Jesus says, “If I, then, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”
– John 13:14
Obviously John 13:14 comes right in the middle of Jesus washing his disciple’s feet. And you can just imagine the intensity of that scene as their Lord and teacher, the one they look up to and respect, even revere, has just gotten down on the floor and washed their feet, done what they would only expect the most lowly servant to do. Jesus has just redefined greatness with a towel and a basin. He is just stooped to be their servant and in the process, show them what it means to be their Lord.
We Must Recognize Jesus As The Lord For Him To Serve Us
Knowing Jesus is Lord opens the door to being served by Jesus. Think about it. You and I, I trust, people who are listening to this podcast, most people who are listening to this, you’ve trusted in Jesus as Lord. Well, what does that mean? That means you’ve trusted Jesus to save you from your sins. To do what you could not do for yourself. To serve you in that way. That’s the startling picture of grace in the gospel, that God stoops to serve us, to save us from our sins. But there’s another picture besides that.
Obviously that’s ultimate, but he’s setting an example for his disciples. In fact, he uses those exact words in the very next verse, “for I’ve given you an example.” But he says, “If I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” You ought to take the place of the lowly servant in each other’s lives. Especially lives of other people, specifically as the church.
John 13:14 Encourages Us To Serve Someone Else In Love
That’s why later in John 13, Jesus says, “By this, people will know that you’re my disciples if you love one another.” How do you love one another? By washing each other’s feet, by serving each other. So I just want to encourage you to think, over the next 24 hours, what is one specific way that you can take the place of a lowly servant, if I could use that language, and serve someone else in love?
Specifically on a brother or sister in Christ. Maybe in your home, maybe in your church, just think through, how can I do what Jesus has done? And obviously not just a one time thing. The whole picture is we’re supposed to live this way. But God, we pray you’d help us to take this step flowing from reading and praying this word. That we would take a deliberate, intentional step, just as you did, Jesus, in John 13:14. To stoop, to serve in a way that would be surprising, even shocking.
John 13:14 Wants Us To Be Servants Of God Physically And Spiritually
Not for our own sake, by any means, oh God, but so that someone else might be served. Maybe there’s even an anonymous way we could do this. Where it would bring no credit or applause or even recognition to us, but all to you. But God, we pray that you would make us servants like this, especially as your church, in your church, help us. Help us to love one another like you love us, Jesus, by serving one another. Help us to live like this in our homes with our families. And help us to be servants of those around us.
And then God, beyond our families physically, we pray that spiritually, as your family. We pray you would cause our churches to be marked by this kind of service to one another. By stooping to serve and care for one another in ways that we would not be inclined to do if it were not for your love at work in our hearts. Help us to reflect your love. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
