us beside the still waters…
ILLUS: As we come to the close of the service, I said I was going to call on someone to come & wash our feet this morning… Who is it that the Lord wants me to call?
Friends, don’t worry, I’m not going to call on anyone… We’re not going to wash anyone’s feet this morning… that was kind of an obedience test…
Because if you were sitting there in fear that I might call your name, maybe the Lord is trying to tell you something this morning… maybe your not serving as the Lord would have you to serve…
We need to be obedient unto the Lord… The scripture says (vs. 17), “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them…”
But it goes on to say (vs. 21), “After saying this Jesus was troubled in Spirit, and declared, ‘Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me…”
Friends, when Christ calls you to service, don’t betray Christ… He was obedient unto His Father, obedient even unto death… so let us be found obedient unto Him…
He calls us into faithful service… so may we be found as His faithful servants…
This is the Word of the Lord for this Fifth Sunday of Easter.
Rev. Mike DuBose
Newhebron United Methodist Church
Newhebron, MS
