Who Serves Who
Read John 13:1-17.
Twenty-two feet plunged into a bowl of water, lovingly rinsed and tenderly dried in the towel he had kept around his waist. Twenty-two before anyone spoke up. Twenty-two feet washed in silence, stunned silence, before anyone dared ask what in the world was going on.
Perhaps they were too embarrassed to say anything. After all, this wasn't his job. It was never the job of the rabbi, the teacher, the master to wash anyone's feet. He should have had his feet washed. He should not have been getting his hands dirty with the dust off their feet. He should not have been kneeling on the floor and carrying the basin of water. He should not have been serving them.
They, as the followers and disciples, should have been serving him.
We still get this messed up, don't we? There are whole theologies based on the idea that if we get enough people praying for this or that, God will have to give us what we want. (I've actually heard someone praying those words before!) That same belief system says if we "name" what we want and "claim" it in Jesus' name, God will have to give us what we want. And often the reverse is true as well—we believe if something bad happens, then we didn't pray hard enough, didn't fast correctly, or didn't believe rightly. We end up with false guilt, thinking it all depends on us.
Nonsense. To all of it.
Gethsemane should have put the lie to that theology. If the Son of God can't get what he asks for in prayer, why would we think we deserve to always get what we think we want?
It's not about Jesus serving us or giving us what we want, demand, desire. We, as the followers and disciples, should be serving him, not the other way around. Christianity has never been about getting what we want. It's always been about "thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." It's always been about God, not about us. There, in the Upper Room, he set us an example and expects us to do what he did, not demand that he keep doing it for us. He expects us to "wash each other's feet" and, by doing so, to serve him. It's not about you. It's not about me. It's about the one who set us an example that he expects (not hopes) we will follow.
And the amazing thing is that this master, who doesn't owe us anything (what more could he give us, anyway, than the salvation of our souls?), still gives us good gifts. "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:11). Jesus doesn't say he will give us whatever we ask if we just believe it strongly enough. No, he says the Father, his Father and ours, loves to give good gifts just like a good father here on earth. He loves to see his children delighted. Of course, Jesus doesn't say those gifts will be physical blessings, or material things. He gives us what we need, not necessarily what we think we want.
But, ultimately, the attitude of our life should be this: we, as his disciples and followers, should be serving him, not expecting him to serve us. That's his example to us, the one we're supposed to follow.
Twenty-two feet plunged into a bowl of water, lovingly rinsed and tenderly dried in the towel he had kept around his waist. Twenty-two before anyone spoke up. Twenty-two feet washed in silence, stunned silence, before anyone dared ask what in the world was going on.
Perhaps they were too embarrassed to say anything. After all, this wasn't his job. It was never the job of the rabbi, the teacher, the master to wash anyone's feet. He should have had his feet washed. He should not have been getting his hands dirty with the dust off their feet. He should not have been kneeling on the floor and carrying the basin of water. He should not have been serving them.
They, as the followers and disciples, should have been serving him.
We still get this messed up, don't we? There are whole theologies based on the idea that if we get enough people praying for this or that, God will have to give us what we want. (I've actually heard someone praying those words before!) That same belief system says if we "name" what we want and "claim" it in Jesus' name, God will have to give us what we want. And often the reverse is true as well—we believe if something bad happens, then we didn't pray hard enough, didn't fast correctly, or didn't believe rightly. We end up with false guilt, thinking it all depends on us.
Nonsense. To all of it.
Gethsemane should have put the lie to that theology. If the Son of God can't get what he asks for in prayer, why would we think we deserve to always get what we think we want?
It's not about Jesus serving us or giving us what we want, demand, desire. We, as the followers and disciples, should be serving him, not the other way around. Christianity has never been about getting what we want. It's always been about "thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." It's always been about God, not about us. There, in the Upper Room, he set us an example and expects us to do what he did, not demand that he keep doing it for us. He expects us to "wash each other's feet" and, by doing so, to serve him. It's not about you. It's not about me. It's about the one who set us an example that he expects (not hopes) we will follow.
And the amazing thing is that this master, who doesn't owe us anything (what more could he give us, anyway, than the salvation of our souls?), still gives us good gifts. "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:11). Jesus doesn't say he will give us whatever we ask if we just believe it strongly enough. No, he says the Father, his Father and ours, loves to give good gifts just like a good father here on earth. He loves to see his children delighted. Of course, Jesus doesn't say those gifts will be physical blessings, or material things. He gives us what we need, not necessarily what we think we want.
But, ultimately, the attitude of our life should be this: we, as his disciples and followers, should be serving him, not expecting him to serve us. That's his example to us, the one we're supposed to follow.
So true. It's so sad when I get to a point and realize I've been focusing on my thoughts, my troubles and my wants and I'm miserable. But turn the focus on Him and life seems so much easier!
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