Foot-washing - at my daughter's wedding
(they both washed each other's feet).
TO CHEW ON: " '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.' " Matthew 20:27-28
Jesus didn't just point the disciples to the way they should live, He modelled it. He lived and breathed service during His time of ministry on earth. Skim through any of the synoptic gospels and you may come away exhausted yourself by his gruelling schedule of traveling, teaching, healing and then, when he tried to get away to rest, teaching and healing some more when the crowds followed Him to even remote places.
He also spelled out the importance of service. Our passage today is one such place (as is Mark 10:35-45). His washing of the disciples' feet (John 13:3-5; 14,15) was another dramatic object lesson of service where He again said plainly how this was something His followers should emulate: " 'Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.' "
Paul in Philippians describes the extremity of His service. The New Living Translation says it so clearly:
Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form..." Philippians 2:6-7 - NLT
The NKJV says He came "taking the form of a bondservant..." A bondservant was a Hebrew slave who had served out his six years of required service but instead of going free, insisted on continuing to serve the household he loved. His master would then pierce his ear as a sign of his state and accept his service for life (see Exodus 21:1-6).
A sidebar article in my Bible talks about the faithful servant:
"The character of a faithful servant reveals devotion to the interests of others; the thoughtfulness of rendering untiring care, the delight in the prosperity, honour and happiness of someone besides himself" -Fuchsia T. Pickett New Spirit-Filled Life Bible p. 1328.
We can personalize such servanthood by asking — in my role as wife, mother, teacher, clerk, bank teller, waitress, CEO or... what does it look like to:
- Devote myself to the interests of others?
- Render untiring care?
- Delight in the prosperity, honour and happiness of others?
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for Your clear teaching about the importance of having a servant's heart and Your modelling of service. Help me to make a permanent paradigm shift and pursue this quality above the ways to be great that my culture recognizes. Amen.
MORE: Feast of St. James the Apostle
It's a pity that James the Apostle is remembered most for this rather crass request (made by his mother, for sure, but it's clear that he and his brother John were in on it, for she "came to Him with her sons..."). I wonder how Jesus' teaching on this occasion, impacted him.
Here is a little more about this close friend of Jesus's:
Not much is known of his ministry after Jesus' resurrection. It is believed, however, that he lived another 14 years before his martyrdom. In fact, the apostle James was the first apostle to suffer martyrdom. By order of Herod Agrippa I, James was beheaded in Jerusalem about the feast of Easter, 44 AD.
It is believed that within this 14 year period, James visited the Jewish colonist and slaves in Spain to preach the Gospel.
from "The Apostle James, son of Zebedee"
from this Bible Path article.
There is a church in Spain where the Apostle James' is believed to be buried.
Today is the day the church celebrates James the Apostle. The liturgy for the day begins with this collect:
"O gracious God, we remember before you today your servant and apostle James, first among the Twelve to suffer martyrdom for the Name of Jesus Christ; and we pray that you will pour out upon the leaders of your Church that spirit of self-denying service by which alone they may have true authority among your people; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen."************
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
