⏱ 11 min read

• From this beautiful adventure into the life and ministry of Jesus, you get to understand some things that were top priorities on the Lord’s heart.
• Today we share one of these; an issue the disciples seemed to struggle with and one we are struggling with also. Let’s dig in:

Jesus knew that the Father had given Him authority over everything and that He had come from God and would return to God. So He got up from the table, took off His robe, wrapped a towel around His waist, and poured water into a basin. Then He began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel He had around him (John 13:3-5).

• After the Passover supper, Jesus began to wash the feet of His disciples.
• I believe the reason He did this was because the disciples had still been arguing about who would be the greatest after He was gone (Luke 22:24).
• Now Jesus had rebuked this kind of ‘greatness’ thinking on several occasions:

Once He set a little child in their midst and taught them that they had to be like children to enter the Kingdom and be great in it (The Humble Little Child).

Other times He took time to explain to them why they should not lord their leadership over others (Power Corrupts!) – which is what the Pharisees were doing – but rather humble themselves and serve (Hypocrite Pharisee or Humble Servant). Jesus also taught that to be humble is to take a lowly position (Dinner Conversations).

• Now years had gone by, but He realised that the disciples had not yet learned the lessons on this point.
• He needed them to get rid of this passion for worldly honour, dignity, power and pride, which would have destroyed the foundation of the early church.
• So after talking about it, illustrating it, and explaining it, He now decided to demonstrate the practicality and importance of this point on humility.

The Bible says that He got up from His seat on the table (position of honour), took off His robe (which signified His title as a Rabbi), poured water into a basin (duties of a servant) and began to wash their feet (this was the job for lowest slaves; a job for the boys). Let’s consider a few thoughts on this:

Service is rooted in confidence:

Jesus knew that the Father had given Him authority over everything and that He had come from God and would return to God (v3).

1. Jesus knew who He was and what He had been given or what He had received. Could it be that we struggle with the practicality of humility because we do not know who we are in God? (Revelation 1:6) The position and authority we have in Him? (Ephesians 2:5-7) Perhaps also because we do not recognise the great gifts we have received from Him? (Ephesians 2:8-9).
2. Jesus knew where He had come from. Could it be that we struggle to humbly serve as God wants us to because we do not recognise where we were picked from and brought into His marvellous kingdom? Perhaps if we realised where grace picked us from, we’d easily humbly serve.

3. Jesus knew where He was going; He knew His future. Finally, could it be that our struggle to humble ourselves and serve as God wants us to is because we do not where we are going? Perhaps if we knew and believed in the future God had planned for us, we would more easily humbly serve.

• So on the topic of greatness in the kingdom, we have seen Jesus’ mind or how He thought about it (Philippians 2:5-8); we’ve seen what He said about it (in all the tagged posts above).
• And in John 13 we see what He did or one way He practically demonstrated that humility is a prerequisite for greatness in the kingdom.
• And the disciples were very confused that Jesus had taken the role of a low slave and was washing their feet. In fact, Peter initially said he would not allow Jesus to wash his feet (v6-8).

Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, 
“What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”
Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”

“What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” From this, we can appreciate that Jesus was demonstrating more than mere washing of feet [so Jesus is not teaching us to go around washing people’s feet].

• But the reason for this example was to emphasize the absolute necessity of getting rid of self-exaltation among Christians.
• Dear friend, we have to get rid of the spirit of wanting to lord it over all others, or else we cannot be saved and we will destroy ourselves.
• (You can check out the following references: Matthew 18:1-8, 23:8-12; Luke 14:7-11, 18:14; 1 Peter 5:1-8).

You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, 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 should do as I have done to you.

Jesus was teaching us, that if He, who is Lord and Teacher, could come down and wash feet, then we should be willing to do the lowest service for each other and prefer the least in honour to ourselves.

• Jesus wants His example to inspire in us self-denying acts of service and kindness to others.
• Can we aim and strive for this? To serve others in need and those who are least? If we’re being honest, it is a very difficult thing for us to do…
• Because in the world if you’re humble, it’s like you’re some low-grade fool that nobody wants to know or you’re just used; but it is very different in the kingdom.

Let’s end with why this job for the boys is very important in God’s kingdom. David said: “the meek will He guide in judgment, the meek will He teach His way.” (Psalm 25:9). The word meek also means humble.

He leads the humble in justice, And He teaches the humble His way (Psalm 25:9 AMP)

David defines humility in this Psalm. So when we say somebody is meek or humble, it means:
#1. He is somebody that God guides (“the meek will He guide in judgment…”).

• Judgment means decisions. So when we say someone is humble in the Kingdom, we are talking about somebody that God guides in his decisions and whatever he does.
• If you are a Christian, you must allow the Holy Spirit and the word of God to guide you… but I tell you, it is not easy to be guided by the Holy Spirit and by the Word of God.
• The reason is that, sometimes we feel we know better.

But until we can be guided by the Holy Spirit, we’re not meek or humble. This is why Jesus stresses this trait of humility. In our friendships, business, relationships etc, the Holy Spirit must guide us. The word of God must guide us (Deut 4:6).

• And the more we listen to the prompts of the Holy Spirit, the stronger His voice becomes.
• As we keep on yielding to it, we will move from yes/no, to hearing words, then to sentences, then to paragraphs, then to audio, then to videos…
• It gets stronger because God knows we are cooperating with Him. You will be seeing and you will be hearing in Jesus’ name!

Take Joseph, the father of Jesus (he must have had a lot of faith)... He found that that his beloved (Mary) was already pregnant and was thinking of calling of the wedding. Then he had a dream and God spoke to him...
You can have a dream, and you know God spoke to you, but you don't like the dream or what He's asking you to do. But when you respond to the dream and follow the instructions, that is when we say you are humble.

• #2. The meek will He teach His way.
• In life, by all means, you are going to live by a certain set of principles or rules. Whether you know it or not, we all live by some principles.
• At the end of the day you have to make a decision, what principles am I going to use or live by? Each one of us has to decide.

• In the scriptures, we have a set of principles that we can use to govern our lives. And those rules or principles, we must learn them. So He says, “the meek will He teach His way.”
• One reason why God selected Abraham was that He realised that Abraham would live by His principles (Gen 18:19). God said, “this guy, if I give Him my ways, He will live by it.“

Dear friend, God has His own ways, wisdom and methodology. But He will only teach the humble people because those are the ones who will submit and flow with His principles.

• For example: About how we make money or in our finances; God has His own way.
• The Bible believes in starting small and growing things. But you may believe in starting big and getting prosperous fast!
• In Genesis 26:12-14, you can see a progression: sowing, reaping, God’s blessing, prosperity, growing in prosperity and becoming very prosperous. It took time.

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants.

Similarly, there are principles of relationships and marriage. In Christ, we don’t marry someone because we’re in love. Love is important, but that is not the first or most important requirement.

The person must love the Lord: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength..." "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers..."
So you may be in love with someone - but if the person does not love the Lord and you're a Christian - based on these principles, it means you cannot marry the person.

• Dear friend, there are principles for getting anointed. For example, the anointing is only by the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38, Luke 4:18).
• You cannot bypass Him and use any other way to get anointed – not in God’s kingdom.
• And it is only by the Holy Spirit’s anointing that you can be great in God. I believe this is why Jesus is stressing that we take the job of the slaves / boys seriously.

Dear friend, let us humble ourselves and be available to offer the lowest of services to those in need and the least. God wants to lift us up, but the way up is down. Heyy… you’re blessed!

Can we take a moment to pray?
“Father, from today I take a decision to humble myself and serve as You would have me. I strip myself of any pride, status, title, and position, and I take on the form of a servant to serve in Your kingdom. As I humble myself, please guide me in my decisions and teach me Your ways. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!”