by Steve Wall
…Jesus rose from supper, laid aside his garments, and girded himself with a towel. Then he poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded…(John 13:3-4)
In these verses, we see a single act that marks out our Saviour’s leadership ethic and sets it apart from the way that leadership is taught in some churches today. Jesus taught that no servant is greater than their master, and yet he knelt before his disciples and exemplifies the above leadership principle for them to follow. His leadership was not one of “serve the leader” but that the “greatest is not above serving”. What Jesus did was confirmation of a statement that he made in Mathew 23:11. Jesus was not only putting actions to his words, he was spinning the leadership principle of his day up on its head.
Jesus laid aside his garments, and here I see the miracle of servanthood; I use the word miracle because in that culture it was not normal for the superior to serve the inferior, but Jesus went against the culture of his time and showed that the greatest must be able to be the servant of all. This was more than just a duty; his servant leadership ethic messed with their heads as Jesus knelt before them. Peter’s words “you shall not wash my feet” show this.
I see a miracle of humility; Our Lord made himself vulnerable; he humbled himself when he removed his outer garment, placed the towel about him, and then crouched down to wash their feet with that very same towel. It was this humility in service that Jesus expects us to follow - in fact it is a command (See Vs 15).
I see the miracle of love; Jesus picked up their smelly, dirty feet, and began to wash. Probably looking into their eyes with compassion and genuine love. Do we allow Jesus that intimate gaze towards us? – Have you connected with others in this way lately?
Does it mean, as leaders we do all the work and carry everything out? No! This is not talking about work; it is talking about position and attitude. No servant is greater than their master, yet the master is to be the servant of all by example. As tomorrow’s leaders, in preparation today we need to learn the principle of serving those that God allows us to lead. We do not lord it over people, demanding and pressurizing that they do as we say but not as we do, rather we have been given the greatest opportunity to gladly serve them in doing acts that show love, humility and servant heartedness.
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