Servant Leadership

The Gospel of John was written many decades after the death of Christ to a blended audience of Jews and Greeks. The author wrote so that many would believe Jesus was the Christ and receive eternal life. The book of John gives great insight into the identity of Jesus as God’s Son through the exploration of seven “I AM” statements as well as common themes such as life and light.

- Jesus was aware that his time on earth was ending (v.1).

This is during the last week of Jesus’ life

Magnifies the events - This was what Jesus chose to do in the last week of his life

“He loved them to the very end” - Jesus was determined to love to the end of his life on earth.

- The Devil put betrayal into the heart of Judas (v.2).

Satan was working to stop what the mission of Christ.

He enticed Judas to betray Jesus

- Jesus was confident that: The Father had put all things in his hands (), and that he was the Son of God ().

In the midst of this, Jesus was confident. The text tell us two things Jesus was confident about:

“The Father had given everything into his hands” - confidence in His ability to accomplish the mission

- “He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.”

“That he had come from God, and that he was going back to God” - confidence in his identity as the Son of God

- “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”

- Jesus began to wash the disciple’s feet, but Peter protested (v.6).

During the meal Jesus got up and began washing the disciples feet.

This was common - even expected as a ritual cleansing.

When one came to a meal, he was to have his feet washed before the meal.

Feet washing was pretty dirty - They wore sandals so there was all kinds of dirt on their feet.

However, this was not something a Jew would do - because of how unclean it was. They would have a non-Jewish servant who would wash their feet.

Culturally - the inferior would always serve the superior. A master would NEVER clean the feet of his servant/slave

Jesus begins washing the disciples feet one at a time and he gets to Peter

PETER - “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” : Jesus, are you about to do this???

Jesus - “What I am doing you don’t realize now, but afterward you will understand.”

PETER - “You will never wash my feet.” : Bro, this aint about to happen.

Peter knows this is the Son of God - “You are the Christ!”

Jesus - “If I do not wash you, you have no part with me.”

PETER - “Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” : Yeah, let me get that full body wash.

Jesus - “One who has bathed doesn’t need to wash anything except his feet, but he is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you.”

- Jesus finished washing the disciple’s feet, and asks them – “Do you understand what I did for you?” (v. 12).

Do you understand what I just did for you??!?

John’s Gospel gives insight into seven statements Jesus makes about his identity:

The Bread of Life

The Light of the World

The Great I AM

The Good Shepherd

The Resurrection and the Life

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

The True Vine

HE JUST WASHED THE DITRY FEET OF HIS DISCIPLES

2 Beautiful Things about this:

Jesus transformed the cultural understanding of superiority

The superior washed the feet of the inferior.

The word Jesus used for “wash” can be used to refer to a physical washing or the spiritual cleaning of sin.

Foreshadowing the cleansing of sin he accomplishes on the cross

Cleaning of sin is necessary for fellowship with Jesus

Jesus’ cleansing of sin is final - there is no need for further cleansing

- Jesus, the Lord and Teacher, washed the disciple’s feet. How much more should the disciple’s then wash one another’s feet? (v. 13-14).

Jesus affirms he is both “Teacher” and “Lord”

The actions of Jesus should be magnified because of his identity.

If Jesus is the Son of God/ I AM STATEMENTS (CHECK) then how much more should a finite, sinful, follower of Jesus wash one another’s feet??

- Jesus gave the disciples an example for the purpose of repetition (v. 15).

Jesus does this in front of his disciples so that they have an example.

We can read about the life of Jesus so that we can act the same way.

- “Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly beloved children.”

- “A servant is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him” (v. 16).

Duhh...

Do you serve like Jesus??

Our Master - Jesus Christ - "assumed the form of a servant” (Ph. 2:7) - Have we done the same??

The identity and actions of Jesus redefine the identity and actions of his disciples

1. The Great ‘I AM’ taking the role of a humble servant means his followers take the role of humble servants.

This is not optional - “A servant is not greater than his master.”

2. Refusing to adopt the role of a humble servant communicates that you believe you are greater than Jesus.

This is a dangerous place to be in the Christian life - having an attitude of pride.

Plead with you - Do not pretend you are greater than Jesus by refusing to serve.

3. Christ-like service means washing Judas’s feet.

Jesus could have skipped Judas - But the text does not indicate that - he washed the disciples feet.

Can you imagine the Son of God washing the feet of the one who ultimately sells him our for 30 pieces of silver?

What does this mean for me?

MYTH --- “Judas was annoying/inconvenient”

Judas was a betrayer - one being used by Satan to oppose God’s mission

He wasn’t

The model for Christ-like service means that we serve not only those who annoy us but those who oppose us!

4. Jesus washed the disciple’s feet in victory, not defeat.

Jesus was not washing his disciples feet because of a hygiene issue - he knew death was coming, he knew that Satan was working and Judas would betray him --- And he washed his disciples feet.

Jesus washing feet in the midst of the most climactic week in world history was a sign of victory - Jesus knew all things were in his hands.

Satan persuaded Judas to betray Jesus which led him to be arrested and crucified.

Remember, Jesus had all things in his hands as the Son of God?

He rose in victory on the third day!

“Your death is hell’s defeat. A Cross meant to kill is my victory.”

Jesus could have skipped Judas - But the text does not indicate that - he washed the disciples feet.

Can you imagine the Son of God

Application

- Do you understand what Jesus did for you?

- He loved you to the very end – even to death on a cross.

- Have you experienced the cleaning of sin only found in Jesus?

- Recognize that Jesus gave an example we are to follow, not just learn about.

-Does your life look like Jesus’ life? — Are you growing more and more to look like him?

- Adopt the mindset of a humble servant, affirming that you are not greater than Jesus.

- Last, experience the blessing that comes from serving with Christ-like love – “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them” (v.17).

“When a disciple of Jesus serves others, he or she is not experiencing a demotion, but a promotion to the kind of life God offers his children”

(Edward Klink)

I want to challenge you

Specifically - SERVE NEXT WEEK

Experience the blessing of serving like Christ!

MY PRAYER FOR OUR NEW LOCATION - John 13:34-35

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