My father was staying with my husband and I while recuperating from an emergency quadruple bypass surgery. I was thankful he was alive but felt overwhelmed with caring for him in such a fragile state. My Dad is a man’s man, a former police officer, and he was not about to have his only daughter help him with his daily grooming. His doctor had given him strict orders not to raise his hands above his head due to his large incision. I knew he needed help washing his hair and I knew he wouldn’t allow me to do it. I was on the verge of tears when my husband (also a man’s man) said to my Dad, “Bill, I am going help you wash your hair, is that okay with you?” To my amazement, Dad agreed. In that moment, I had never loved my husband more.
The Bible makes it clear that we are to serve one another. Jesus said in John 13:14, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” As the Son of God, and Savior of the world, Jesus had the least reason among any living man to be humble. Yet Christ modeled a life of perfect sacrificial humility and taught his disciples to do the same.
It’s likely that the disciples had no issue with washing Christ’s feet but did not want to wash one another’s feet. Yet, in verse 14 Jesus makes it clear that we are to serve one another. Judas Iscariot was undoubtedly among the men at the foot washing. It’s hard to imagine, but Jesus was willing to wash Judas’s feet knowing that only hours later he would betray Him. This jaw dropping act of humility demonstrates that our service to others should not be contingent on their behavior, but should be motivated by our love for Christ.
The culture we live in promotes a mindset of entitlement and self-promotion that is anything but humble. In fact, Christ’s command to serve others is counter-cultural in modern day society. One of the ways pride manifests itself in our society is an unwillingness to serve in menial tasks. However, the gospel calls for a different way of living. If we are living with the goal or intention of being served we have missed the core of what it means to live as a Christ follower. Christ’s entire life and ministry destroys the notion that Christians are to be served. Rather, like Jesus, we are to take on the role of a servant.
