Jesus did what???!!!!

One of the most amazing stories about Jesus is found in John 13 and it is the story of Jesus washing the disciple’s feet.  Here He is about to walk to the cross in a few hours and one of the last things He does before He goes is serve His own followers.  Washing the feet of those entering a home was the job of the lowest servant but here there was no lowest servant only Jesus and His 12 guys.  As they sat there I wonder what they were thinking concerning someone washing their feet…Obviously none of them wanted to do the job so they all decided it would be ok the way it was…Maybe they felt too important to perform such a lowly job…In one of the gospels it says they were arguing over who among them was the greatest.  Do you think that may have started over who would wash the feet?  “It won’t be me”, says Peter, “I walk on water.”  “It won’t be me”, John says, “He really loves me the most!”  On and on it goes, bickering over who among them is the greatest…and Jesus is sitting in their midst…the One who is truly great and He gets up.

I bet they began to ask each other, “What is He doing?”  What is He going to do with that water and the towels?”  “Oh, man He is not going to do what I think He is going to do is He?”  “Never”, says Peter,” You will never wash my feet!”  “Well then you are out.”  “Out! What do you mean out? I walked on water with you!”  “Unless I wash you, you will have not part with me.”  “ Then, Lord, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well.”  “Just your feet, Peter, just your feet.”  Then He proceeds to wash all of their feet and He says this, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”

I hear people say all of the time, in fact in our movement this is one of our main themes, “We want to do the works Jesus did.”  Well I want to heal the sick also…I want the oppressed to be set free, too…I want the lame to walk and the blind to see, just like Jesus did!  But do I want to wash people’s feet?  Do I really want to be a servant?  To do the menial tasks that needs to be done to serve the larger body?  Can I go out into my community and ask, “How can I serve you?”  over “what are you doing for me?”  Rather than demanding my rights would I stand up for the rights of others?  So I am thinking if I want to do the stuff of the kingdom I need to make sure I am doing the same stuff Jesus did and He said he did not come to be served but to serve… In the Church there is this kind of attitude of being a consumer and so we look at the Bible like a menu to choose stuff out of.  So we look and say, “I want some of this and some of that, but don’t bring me any of that there stuff.” What do you mean I have to die to myself; I have needs to be met, too.  You want me to serve in the children’s area…are you kidding…get someone else to do that. I am too important to be doing that! (Now we would never say that out loud but….) Set up chairs on a Saturday…it’s my day off and my family needs me…let someone else set up chairs… well you get the point.  

I am not a bible college or seminary trained pastor…Barb and I have been trained by serving in the body of Christ in whatever area we were needed.  I have driven a church bus, taught Sunday school, worked in the nursery, led youth groups, cleaned toilets, set up chairs, counseled,(not so good at that one), led worship, led home groups, at one point in a church plant I even did the finances of the church. (that was scary)  The point is not that we are so great, but we always had this in our hearts to serve God wherever the need was, even if no one would ever know what we were doing…we were called to serve…Him and His Church…we did not know there was another option of just going to church.  And even if we had known it, that never was attractive to us.  And let me add this, it never was from a mindset of we had to in order for God to be pleased with us…it was we get to because He so loved us He invited us to participate in His stuff.   I will admit be the first to admit you won’t find setting up chairs in the Bible or working in the nursery  as a spiritual task to be done other than if you consider serving your friends as a biblical model.  Just this week I met a single mom who was really struggling with some big issues and I am glad someone set up chairs so she would have a place to sit when she got there.  I am glad someone was there to open the door for her as she came into the building.  I am glad someone was there with a smile and a warm greeting to hand her a bulletin as she came in to find a seat. I am glad someone was there to help her find a seat. I am glad that someone was praying for her even before the service began. 

I am glad to be surrounded by a group of people who understand serving is important and preferring others more than yourself is not just a good idea it is a way to live.  I am glad to know the words and works and Jesus are being taken seriously.  

Told you I was just a regular guy, didn’t I?

Bill