The Servant Who Suffered

Lead In

Goal: to understand that being able to see an example is better than something being read or explained

Set up: You will need some sort of building material. Legos will work, but if that’s not available you can use modeling clay, play-doh, or even paper and tape. You’ll need to make a “Template” that your students will create copies of. Before your meeting, build a small structure. What you build doesn’t matter, just make it something that would be moderately difficult to recreate. While you’re building it, create instructions on how you did it. Arrange to have your structure hidden out of site, preferably in another room.

First divide the students into three groups. Explain that they will have to recreate the structure that you’ve created. Now, keep in mind that the model will be in another room. The goal is to be as accurate as possible in the reproduction. The twist is that each group will be presented with a different way to figure out what to build.

will be given the detailed instructions, and will need to build it from those instructions only.

will have one person who will be allowed to see the model and come back to describe it. They can come and go as many times as they need to get a good description, but they cannot do anything other than describe it to the group.

can have their whole group go see the model and then come back and build it. They can all come and go to see the model as many times as necessary.

they get 5 mins. and can not cheat off any other group.

Once time is up, bring them together with their creations. Bring the original model and compare it to what the groups created. Ask the following questions:

was it easy or hard to build using the method given? why do you think it was that way?

which way do you think would be the easiest? Why?

Would you rather have someone give you written instructions, explain it to you, or show you how?

Finally,

it was much easier to see what you were supposed to do, rather than just having to read it or have it explained to you. When we talk about being a servant, this should not be something you just read about in the Bible or have explained to you in a lesson. I want you to realize that Jesus modeled it to us. He gave us the perfect example of what it means to be a servant.

The Main Event

Goal: Students will learn that Jesus was the ultimate example for us to follow when we serve others.

Set Up: Provide a dry-erase board or some other means to record students’ responses on.

First, have you students think for a minute what it would be like to be in charge of the whole world. They can be king, queen, president, grand pooh bah, whatever, but they are ruling everything. ASK:

Describe your ideal kingdom.

How do you rule over the world? Are you a good ruler or a bad ruler?

How does it feel to have this much power?

Then have the students find

Philippians 2:5–8 ESV

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Did you catch that? Our attitude should be the same as JESUS!! Why is this remarkable? What did Jesus Give up?

His life

What did Jesus become?

Though He was fully God, he was also fully human; a servant; a sacrifice on a cross

Why did He do it?

To save His children, us, from the separation sin causes between God and us.

Jesus gave up everything for us. To die for us. That was God’s plan all along. God had this in mind all the way back when Adam and Eve sinned. God even told how Jesus would die.

Isaiah 53:3–5 ESV

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

Write down the words of suffering as someone reads the passage: despised, rejected, sorrows, suffering, despised, infirmities, sorrows, stricken, smitten, afflicted, pierced, crushed, punished, wounds.

Look at the difference

Jesus gave up His life, and went through all you see here on this list. He suffered and died, for us. When you see all that Jesus gave up to serve us, how does that make you feel?

Can anything we have to give up to serve others compare to what Jesus gave up for us?

NO!!!!

Then why do we often resist giving of ourselves to serve others?

How should we respond?

John 13 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. I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night. When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.

Look at In this passage we have Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. This passage may or may not be familiar to you. Jesus does something shocking here in order to show the disciples what it really means to serve others. Jesus and the disciples were getting ready to eat the Passover meal right before Jesus’ death. This would be the last time they would be together before He died on the cross. This would be both a dark and profound time.

Why do you think they needed their feet washed?

They wore sandals, they walked all day, the streets were dirty and would have had places where animal poop was.

How many people do you think would want that job?

NO ONE!!! The job of washing feet was supposed to go to a low-ranking service. It was an unpleasant, but necessary, job for the time.

Of all the people in the room, Jesus was the one person who shouldn’t have had to wash feet. Why did He do it?

To show us an example; because He loved His disciples; He humbled Himself

Why does Jesus want us to follow His example in serving one another?

Because He loves others and wants us to show love to them as well; He wants us to be like Him in giving up everything to serve.

Jesus commands us to wash one another’s feet. We don’t live in a culture or time where our feet need washing. So, what does this mean for us in the 21st century? What are some things similar to washing one another’s feet?

answers should be themed on humbling ourselves and taking care of needs even though they may be unpleasant

Jesus did something that would be shocking and scandalous. Imagine a famous celebrity or favorite sports star coming to you house to clean your toilets and take out your garbage. What Jesus did is even crazier than that. Yet that is the example that Jesus wants us to follow.

John 15:12–13 ESV

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Remember this is at the Last Supper, and Jesus is giving His disciples a final bit of wisdom.

How does Jesus want us to love one another?

As He loved us.

Jesus commands us to lay down our lives. Does He really want us to die for our friends?

Not a literal death

What does it mean to lay down our lives for our friends if not to die?

It means to put other’s needs first, to be willing to sacrifice for them.

Why is there “no greater love than this?”

Love is about sacrifice, not about what we can get.

Romans 12:1 ESV

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Paul uses an interesting term - living sacrifice. Paul is encouraging us to live our lives in worship.

Why is this an act of worship? Well, we are living our lives as examples of Jesus. We are showing love to God by showing love to others. Jesus wants us to love others by giving up or ourselves. In the story of washing the disciples’ feet, Jesus did not demand the service that He deserved. Instead, He gave to others what they should have been doing for Him. Why? Because He loved them. We need to love others the same way. Jesus does not want us to love others theoretically. He wants us to love others by serving them. He gave us an amazing example of what it means to really give up everything because of love. We need to follow that example.