THE SERVANT HEART OF CHRIST

JOHN 13:1-17

We are in this study about the heart of God.

THE GOAL OF THIS STUDY:

1. TO EXPERIENCE HIS PRESENCE MORE RICHLY

2. TO SEE WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST MORE TRULY

3. TO BE MORE OBEDIENT TO HIS CALLS AND COMMANDS

4. TO RESTORE PROPER FEAR OF THE LORD IN OUR LIVES

I believe that these things are possible if we break down those natural assumptions of who we think He is and see Him for who His Word says He is.

We talked about how the heart in scripture rarely meant physical heart but talking the spiritual heart.

“Its the motivation center from which decisions are made.”

So, as we are leading up towards Easter, we are specifically looking deeper into the heart of Christ. What motivated Him while He was on this Earth. Why He did the things that He did. Why He said what He said. We can see the heart of Christ through His actions and the way He treated people.

We have talked about these topics

THE HEART OF CHRIST IS GENTLE AND LOWLY.

How He is not quick to anger and is one of the most approachable people ever!

THE COMPASSIONATE HEART OF CHRIST.

How we see over and over again how Jesus moves towards sinner and sufferer throughout His ministry. And that hasn’t changed! The compassionate heart of Christ draws near to those we would avoid.

THE HEART OF CHRIST PASSIONATELY OPPOSES SIN.

His heart drives out sin removing any barriers that keep God’s children from coming to Him. How His mission was to remove sin from our lives and allow us into the presence of God. To clear a path to the Father for us.

Last week,

THE SYMPATHETIC HEART OF CHRIST.

We looked at the sympathetic heart of our great high priest that was once a human and tempted in every way yet without sin. Because He knows what its like to be human, He is able to sympathize or empathize with the weaknesses that you and I experience. With all of our weaknesses and inabilities.

This Sunday is Palm Sunday and is the start of the Holy Week, the Passion Week. The reminder of the final week of Christ Earthly ministry before His death, burial and resurrection.

The kids in Kid’s church love Palm Sunday and celebrating it! We are in the middle of our study on the heart of Christ and I want to look at one more example of the heart of Christ being shown in His final week. If you knew you only had one more week, what would you do? The important things. The things that really mattered. The big picture things. We already looked at during this week, He cleansed the temple and pushed away all of the hindrances for the people of God to come commune with their heavenly Father.

This week we are going to look at the servant heart of Jesus.

THE SERVANT HEART OF CHRIST.

I’m not sure if you are doing this now, but during this study and preparation for this study, I have started to read the gospel accounts differently. Its a different perspective to read the Gospels and try to search for the heart or motives of Christ.

Reading them to try to see Him for who He is showing Himself to be. Its changed how I read scripture now. Its helping me see Christ more clearly!

So, as I read through this, try to find the heart of Christ. or the mindset of Christ. Why is He doing what He does in this passage?

John 13:1–17 ESV

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had 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 back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, 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 also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

This is the great example of Christ of being a servant to all. But the question is what is the heart of a servant focused on? If we are to follow His example of being this kind of servant, what is the heart of Christ motivated by or focus on? So that, we can have the same servant heart of Christ.

An interesting point about this story and example of Jesus serving others is that its different then most other examples.

Throughout the gospels and in previous messages, we have talked about the compassionate heart of Christ that moves towards sinners and those who are suffering. His compassionate heart moved towards them to heal and redeem them in their current state. We talked about how compassion moved Him to do so much of what He did.

But this example stands out as different. Here, we don’t have people suffering with physical ailments or living in deep sin. Here, the action that Jesus takes is not healing or redeeming, but simply washing dirt off of the disciple's feet.

But this simple act was more about the symbolism of the act then the physical washing of feet. This action was scandalous. Never is Jewish, Greek, or Roman culture was in appropriate for a superior to wash the feet of the subordinate. This example of Christ to so much more about the symbolism than the action. Its so much more about the position of the person’s heart than the action itself.

There can be no question as to the point of the example though. He clearly says that we are supposed to follow His example of living the life of a servant to others.

And I think that verse 1-3 describe what was on Jesus’ heart and mind before He washed their feet.

John 13:1–3 ESV

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had 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 back to God,

I believe there is 3 things, 3 mindset, 3 motives coming from the heart of Christ to show the servant heart of Christ. These are for us to learn and apply to our lives.

AN ETERNAL MINDSET

Four times in these 3 verses, it describes the mind of Christ being drawn to His heavenly Father. As His final days approached, His mind of thinking about His Father, He was thinking about the eternal weight of the days to come and He acted out of those thoughts.

1. Jesus first thought about how His time to depart was coming soon. How He only had a little time left with His disciples and He still had more to teach them.

2. He also thought about how all that He had had been given to Him from His Father. He looked around at His life and ministry and knew that God had blessed Him with all that He had and all that He had accomplished. He was acknowledging that He was fulfilling what His Father had commanded. That He had not left anything incomplete or unaccomplished. He only had a little bit of time left.

3. He was also acknowledging that He had come from God. That God placed Him them to do all that He had done. That the Father had sent Him to teach, instruct, heal, love and eventually redeem the world. He was reminding Himself that God had brought Him to the exact moment and location for this exact moment. It was not an accident that He was here.

4. He was also remembering that He was about to back to His Father. He knew His destination. He knew that His eternity was secure. He knew that there was a throne that only He could sit in and a scroll that only He could take.

His heart and mind was set on an eternal perspective.

In our lives as we pursue to live a life of being a servant to others like Christ example. We too, must set our minds on these eternal truths and perspectives.

That our days are numbered on this Earth. We do not know how long we have with our friends and family. The suffering and deaths this week should be a stanch reminder of this truth. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. We will never know when our Lord will call us home. So, live today as if our days are numbered. Love deeply, mend relationships, pursue peace, teach others what you know, serve others as often as you can.

Also, remember that all good things are a gift from our heavenly Father above. You did not provide it, your Provider did. You did not accumulate your wealth, the Lord did. All that you have is a gift from the Father. We should live and serve with open hands not closed fist. Serve other without holding on to your possessions.

Also, fix your mind on the truth that God has brought you to this exact moment and place in your life. Its not an accident that you are here. He has brought you here on purpose, for a purpose. Keep your mind fixed on this truth that maybe you are here to serve others like Christ served His disciples.

Also, fix your mind on the truth that we are destined for eternity with our heavenly Father. We are not of this world anymore. We are just passing through. And so much of what we cling to on this Earth and in this life have absolutely no eternal value. Francis Chan says “congratulations that you have taken this many vacations this year, but how many disciples have you made?”

A heart set on eternity will change how you life this life. It will change how you serve others. It will change how you spend your money. It will change your priorities. It will shift how you do things. It will shift who you are obedient to.

Jesus shows us that a life set on eternity will look and act differently than culture would. Like Christ here, our actions should shock society by their humility and radical generosity and hospitality.

Its clear from this passage that Jesus desires us to follow His example in fixing out minds and hearts on eternity.

HIS STEADFAST LOVE

John 13:1 (ESV)

having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

What a beautiful thing to here the heart of Jesus say. He loved them until the end.

Greek text is eis telos, meaning, literally, that He loved them to perfection. He loved them to the uttermost. He loved them with total fullness of love.

Another phrase that you hear to describe that is the His steadfast love endured forever.

If you need proof of that, read Psalm chapter 136 that says that phrase 26 times.

His love is perfect and to the uttermost. Its the fullest thing you can experience.

His love is not dependent on the receiver but because of who the giver is! God IS love! Its His nature to love without question or qualification.

And His love, this kind of love is steadfast and without end.

Its a truth that you can count on in your lowest moments. Its a foundational truth in your life that can be without question. And here at the end of Jesus’ Earthly ministry, in His final week, His heart was full of the everlasting, steadfast love for His disciples. And He wanted to show them an example of it.

So, He washed their feet.

Oh, that we humans could lean further into this love to better understand the depth of His love for us but also to better show love towards others. Christ’s example of being motivated by His love here can stand as an example to us.

May we better follow and adhere to the second greatest commandment to love other as ourselves. So, that they will see our love for one another and know that we follow Jesus!

Because John 15:13

John 15:13 ESV

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Pause.

But some people are hard to love! Some people try to hurt us. Some people are opposed to us. Some people have or will betray us.

You are right.

And this passage does not say that He loved and washed the feet of only those good disciples. He knew that the devil had already put it into Judas’ heart to betray Him. But that DID NOT stop Jesus from serving and washing Judas’ feet.

Why?

Because to set your mind on eternity, to love with the love of Christ, to serve others like Christ served His disciples here, has absolutely nothing to do with that person.

It has absolutely nothing to do with weather that person is a good person or deserves it. Weather that person think of them self as better or smarter than you. It has nothing to do with that person.

It has everything to do with being obedient to the command of Christ.

JESUS’ HUMBLE OBEDIENCE

We know that Jesus could do not do anything or say anything unless the Father told Him to. So, Jesus was being obedient to God in this story.

Jesus humbled Himself. He took off His outer garment and kneeled before those who would betray Him, those who would flee from Him, those who would doubt Him and those who would deny Him. And Jesus, as their superior, broke all traditions and social norms, and washed the dirt and crud off of their feet. A task deemed only for servants.

Jesus did not let go of who He was. He did not deny Himself as the Teacher or Lord. But as the Lord and Teacher, He humbled Himself and served those who followed Him.

The heart of Jesus was to be humbly obedient to His Father no matter the cost.

And when you have an eternal mindset and steadfast love, it helps with this part of humbly serving those that are hard to love and might not return the favor.

But our devotion to obedience to God and following the example of Christ should humble us.

Because, John 13:16

John 13:16 ESV

Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

Because who do we think that we are, better than Jesus?

Peter may have been remembering this example of Christ when he wrote 1 Peter 5:5-6

1 Peter 5:5–6 ESV

Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

Jesus’ example here to serve others even those who have or are going to hurt us. Jesus’ example is that we serve without caring how we look. That we should humbly obey the commands of our Father.

John gives us a peak into heart and mind of our Jesus.

May we remember that we are not guaranteed tomorrow, that all that we have is from the Father, that we are here on purpose, for a purpose, that we are not of this world and we can not bring anything with us.

May we learn to love others deeply with a steadfast love. That we would be willing to lay down our lives for another.

May we pray for and look for opportunities to be obedient to Jesus’ example of humble obedience to our heavenly Father.