Humble like Jesus

Bible passage: John 13:1-15

As believers we are expected to live like Jesus lived and obey His commandments. Easier said than done. Series on Being like Jesus

Look at one of Jesus final moments with His disciples on the night He was betrayed in John 13.

It is here that we find Jesus doing the unexpected, the Teacher, the Master, Light of the world, the only begotten Son, the Creator of heaven and earth, Jesus Christ takes the role of the servant and washes His disciples’ feet.

Look again at what Jesus said in verses 12-17

The Message puts it like this:
 “Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as ‘Teacher’ and ‘Master,’ and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other’s feet. I’ve laid down a pattern for you. What I’ve done, you do. I’m only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn’t give orders to the employer. If you understand what I’m telling you, act like it – and you will live a blessed life.”

Put simply Jesus is telling us, “live like I live; I’m giving you one simple rule to obey: follow my example. When you do that, you will be rewarded.”

What is the example that Jesus has set for us? What is His expectation of each of us as his followers? Christ’s example is more than just washing feet. If we believe that’s what Jesus expects then we should place basins of water with towels at some significant location so that the world can see how well we are following Christ’s example.

If we are going to properly understand the pattern or example that Jesus has given to us we must look beyond His actions and see His heart. What is the heartbeat of Jesus that He wants each of us to emulate? Jesus expects us to have a servant’s heart. With a servant’s heart we can then, like Jesus, consider others as more important than ourselves and in turn meet their needs.

Being a servant puts others at the front of the line putting others ahead of self. A willing servant’s heart does not consider the cost too great to meet as need. Nothing is too small or trivial for a servant to do. A servant knows that his life is not his own; everything a servant does is for the Master.

So we are to make a response of love to be a servant, to be humble like Jesus.

v. 1 - Jesus knew
Jesus knew what was going to happen to him, but he still spend the last night of his life washing his disciples' feet.

He humbled Himself to the floor.

v. 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands…
Again, Jesus was fully aware that all the authority of heaven was bestowed upon Him. All the power, majesty, and glory were at hand for the Lord Jesus Christ. But he still humbled Himself to the floor.

Jesus said be like me..

Some may think that the cost is too great, but think about what Jesus has done for you! John tells us that Jesus “having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of His love.”
Jesus would wash your feet for you; He would do for you what others wouldn’t do. Let that reality settle into your heart: God’s Son Jesus would serve you.

Jesus told His disciples, “you don’t understand what I’m doing for you, but later you will.” Jesus’ willingness to take the place of the servant washing the disciple’s feet prepared them to understand that Jesus death on the cross was for them. None of us will fully understand Christ’s love for us at the cross until we realise that He would wash our feet. Jesus humbled himself as a servant and put our need ahead of His comfort.

Philippians 2:4-8
"Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death–even death on a cross"

Jesus became a servant and died for our sins – HE GAVE HIS ALL; HE HAD NOTHING MORE HE COULD GIVE. The scripture is clear. We are to follow Christ’s example and give our all as well.

We are challenged to be humble like Jesus - having a servant heart and giving ourselves to God each day. He asks us to do that one day at a time, from moment to moment.

Budget this week – going to use a financial illustration. Imagine that the value of your life was equal to a £1 million note – and it’s yours! Very few of us will be required to lay down that £1 million in a single moment and then enter into the glory of heaven. But we are asked to give our lives away 50p or £1 at a time through small acts of service; maybe we might have to lay down £100 all at once, but even that’s not so much when you think about £1 million.

Jesus called it storing up treasures in heaven.

Satan will convince us that the cost is too great; the enemy will magnify the little that we are asked to give to others making it seem like a great loss. We lose sight of all that God has given to us and even more that for everything we willingly lay down to serve someone else, God adds it to our account in heaven. Jesus said, “Deposit your treasures in heaven”.

Give your live to Jesus “one piece at a time,” “moment by moment.” Now I’m not saying that you withhold part of your life from Christ. Remember we have submitted to our Lord surrendering all to Him. A servant’s heart is willing to share the pieces of their life with other, because they know that their life is not their own.

When you become a willing servant who freely gives his life to the Master, you will discover that Jesus will add to your life with interest– that’s His promise.
Jesus tells us in John 13:17 that when we follow His example living out our lives with a servant’s heart we will receive a blessing. You can never out give God.

When you start laying down your life £1 at a time you will soon discover that He has added interest to your life – the value has increased. You have the blessing of God’s hand upon your life. This isn’t like the “hand of Midas” turning everything you touch into gold – it’s better. With God’s hand upon your life everything you touch as a servant takes on eternal value–the temporal becomes eternal.

When you are willing to surrender your all to God, He takes what many would think of as a sacrifice and holds it safely in heaven for you. That which you think you have lost becomes gain!

So what is it going to be? Will you follow Jesus example; will you do what Jesus says? If so then you have to become a servant–your heart needs imprinted with the pattern established by Jesus, a servant’s heart.

What does this kind of humility look like in our everyday lives:

agreeing up to clean the church, or do the dirty job at work or the jobs no-one else in the family wants to do, even though most people will never realise it…

Helping to set up chairs before an event, even though you are one of the organisers…

Withholding the urge to constantly “correct” everyone who may be sharing from their heart, because you happen to be an authority in the topic of conversation…

Sometimes it is a matter of simply saying “I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?”