The Lord who serves

Matthew 20:28 - “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

When Jesus was washing his disciples’ feet in John 13. Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet!” (John 13:8). Peter’s response here seems so natural and a humble one. But Jesus replied, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me” (John 13:8). After washing his disciples feet, Jesus tells them that he has set an example (John 13:15) for them to follow. Previously he did ask them to wash one another's feet (John 13:14). If this act was simply an example of a humble service as most of us interpret then Jesus was teaching them to serve one another in humility. Or what if Jesus was pointing to the cross and teaching them self sacrifice to the point of death. John 15:13 - Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

We often see Christ as the model of our Christian life and would love to imitate him. But how was it possible for the Son of God to be so humble? The answer is in John 13:3, 4 - Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself.

Jesus knew who He was (present), where He came from (past) and to where He was going (future). His identity was completely secured in God the Father. Secured identity leads to self sacrificial living to the point of death. We sincerely want to follow his examples but seldom is our identity secured. The knowledge of our secured identity comes from allowing Christ to serve us. Unless we allow Christ to serve us, we cannot serve our fellow beings. Our outward expression of Christian living is a complete reflection of our understanding of Christ’s work in our lives.

We all struggle at loving and serving people. And often we get disappointed with ourselves. None of us find it easy to follow the self sacrificial example of Christ. The point is not self-sacrificial service but to know that the Son of Man came to serve and give His life for us. Today will you allow Jesus to wash your feet and let Him serve you. Will you be humble enough to accept His service?

Samuel Thomas (Sam)

Sam is a Christian minister who is serving the Lord in various capacities. He is an integral part of MTU, New Delhi and is also ministering with Crossway Church. He can be reached on samvthom16@gmail.com