Introduction
Jesus spends the week teaching at the temple during the day and in prayer, communicating to His Father each evening on the Mount of Olives (Luke 21:37). The things Jesus teaches this week are incredibly significant. They are a study, in and of themselves, full of leadership lessons and truths. The week is coming to a close, and Jesus’ time is short, so He has a few of His disciples make arrangements for a Passover supper in town. Jesus has been eagerly anticipating and preparing for this particular evening. He says, “‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God’” (Luke 22:15-16). What will happen on this last Passover night? Take a look.
Reading [You can read as much as you can, depending on your availability]
John 13:1-38
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Luke 22:7-38
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Matthew 26:17-29
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Mark 14:12-25
Meditating [Use these questions to start your thinking]
- What does this passage (John 13:1-38) tell us that Jesus knew?
- What is Jesus modeling for us about leadership?
- Did the disciples understand what Jesus was doing? How were they viewing what He was doing?
- What other questions do you still have?
Sharing: Text ONE of your answers to the questions above to your team. Each team should post a sharing from a team member in the comments below.
There is so much here that Jesus is modeling for us about leadership. It is a long night of last-minute instructions, encouragement, vision, and expressions of love. John says that Jesus “now showed them the full extent of his love” (John 13:1). One of the biggest expressions of His love follows as Jesus gets up from the supper, lays aside His outer garments, takes a towel, and wraps it around Himself. He takes the role of a servant and washes His leaders’ feet. I am sure they are stunned and a little embarrassed. None of them had taken the role of a servant and washed the feet of those entering. This, of course, was a custom in Jesus’ day, that when a person entered someone’s home, they would have someone wash the dirt of the city streets off their guests’ feet. Jesus takes the role of the servant and then says, “‘Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you’” (John 13:14-15). Jesus leads the way for teachers to wash the feet of students, for leaders to wash the feet of those they are leading. Jesus couldn’t be much clearer, could He? Wash one another’s feet, humble yourselves, get down and serve one another. But it is so hard! It is much easier to tell people what to do than to serve them. Servant leadership is often seen as being weak. We think we will lose the respect of those we lead if we get on our knees and serve. It is true — some people will respond as Peter did, exclaiming, “‘…you shall never wash my feet’” (John 13:8). Some do not want to see you humble yourself because they do not want to do the same. In their minds, it is better to all stick together so as not to feel convicted. But we do not wash each other’s feet because is the “in” thing to do. We wash each other’s feet because that is the model our Master left for us. For the true disciples of Jesus, there is only one model and that is Jesus. That is why we call ourselves Christians, mini-Christs, or better yet, people who allow Christ to live in and through us.
After washing their feet and explaining to them that this was an example he was expecting from them, Jesus returns to the table to eat His last Passover supper. Why the last supper? Because tomorrow, the Lamb of God, was to die as our Passover, one last sacrifice for all time (Heb. 10:1-10). As Jesus takes His place at the supper, He becomes deeply grieved and tells them that one of His inner core leaders will be the one to betray Him. Already the plot has been hatched — Judas has become disillusioned with the movement. He had already struck a deal with the religious leaders to betray our Lord. Something strikes me as odd: Why do the other disciples not suspect Judas as the betrayer when he gets up and leaves the supper? John must have been asked this question later on, for he writes, “Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor” (John 13:29). My thought is that maybe, of all the disciples, Judas was the least likely. After all, he must have been the most trusted one because he held the money box. It is obvious that when he leaves no one flinches. Another unseen guest at the supper was Satan: “As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him” (John 13:27). That means that Satan must have been hanging around and probably saw the foot washing, laughing in a corner, thinking that Jesus was a ridiculous kind of leader.
After Judas has left the room, the disciples started talking once again about which one of them was the greatest. Jesus’ words cannot be clearer. Read them again in Luke 22:25-27. They are powerful words that you should never forget. A leader is the one who serves, not the one who bosses others around.
If you want to see what Peter learned about servant leadership go to 1 Peter 5:1-9. At this same time, Jesus seizes the moment to give His leaders a new commandment, one He has lived in front of them for three and a half years now: “‘A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another’” (John 13:34). The model for how they were to love one another was Jesus Himself. Our model for how to love one another is also Jesus. Do what Jesus did; love as Jesus loved. He also adds, “‘By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another’” (John 13:35). Wow! The hallmark of a true disciple is love. Paul puts it this way, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13).
Love is the mark of the true Christ-follower, a love for God and others. Is love the mark of your life? Spend some time evaluating and asking God to fill you with love. Talk with others about servant leadership, Jesus-style. What does that look like today? How do you practically wash others’ feet in your culture?
Happiest Friday gentlemen! Hope your week was filled with blessings from our Lord 😃
What is Jesus modeling for us about leadership? –> John 13 chapter 1 has the much familiar and well-studied passage of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet. Jesus was modeling that in order to become a leader, one must first humble themselves and take on the tasks that nobody else really wants to do. As difficult as it is, the willingness to serve others is the foundation of who we are as Christians. Do that so you can remain in God and once you are in Him, He will be with you and will bless you abundantly.
Did the disciples understand what Jesus was doing? How were they viewing what He was doing?
I don’t think the disciples understood what Jesus was doing, but they went along with it because it was Jesus doing it. They viewed it as something they should be doing on Jesus and not the other way around. Yet through the washing of the feet, Jesus teaches them about humility and sacrificial love.
Washing each other’s feet is an act of love, humility and grace. Jesus perfectly demonstrates this when he washes His disciples feet, even though He was more powerful and deserving than them. Yet, He demonstrated an act of love towards others and encourages them to do the same. This act of washing each other’s feet can be replicated in so many ways, in our daily lives. When we love each other equally and demonstrate humility, others will follow suit and share that with the people they encounter.