Following His Example

Who is the best kind of teacher?

What is the job of a teacher? Or how would you define a teacher?

Who is the best kind of teacher to you today or in the past? And why?

Jesus entire ministry had been a lesson, an example to His apostles and to His disciples.

So tonight, Lord willing we will look at these last few verses of this section, do a summary of this entire section and prep for the next part of the last night of Jesus earthly life.

Do you understand; the passage

Turn in, turn to and let’s expound together

John 13:12 NASB95

12 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?

John 13:13–14 NASB95

13 “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. 14 “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.

John 13:15–16 NASB95

15 “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. 16 “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.

John 13:17 NASB95

17 “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

Is the question (v.12) a rhetorical question? And how do you know?

What are Jesus instructions in this passage, are they literal or figurative?

What are the results if your do them, and where did you find the answer?

Do you know?

Do you know? Have you not heard, have you not read? that is a thing we have read a time or two before in the scripture isn’t it?

Jesus in this teaching is not leaving anything to chance. He wants to make sure the apostles get it.

Remember its the last 24 hours of His earthly life. He chooses it with His closest friends those who will be carrying the message and He has much for them to learn.

He wants to draw their attention to what He has just done. He had said nothing. He just got up and did something. Now he is going to explain.

The washing of feet meant something. He was not going to leave that up to them to figure it out.

You call Me, Teacher, Lord

They had no other master, no other teacher.

They address Him one way then, another way after resurrection

He is their master, their teacher now

He is their Messiah, their Redeemer afterwards

If I as Lord and Teacher do this, You also ought to

Jesus, the Lord (master), the teacher, the humble one is commanding them to be humble to love, to serve one another, quietly in sacrificial love for one another. So their attitude should be marked in humility by their actions.

We should be marked in humility by our actions more than any words for Jesus spoke no words at all in this passage, but His actions spoke volumes.

Spurgeon: “If there be any deed of kindness or love that we can do for the very meanest and most obscure of God’s people, we ought to be willing to do it —to be servants to God’s servants.”

On what some groups call “Maundy Thursday” they do a ceremonial footwashing that is just that a ceremony that is not in the spirit of what Christ was doing here. They do it as a theatrical event, something to check off as they did it.Christ did it to teach something, as an example of humble, sacrificial service.

Easy to wash Jesus feet

Maybe to wash the apostles feet, we know who they were

Maybe your family

Maybe a friend, a neighbor

What about a homeless person

It has nothing to do with foot washing it has to do with serving someone who needs selfless serving of some sort.

Don’t criticize dirty feet be willing to help wash away the grime on them. We all can have stink and grime on them at times. The stink of the world, the grime of sin and someone led us to know the cleansing grace of Jesus Christ through faith and having our sins washed away.

If you know, follow

Nuts and the bolts of it. It fits together. It gets into action, follow the example given. Humble service.

John 13:15–16 ESV

15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 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.

John 13:17 ESV

17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Jesus was more than an example. He was “the” example, a living example to them.

Example to them in attitude and in action

McClaren said “There are too many of us who profess to be quite willing to trust Jesus Christ as the Cleanser of our souls who are not nearly so willing to accept His example as the pattern for our lives.” (Ouch)

Jesus then brings to the point that He is not greater than the Father and they are not greater than He for He is sending them out. Though they did not fully get it yet.

There is a true sense of humility of both Jesus and reminding them to be humble also.

For the last verse comes into place now

John 13:17 M:BCL

17 If you understand what I’m telling you, act like it—and live a blessed life.

I don’t think any further comments need to be made on this.

I wanted to take a little bit tonight a done a topical summary of this passage from 13:1-17 as we wrap it up.

It’s the last night, less then 12 hours from the cross, gathered in the upper room having the last meal.

He Got up from rest/comfort

Laid aside his glory/heavenly covering

Took a towel/ready to work/serve

Poured water/ready to cleanse with His very blood

Gave an teaching through example with explanation

All about a love lesson

Freedom to love

All the world needs now is love - right? Has not changed, but the reality is God is love and the church is Gods vehicle for love

Jesus knew where He came from (v.3) and where He was going.

He knows that with you too, you past, your sins, your flaws, your failures, and your future, where you are going.

It takes faith for the past, hope for the future and love for the present to carry us through, that is why Jesus says love one another and do this for one another, we have freedom to love.

The cost of love

Put yourself at that dinner table in first century, look around the room, now take a deep breath, what do you smell, the food, and what else? Stinky feet.

Jesus got up, took the lowest position and dawned a towel and washed the feet of the disciples. So if you are going to be servant, be willing to be interrupted. Not just interrupted but to be involved in something that will need to be intentional too. Jesus said nothing remember, He just got up and did it.

I can talk dirt or be a part of cleaning up the dirt, I must chose, judge or be a part of the solution. Jesus chose the later not the former. He didn’t talk about it, He did something about it.

The model for love

Jesus act was unannounced there was no play by play. no photo opp’s. no stop and take notes. no quiz afterwards. Just a question which was a rhetorical question anyways for he was going to explain to them for He did not want to leave anything to chance.

People are not the easiest to serve, they were not either.

Simon the Zealot: Political instigator

Nathanael: The skeptic

Thomas: The doubter

Judas: The Betrayer

Peter: The denier

So the people we may deal with may not be very easy either or come at very convenient times either.

Remember what it says

Rom5:6 “6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”

Christ set the model for love, so we may love too

The difficulties with love

Even went to help someone, then they told you you were doing it wrong?

Peter did that with Jesus (v.9)

I have to be honest with you there are times when pride may keep people from asking for any help and then there are times when there is over dependence when people rely too much on all help and lay too much demands on the people.

The difficulties with love is man, we forget that we are to come to the Lord and not to man. Man will let us down and the Lord will now.

Mt11:28-30 “28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.””

Practically: We don’t live in the same time, culture and road conditions they did. We, for the most part have paved roads, better means of transportation, and don’t wear sandals so don’t have dirty stinky feet, per se. But, having said that there could be time we could help by washing someones dishes, clothes, windows, car etc. to help them in humble service.

I read about basin theology

Pontius Pilot washed his hands of everything (Mt27:24)

Jesus washed everyone else (Jn13:5)

Jesus in the midst of everything going on in His own life took His eyes off himself and put them on everyone else around Him.

Theologically: Positionally we are to become, and to be the righteouness of God (2Cor5:21).

We still fall short, We still need cleansing of the filth of the day in this world. Not a total cleansing of sin; that was taken care of on the cross but the sin as noted in

1Jn1:9 “9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Sin of unrighteousness that happens on a daily basis. We live in a world, in time, in a place that we need continual confession in order to appropriate all the blessings God has for us beyond our salvation.

See Jesus example and the command is much more than feet washing, and we should follow His example, obey His command given to His apostles recorded for us to know, understand and apply today.

Jn14:15 “15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

(Prayer)