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“The Form Of A Servant" • 12.1.19
• Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- As we begin chapter 13, be aware that
we are entering into hallowed ground. John will tell us soon that Jesus
performed many more signs that all the books in the world could not contain.
- He could have shared a few more or focused on
a few other teachings, but chooses to spend nearly 1/5th of his gospel account
on around the events of a few private hours.
- These are the Lord's final words, not to the
public, nor to the sinner, but to the disciple that would seek to embrace a
life that represents His.
- What we are about to embark upon is unique to
John and verse 1 is not only the introduction to the chapter, but the thesis of
this final portion of his gospel.
Text
• John 13:1 : "Now before the Feast of the
Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from
this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them
to the end." : Let me
remind you that John is writing this volume as a very old man who had witnessed
these events.
- On this final Thursday night, just before the
Passover began feast began. He looks back in time and sees the room as well as
his long "departed" friend.
- He realizes in clarity what was obvious to
Him then. Jesus knew the exact hour. He was well aware of what was coming His
way and that knowledge focused Him.
- He was soon to be the Lamb of God who would
take away the sins of the world! This was what He came to earth to accomplish
and despite the violence and gore, it was not a defeat or death.
- Jesus knew that He was soon to DEPART from
this world back to His Father! The word "depart" literally means to
"pass over from one side to another!"
- Jesus would soon be on a journey home to
resume His rightful position alongside of His Father after 33 years of
confinement in a human shell like our own.
- John had spent three years with the Lord and
some of his final memories of Christ upon the earth were filled with mind
numbing trauma and the utter cruelty of Roman justice.
- He has now known Jesus far longer as the King
of heaven than he knew Him as the Lamb of God! As he considers that night, he
doesn't see a man that is overwhelmed by His passing.
- John remembers a man that was resolved to
love! He loved His own! Yes, God loves the world as any person might love
children. He loves those that He is related to much more!
- John thinks of himself as one of His own! I
think of myself in that way and if you are a Christian, you should think of
yourself that way! You are blood related to the Father through Christ!
- Consequently, our God and Father loves us as
children, our Lord loves us a brothers!
- As urgent as His call to the nation was last
week, so was the urgency of His desire to express love to these men that sat
with Him now! John notes that He loved them to the very end.
- The word "telos" expresses the idea
of the complete and final limit of an idea. This is the uttermost end and aim
of His love!
- The NLT shares this footnote from a variant
manuscript and I prefer it myself: "He showed them the full extent of His
love!"
- The disciples had never known true love until
they saw it manifest before them. They never would have known how to love had
they not seen it embodied in their Lord. Verse 2.
• John 13:2-5 : "And supper being ended, the devil
having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray
Him, Jesus,
knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had
come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and
girded Himself. After
that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and
to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded." :
Most the other orthodox translations infer that the meal was ongoing,
which actually makes more sense.
- Take a moment and consider all that is
happening in this room at this moment.
- Jesus is expressing His love toward His
disciples and at the very same table, at the very same time, the Devil is
working on the heart of Judas! He had cast the idea of betrayal out to Judas.
- The NIV and NLT use the word
"prompted." He is baiting him! The devil suggested and played upon
his desire, but it is Judas that is going to betray Jesus. The devil did not
make him do it!
- Judas is sitting just a few feet away from
Jesus, planning away, nervously contemplating His next step, waiting for the
right moment to move. Hell is working to contravene God's plan.
- At the same moment, Jesus is assured in His
spirit that God has given all into His hands! The authority of heaven belongs
to Him! Nothing can change or alter that reality!
- Everything must serve Him and His purpose.
Nothing that man could do could remove Him from who He was and where He was
going!
- Men's betrayal, their puny plots, all served
to leave them in an alienated state before God. They accomplished nothing! Jesus
was more confident of what He had and where He was going.
- What did that lead Him to do? What does true
heavenly power and authority look and act like? He rose from the table, laid
aside His outer garments and took the position of the lowest slave!
- Imagine this: Jesus is their Master and
Rabbi. They have confessed Him as Lord and Messiah. I can't help but believe
that they lived in perpetual awe of Him!
- Every moment that He spent teaching or
dwelling with them was as precious gold to them!
- When Jesus took off His outer garment, a few
of the disciples took note, but were not really thinking much about His
movement. Maybe He was getting warm.
- Then, He puts a towel around His waist. There
are now hushed whispers. "He's not doing what I think He's doing, is
He!?"
- Sure enough, Jesus drew water into basin and
kneeled to wash His disciples feet. Nobody had taken the responsibility to do
this earlier. That will matter momentarily.
- Suffice it to say, this duty was not
enviable. It was generally performed by the lowest house slave on the totem
pole and if one was not available, it was given to least in the house.
- It would be unheard of for the guest of honor
to "lower Himself" in this manner.
- I'd hate to be very descriptive here, but
Jerusalem is very similar in climate to our area. These men have been walking
in sandals all day long in the heat of the day and on dusty paths.
- Jesus performs the washing and the drying and
moves on down the line to the next disciple. Can you imagine the stunned and
ackward silence that has come over the room!?
- We aren't told how many He did this for
before He got to Peter, but Peter is not comfortable with this situation at
all! He voices the first comment and complaint. Verse 6.
• John 13:6-9 : "Then He came to Simon Peter. And
Peter said to Him, 'Lord, are You washing my feet?' Jesus answered and said to him, 'What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.' Peter
said to Him, 'You shall never wash my feet!' Jesus
answered him, 'If I do not wash you, you have no part
with Me.' Simon Peter said to Him, 'Lord, not
my feet only, but also my hands and my head!'" : Peter's tone is one of incredulity.
"You can't be thinking of washing my feet!" Why does he stop Jesus
here? Nobody else objects and Peter doesn't object to anyone else's
footwashing.
- Perhaps when it got to him, he just couldn't
let Jesus continue! It's a blessing to see others blessed, but the humbling
that it takes to be blessed is sometimes overwhelming.
- I understand the Lord's love for you. It's
not as easy for me to receive that myself! Some have believed that Peter was
responding to what must have been a test.
- "None of these other guys understand
that they shouldn't let the Messiah wash their feet. I'd better say something
and show Jesus just how much I've learned!"
- He is going to show them once again how
superior his knowledge and devotion is!
- When he objects, Jesus politely let's him know
that He is not understanding what is happening, but that he will shortly. It's
a kind way to say, "Be quiet now!"
- As usual, Peter believes that he has the
authority to keep Jesus from washing His feet! "You shall never wash my
feet!" Can you see him putting his feet out of the Lord's reach?
- Peter is about to learn how short
"never" really was! Peter's pride and foolishness would have kept him
from an object lesson that was vital to His growth in and service to Christ!
- By the way, if you ever think you can keep
the Lord of heaven from doing His will, you had better quickly re-assess your
position! Jesus tells Peter that he wasn't thinking this through.
- Jesus had to wash him. Otherwise, he would
have no part with Him. Notice that phrase. It's not that Jesus will have no
part of Peter, it's that Peter won't a have a part with Him!
- "Part" speaks of an allotment, a
piece of the whole. If Peter will not allow Jesus to wash Him, there isn't a
hope for Peter to be involved in what Jesus wants for him.
- Peter's eyes open wide. He's ready for Jesus
to wash everything! Of course, as we'll see again, Peter overreaches, but let
me say this: I'd love to see more of this kind of heart!
- Lord, take everything! If I can't have a part
of you because I can't part with this "thing," then let this
"thing" be put far away from me!
- Too often what I see in this life are saints
that want to do the very least that they have to do in order to be saved or
sanctified! That isn't Peter's heart here at all and shame to those that have
it!
- When Peter realizes his mistake, he runs in
the other direction. I can just see the smile on the Lord's face as He explains
Himself more fully. Verse 10.
• John 13:10,11 : "Jesus said to him, 'He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet,
but is completely clean; and you are
clean, but not all of you.' For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, 'You are not all clean.'" : Peter didn't need a full spiritual
bath. He had already received one! Think of that last phrase.
- "If I do not wash you, you have no part
with me!" Christianity must begin with you and I receiving a washing that
only God can perform.
- If I will not humble myself to receive that,
then the truth is that I cannot have any claim to Him! That is the
prerequisite for being clean in the eyes of God!
- In the ancient world, when a person went for
a bath, they were thoroughly clean, but when they walked home, their clean
state was interrupted by the dirty floor they walked upon.
- In the same way, a person who has been
cleansed from their sinful state by the application of Christ's blood is
thoroughly, completely, to "every whit" as the KJV says.
- You do not need to be saved again and again,
but because you walk in a polluted world, you have to address your feet that
are attached to this planet!
- The disciples walked in a physically dirty
place. No matter how clean you were, the footwear of the day did not protect
you from the grime of your surroundings.
- That's why virtually every house had water
and servants set aside for this purpose.
- The Lord's physical washing pointed to this
spiritual reality. This is why we each need the water of His word to cleanse us
daily.
- Who hasn't been defiled by the raunchy humor,
the foul language, the rebellious attitudes and the utter disregard for
anything holy!?
- Is it any wonder why it seems that an hour of
teaching is just barely enough to get a little clean? We need much more of His
Word if we will ever counteract the effects of this world!
- God's greatest gift is a one time washing in
salvation. Our greatest need after the fact is to allow HIs Spirit to continue
that cleansing work throughout this life by a steady intake of His Word!
- Peter was clean but Jesus couldn't say the
same thing about everyone at the table.
- There was one among them that was completely
unclean. Judas' heart and intention was not hidden from Christ and neither was
proximity to Christ a cleansing in itself!
- You cannot claim a cleansing simply by being
around the tub! You must be immersed and that by Him personally! Nobody is
clean by hanging out near a bath. They must be bathed!
- Judas had the best teacher that ever walked
the planet, saw the greatest miracles and was privy to the warmth of Christ's
friendship. And he was unclean!
- Yet, here is a tremendous bit of truth here
to consider: Jesus either had or was about to wash his feet! Judas was about to
be served and loved by the man that he was soon to betray!
- Even here, Jesus is expressing love, letting
Judas know that his sin will not merely be against an innocent man, but against
a man that loved him completely! Verse 12.
• John 13:12-15 : "So when He had washed their feet,
taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, 'Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have
given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you." : "Do you know what I have done to
you?" What a question! What a lesson! This was not about washing feet!
- This is why this is not a sacramentally
ordained practice in the church. It's an illustration.
- Jesus had bent over, physically poured water
over their dust caked feet and taken the towel to wipe them dry with His own
hands! He did this 12 times!
- There wasn't a single disciple that didn't
receive this treatment and when He sat down again, He was no less their Teacher
and Lord! It was right of them to think of Him that way.
- Since He was who they thought He was and He
washed their feet, how much more should they do the same for each other! Please
note that carefully.
- At no time, did Jesus say to any of them that
they should bend and wash HIS feet.
- Every single one of them would have stood in
line for the privilege! I'd say that it's easy to show loving servitude toward
Him. He is the Holy One worthy of any and all acts of worship.
- No, Jesus told them that they should wash one
anothers feet! They will show that they understand the lesson when they commit
to humbly serving each other!
-
Jesus had given them the example to follow. "Hypodeigma" is a
word that speaks of a model or an exhibit created that would set the standard
for future recreations.
- If you want to enter into the business of
being His follower, this is what you should look like and this is how you
should treat those that are your brothers and sisters!
- Jesus had mentioned earlier that Peter would
understand later what it was that He did. Having been given the explanation, we
can say that Peter must have gotten the message.
- Later on in Peter's life however, as he was
writing other men that would be called and gifted to serve the body of Christ
as "undershepherds," you can hear him relay this message in I
Peter 5.
• I Peter 5:2,3 : "Shepherd the flock of God which is
among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for
dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being
examples to the flock;" :
What better example for the present and future disciples to see!
- Jesus, the Savior of all men, put aside the
garments of position and took upon Himself the garment and attitude of a house
slave, in order to serve His brothers! That's how you Shepherd!
- Believe me: This is not just a recipe for
Shepherds. This is the life of a Christian that will bring honor to their
Savior and authenticity to any claim of love for Him. Verse 16.
• John 13:16,17 : "Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not
greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them." : A servant is not greater than his
master. This is absolutely true and a word of rebuke to the discples' earlier
behavior.
- The disciples, like many today, had an issue
of buying their own press and subsequently, engaging themselves in arguments
about which of them would be the greatest in the Kingdom!
- It's a misunderstanding of sanctification, if
you believe that you are entered into a new form of hierarchy or progression.
That is what religion does.
- No Christian ever rises beyond being a child
of the Father and a slave of righteousness!
- Their attitudes were captured in Mark's
gospel when Jesus inquired about a dispute that they were having as they walked
with Him.
- They got quiet, like kids do when they know
they've done something wrong. Mark discloses that they had been quarreling
about which of THEM would be the greatest! (Mark 9:34)
- That is why none of the feet were washed
prior to Christ doing that for them! Each of them were too good to condescend
to that position!
- In the very presence of Jesus, how is it
possible for people to consider their own "greatness!" Talk about
missing the point. Turn over to Matthew 20.
- This issue kept popping up and it got so bad,
that two of the disciples even resorted to getting their Mom in the act!
• Matthew 20:20-24 : "Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons
came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him. And He said to her, 'What do you wish?' She said to
Him, 'Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the
other on the left, in Your kingdom.' But
Jesus answered and said, 'You do not know what you ask.
Are you able to drink the
cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?' They said to Him, 'We are able.' So He said to them, 'You will
indeed drink My cup, and
be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right
hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is
prepared by My Father.' And when the ten
heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers." : Can you imagine the look upon the
other disciples' faces? It must have been humiliating to be caught in such a
foolish plot. Jesus of course, used the opportunity to teach.
• Matthew 20:25-28 : "But Jesus called them to Himself
and said, 'You know
that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great
exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your
servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let
him be your slave—just as the Son of
Man did not come to be served, but to
serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.'" : None of these men should seek to be "above" their
counterpart. That is the antithesis of what Jesus taught them!
- Jesus was about to send them into the world,
to work and serve together, the interests of their Master. If they knew these
things, they'd be blessed when they did them!
- I know I need to serve you and allow you to
serve me in the name, for the reputation of our Lord. That knowledge does me
know good unless I put it into practice! Only then will I be blessed!
Conclusion
- Do you know what He has done for you? The
Highest of Heaven left His position of power and His royal robes. He took the
form of a servant and became like the lowest of men.
- He allowed Himself to be bent down under the
cruel hands of men in order that His blood might wash every one of your sinful
stains!
- How can we not serve one another? How can we
justify petty behavior or act as though we have a greater measure of His
gifting or power than another?
- How can we take our feet away and not allow
others to proverbially wash them when that is the purpose of God in bringing us
together?
- May the Lord convict us all of such
anti-Kingdom thoughts and may we go and seek to learn and live what this
passage means!
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