One of the most striking pictures in the New Testament is found in John chapter 13. The setting is an upper room. Jesus has gathered with his disciples to eat the Passover meal. We know this particular event as the last supper.
In verse four Jesus does something truly amazing. The Bible says,
“he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
Living in a dry, arid culture with your main means of transportation as walking, you feet would get quite dirty. It was customary when you when you came into the house that the host would provide you with water and a towel so you could wash your feet. If the home owner was a person of means and had household help, the servants would wash your feet for you.
Jesus shatters their expectations, when he gets up from the table and with water and a towel begins to wash his disciples feet. Their immediate reaction was “no…Jesus can’t wash our feet. He is our rabbi and our master.” Why would he stoop so low as to wash our feet. That’s a servant’s job.
As one of Jesus’ final acts before being betrayed and crucified, he gave his disciples an object lesson. This is what the kingdom of God is all about. It’s about serving others with the love of Christ.
Ministry is not about titles, positions, and business cards. The ministry God is calling all of us to is about a towel and a water basin. It’s about humbling ourselves to serve one another.
Jesus said in Mark 10:45 - “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Did you know that the word “servant” in one form or another is used over 1,000 times in the Bible? That means it’s a very big deal to God and should be to us as well. In Numbers 12:7, God refers to Moses with these words: “My servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house.” Abraham, David and Job are called “my servant” by God. When Paul, James, Peter and Jude introduced themselves in their letters, the first thing they did was to identify themselves as servants.
A servant is a person who meets the needs of others. A servant is an individual who puts themselves under submission to another. A servant is different from a slave in that a servant’s loyalty to one’s master is voluntary, but a slave’s is not. Every slave is a servant, but not every servant is a slave.
In Christianity, we are called first to submit to God, then to one another.
In the beginning of our day we should not only seek to set our minds on the Lord with scripture reading and prayer, we should also present ourselves to the Lord for His service. A simple prayer would be, “Lord, show me how I can serve You today.”
So, what are the characteristics of a servant’s heart. Here are a few things that come to mind:
sensitivity to the holy Spirit…you hear his voice and you see a need
Eager to help
You don’t need recognition
Willing to go the extra mile
Serving gives you joy
You do it for the glory and honor of Jesus
Today’s Challenge: Choose to be a servant by surrendering to Jesus. The first place to start is by making sure that you have surrendered to the Savior by being saved. After you surrender, you will want to serve Him, not because you have to, but because you get to.
