Salt and Light #2

Salt and Light

Week 2: Why Should I Care About Others?

Scriptures: John 13:1-5, John 13:12-15

Bottom Line: We serve because Jesus has served us.

Serve.

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear this word?

Allow a few minutes for discussion.

Do you automatically picture a waitress or a waiter coming to your table with a note pad and a pen asking, “What would you like to order?”

Or do you see a man or a woman in military attire saluting a general and promising to serve his/her country?

Serve.

Welcome to week two in our salt and light series! Today we will talk about how serving others is a perfect demonstration of our love for them and for God. To serve someone is not a negative thing; it is a Jesus thing. No one has ever demonstrated servanthood better than Jesus. Let’s look at a powerful moment Jesus had with His disciples right before He was crucified on the cross.

John 13:1-5

It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power and that He had come from God and was returning to God; so He got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.

Serve.

This is what Jesus not only taught his disciples to do, but also demonstrated by His actions.

Jesus knew that the hour had come for Him to be illegally arrested, brutally beaten, and wrongfully accused for a crime He did not commit. He knew this and although His heart was heavy with fear, He still took a moment to humble Himself and serve His disciples by washing their feet.

Now it’s one thing to wash the feet of the disciples that stuck by His side and supported Him in everything He did, but when it came to Judas, now that’s a different story. Judas had already planned in his heart to give Jesus up for a few pieces of silver. He betrayed the Lord in the worst way.

How do you respond to people who you know don’t like you? How do you treat people who talk about you or make fun of the way you look, the clothes you wear, or maybe the car your family drives?

Can you still be kind to them? Can you still love them? Can you serve them?

Serving others is a humbling experience that makes you forget about yourself and concentrate on someone else.

Have you ever heard the cliché, that ‘Talk is cheap?’ Well, it basically means that talking about something is empty until you back up your words with actions.

You can tell someone that you care about them all day long but at the end of the day, your actions will tell the real truth. How do you treat them? Are you genuinely concerned about what happens in their lives? Do you check on them periodically just to see how they are doing? If they need something and you have it, will you give it to them? Do you REALLY care about them, or do you just say empty words?

Jesus wants us to love and care about others with our actions. He wants us to be the salt and light that this world desperately needs, and He wants us to serve others just as He has served us.

John 13:12-15

When He had finished washing their feet, He put on His clothes and returned to His place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” He asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

“Do as I have done for you.” Let’s say that again, “Do as I have done for you!”

Wow, what a powerful command.

Can you imagine what this world would look like if everyone followed this one command? Do as I have done for you! What do you think would happen if we…

Loved like Jesus loves?Cared like Jesus cares?Gave like Jesus gives?Sacrificed like Jesus sacrificed (His life)?Healed like Jesus heals?Restored like Jesus restores?Served like Jesus serves?

What a wonderful world this would be!

You may not have the power or the ability to change the entire world, but you can definitely change and impact YOUR world by being salt and light. Your world starts in your home with your family. Then it spreads to your friends, classmates and even teachers at your school. Your world also consists of the people in your neighborhood and your church.

The salt of your lifestyle should add flavor (excitement, happiness, joy, and peace) to everyone you come in contact with, and your light should shine bright enough for people to see Jesus in you.

Small Group Questions

Do you care about the people in your life?How do you show them that you care?Do you serve the people in your life?How do you serve them?How do you serve God?Why did Jesus wash His disciple’s feet?Why did He wash Judas’ feet even though He knew Judas would betray Him?Can you serve or help someone who you know does not like you?What did Jesus mean when He said, “Do as I have done for you?”