Bend Down and Serve Your Neighbor

Scripture

Our verse for today comes from John 13:4, ” [He] rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. “

Background

What a supper that must have been. Who could know all that was going on in the minds of Jesus and His disciples? Imagine what their conversations must have been like, full of all that they had seen and heard the past few days. Just a week earlier, Jesus had warned them that He needed to go to Jerusalem to be betrayed and killed, but that He would rise again. But then they enter town and the people throw a big parade for Him. To show how impressed He was, Jesus goes and cleanses the temple, throwing out the money changers and displaying an anger that the disciples certainly had not seen before. Over the next few days He talks a lot about the tribulation and His second coming, He curses a fig tree, and goes to a leper’s house where He is anointed with oil by Lazarus’ sister, Mary. Then, a few hours before this supper, He sends Peter and John in town to somehow find a man carrying a pitcher of water who will lead them to the upper room. Once there, they find the room furnished for their gathering, and they prepare the last meal that Christ will eat.

Application

All of these memories undoubtedly provoked numerous questions and amazed conversations among the men, who clearly could not grasp all that had happened or was about to happen. Luke tells us that Jesus fervently desired to eat this meal with them. Was it so that He could take His cup of wine, walk over to the door, and dab a little around the doorposts, illuminating for them the enormous significance of what took place in Egypt, and what would take place the next day on Calvary through His shed blood? And after all the talking, reflecting, and explaining, Jesus gets up and takes the basin and towel, the very one that Peter and John had made sure was ready for their meeting, and washes His disciples’ feet. Before He sends Judas to betray Him and tells Peter he’ll deny Him, He washes their feet. No parade, no sermon, no arrogant disciples, and no anticipation of death could keep Him from serving and loving. It’s our example to follow. Let it be your mission to keep.

Charge

As we seek Him today, get up from where you are comfortable so you can bend down and serve. Ask God how you can follow in the footsteps of His Son, if you dare.