A Servant Is Not Greater Than His Master

Luke 22:19- And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26- For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

So it is with foot-washing in John

Verses 14-15

Three objections

This was a cultural action to be taken by the 12

This was a separate event from the Last Supper

It is not present in 1 Corinthians 11

Best and most reflective

It is true that we cannot become dogmatic about this

However, we can confidently say that

The heart of Jesus as His hour has come

The hour has come

Chapters 12 and 13 are each significant transition passages in their own right

In chapter 12, Jesus set His face toward Jerusalem in a final turn

Up until this point in the book, He has constantly asserted that His time has not yet come, but here we witness a clear shift as John tells us that Jesus’ time has come and he knows it

John helpfully gives us a look into Jesus’ heart and mind

Love

Everything that He has done to this point has been out of love

Everything that is about to follow will be flowing from His great love

John is not content to simply see the external actions of Jesus

He wants to make sure that we know exactly what is happening in Jesus’ heart

Confidence

He knows that all things have been given into His hands

He knows that He is going to return to His glorified position in heaven with the Father

Hebrews 12:1-2- Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

He won’t simply return to the Father

He will do it in the infinite joy of knowing that He has paid the price to redeem His people

Purpose

He has come to this hour for a purpose, and what He is about to do will foreshadow what is going to take place

He is going to redeem a people unto Himself

This is for the praise of His glorious grace forever

Ephesians 1:11-14- In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

The example of Jesus

The Master has washed feet

He has humbled Himself to serve, not to be served

There is no other religion in the world that has anything like this

They all teach of a God who you must serve and do good deeds to please and gain favor

Jesus came to us to be our servant to do what we could not do

The symbolic meaning

What does the washing of feet symbolize?

Often times we think mainly of the humility and servant’s heart of Jesus

However, the humility of Jesus is a secondary point

The main point is that Christ’s sacrificial service for His people will cleanse them of sin

A confusing verse

Verse 10 can be confusing for any reader

Verses 7-8 are clearly pointing to the atoning work of Christ to cleanse His people

But then verse 10 comes and the phrase “except his feet” is difficult and confusing

Some argue that it is not original because a few manuscripts exclude it, and therefore the problem is solved

The problem is that the overwhelming evidence points to this phrase being original

Much more likely that He has made a shift

Peter’s comment seems to have caused Him to change the focus of the image

He is now saying that they are clean because they have been washed, but need ongoing forgiveness in the Christian life

He makes this same shift in 1 John

1 John 7-9- But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Wash one another’s feet

He does not only do this for the symbolic meaning

He also does it to set an example

Those who are Jesus’ disciples are expected to live in accord with His ways

If He has served them in this way, then how could they claim to be above humble servanthood?

Matthew 16:24- Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

What it means for us

We ought to be reminded of the beauty of the loving work of Christ

The beauty of Christ ought to captivate our hearts

The love of Christ ought to compel us to ever-increasing love for Him

May we never be content to live without a red-hot love for Jesus

Revelation 2:1-4- To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.

We ought to call sinners to come to our beautiful Servant King

If He is so beautiful and loving and glorious, then how could we keep quiet?

Love for Jesus pours out into love for others

Love for others always cares for their eternal good

Care for their eternal good means caring that they hear the Good News of Christ

We ought to go and do likewise

May we never begin to think that we are above serving one another

Sometimes that means that we must do some things that we don’t particularly enjoy or love

If Jesus humbly served in the greatest way, then it reveals the pride of our hearts when we are not willing to serve one another in love

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