Position, pride and prestige are the by words
of today’s world, so also were they in the context of what Jesus was saying in these
verses. The disciples would fight tooth and nail for the throne, but none of
them would exercise the ministry of the towel. Undeniably what Jesus had done in
the feet-washing, was the supreme example of the exact opposite. He was showing
us what we ought to do if we are to be His ministers in our day.
After He had washed the disciples’ feet, Jesus
put back His usual garment and reclined at the table with them again. In Luke’s account of the last supper, he said
that “And there arose
also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest” (Luke
22:24). That could be why Jesus popped the question in verse 12, “Do you know what I have done to you?” That question must have induced a complete harsh in an instant. Everyone
understood what Jesus was driving at. Up to that point, everyone wanted to be served rather than to
serve. It was true that the task of feet washing was delegated to the servant,
but if there wasn’t one to do it, the first two persons to arrive were supposed
to do the task for the rest of the guests. But none of them made the move.
So in verses 13-16, Jesus issued the challenge.
He argued from the greater to the lesser. He argued that if He as their Master
could do such a menial task, how much more should his followers do so? Like
Jesus, we must exercise the ministry of the towel. It seems that it’s easier to
serve people outside of the community and harder to serve people within the
family. So we need to bear in mind that this instruction is for us to serve our
fellow believers within the community - our brothers and sisters in the Lord. We
must not let pride come in the way and cause us to resist the urge to serve.
Let’s hear what Jesus has to say, “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. 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.”
In John 12:2 we are told that “During
supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him.” So in verse 18,
Jesus returned to made reference to Judas Iscariot, the betrayer. He said “I do not speak of all of you. I know the
ones I have chosen; but it is that the
Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats My bread has lifted up
his heel against Me.”
Jesus already knew who would betray Him yet He was so gracious not to identify him
to the disciples. He probably didn’t want them to reject him. Could Jesus be
giving Judas the time and opportunity to reconsider his evil intention? In
revealing all these before they happened, Jesus was preparing them to believe
in Him when all that He had foretold happened. The Lord then rounded up talking
about His union with the Father. Accepting Jesus is accepting the Father, similarly
when we accept those whom Jesus had sent, we are accepting Him.
What is Jesus saying to us? He has issued
us a challenge to serve like Him. We must not allow pride to come in the way. One
way to serve our brothers and sisters in the Lord is to learn to honor them. We
must develop a culture of honoring each other in the Lord. Let’s allow the
words of Jesus here to resonate deep within. As we acknowledge our brothers and
sister in the Lord, we are acknowledging Jesus. As we represent Jesus to serve
others, we have become His voice, His hands and His feet to those whom we serve.
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