THE JOURNEY TO SERVANTHOOD – John 13:1-17

“So when he had washed their feet, taken his garments, and sat down again, he said to them, ‘Do you know what I have done to you? 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’.” (John 13:12-15)

Just thinking of people who over the years have impressed me by their servant heart and servant spirit.  How do you identify one?  In Church and in our working place. We know it is difficult to say exactly what a servant does, but you know one when you see one. It is hard to get a good definition of what servanthood is all about?

During the Last Supper – the final meal that Jesus ate with his Disciples before he was arrested – Jesus washed their feet. While foot washing is unusual today, it was customary in the days of Jesus. It was known a common way of greeting guests into your home. However, it was not something that the “master” of the house performed. Foot washing was a service usually reserved for the lowest household servant.

What does it mean to be a servant according to Jesus?  I believe being a servant is an attitude, not an action. It is not about foot washing.  It really had nothing to do with foot washing at all. It was all about serving others in humility for Christ.  Jesus said, the greatest in the Kingdom of God is to be a servant. In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?"
Jesus called a little child to himself, and set him in the midst of them, and said, "Most certainly I Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me.  A child like a servant is humble in character and action.

Footwashing was a service usually reserved for the lowest household servant. We had a few years ago a Feet Washing Ceremony.  We wash one another’s feet and after the action we feel different experience all together.  We can learn to forgive and learn to humble ourselves with one another.  We learn that we are nothing but just servants of the Lord.

Anyone can be a servant if they have a servant’s heart. What is it that makes the difference between being a servant and not being a servant? Is it visiting a orphanage home? Is it making a cake for those who are sick? Is it giving some money to those who are in need? No, because you can visit an orphanage home with a servant’s heart or you can do it out of a sheer sense of obligation. When a Millionaire father was dying at the hospital all the sons and daughters and in laws came to visit him.  Some were after his money and some are concerned whether he can live further or not.  You can make cakes because you want to serve somebody, or you can do it because you want to win their favor and have them pad you at the back. You can give money because you really want to serve, or you can give money in order to please somebody. The same action can be the action of a servant or the action of a selfish person. What makes the difference is the motivation inside the heart.

Romans 12:7 says, “If your gift is service, let him serve.” The other part is the part that all believers, whether they have the gift or not, are commanded to serve one another. Galatians 5:13 states, “You therefore, have been set free. But do not use your freedom as an excuse to indulge the flesh, but rather serve one another in love.

Four thoughts about foot washing:

1) Foot washing was considered an ordinary sign of common courtesy.

But what was NOT common was for the host to wash the feet of his guests. Foot washing was the work of slaves. It was the mark of a rich man that he never had to wash anybody’s feet because he had enough servants to handle the feet of anybody who came to see him. But Jesus broke the rules and that’s why they were so shocked—not that somebody would wash their feet, but that Jesus was the one doing it. That broke all the customs of the day.

2) Foot washing by definition is dirty, smelly and humiliating.

I once lived in a city with a big stadium and we had “Feet Washing Service” Different denominations would come and participate in this Christmas programme.  All the Pastors, bishops and Anglican priests were invited. Evangelical pastors and Pentecostal pastors were invited. 

 “Take off your shoes, men.” We don’t like it when somebody says that. We all looked at up. “Go on,” he said, “Take off your shoes.” So we reluctantly took off our shoes. Each one will take a partner.  I took an Anglican priest.  He started to tickle me first.  Everyone was so embarrassing in front of the full stadium.  He could have washed my feet in the water and finished the job quickly. We still had our socks on.  My shoes were dirty and socks.  My socks had a small hole at the bottom.  My shoes had been on my feet, they stunk together with his shoes. With my shoes off, my feet were stinking. I didn’t feel comfortable. That was 10 years ago, but when I came to this passage, that is exactly what came back to my mind, because any time people start messing around with your feet and you don’t expect them to, it’s uncomfortable. It’s dirty; it’s humiliating. It makes you vulnerable. That day was so humiliating to us but spiritually it does us good – it took our pride away and humbled ourselves. Thinking of what Jesus said is true. There are people who will do work that nobody does in church.  They have big PHD degrees and washing toilets blew your mind away.

3) Foot washing meets our real need for continued cleansing.

  Our feet need to be washed every time when we are out in the streets. Peter was shocked to see the Son of God doing it, that was a bother. That just blew all their preconceptions; it destroyed their status quo notions. But Jesus told them they need to be wash daily as “the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness”  It is a continuously cleansing daily.  Every morning I wake up Jesus cleanses me and refreshes me as I worship Him. It just like the water fall washing over the stones until it is white and whiter year after year.

4) Foot washing will never go out of style because you’ll never run out of dirty feet.

Everybody has dirty feet. That’s one good thing about foot washing. Everybody around you has dirty feet. Jesus came to a world of dirty feet. He came to clean the dirty feet, which means he came for you because your feet are dirty too.  I came as a servant, to wash dirty feet. The greatest washing of all took place when he died on the cross and his blood was poured out.  “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.”