Jesus Modeled Humble Service
Daily Scripture
John 13:1-17
1 Before the Festival of Passover, Jesus knew that his time had come to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them fully.
2 Jesus and his disciples were sharing the evening meal. The devil had already provoked Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew the Father had given everything into his hands and that he had come from God and was returning to God. 4 So he got up from the table and took off his robes. Picking up a linen towel, he tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he was wearing. 6 When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand what I’m doing now, but you will understand later.”
8 “No!” Peter said. “You will never wash my feet!”
Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t have a place with me.”
9 Simon Peter said, “Lord, not only my feet but also my hands and my head!”
10 Jesus responded, “Those who have bathed need only to have their feet washed, because they are completely clean. You disciples are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 He knew who would betray him. That’s why he said, “Not every one of you is clean.”
12 After he washed the disciples’ feet, he put on his robes and returned to his place at the table. He said to them, “Do you know what I’ve done for you? 13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you speak correctly, because I am. 14 If I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you too must wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example: Just as I have done, you also must do. 16 I assure you, servants aren’t greater than their master, nor are those who are sent greater than the one who sent them. 17 Since you know these things, you will be happy if you do them.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
“Washing others’ feet was normally a servile task. Dirt roads made feet dusty.” * That’s why the disciples, acutely conscious of their relative rank in the group, all shied away from washing the feet of the others. But Jesus shocked them by unblushingly doing the slave’s work. Then he pointedly told his status-conscious disciples, “I have given you an example: Just as I have done, you also must do.” When you do it, he said, “you will be happy.”
- John’s gospel used multi-layered language. Jesus “took off his robes” (v. 4) and “put on his robes” (v. 12) used the same Greek verbs as John 10:17 (“This is why the Father loves me: I give up my life so that I can take it up again.”) John’s choice of verbs said washing the disciples’ feet acted out the meaning of Jesus’ death, which followed the next day. In what ways might Jesus’ example call you to serve family, friends or others more deeply?
- Peter didn’t want to let Jesus wash his feet. Many of us are “high achievers,” more at ease with “earning” than with “receiving.” Pastor Hamilton homed in on the main spiritual question this story asks each of us: “Jesus wanted to make sure his disciples got it. The story in John 13 encourages us to ask this question: Are you—am I—worried about who appears to be the greatest, or are we focused on humbly serving others?” ** What’s your answer? Has it changed over time?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, this is a hard prayer to pray. But I mean it: teach me how to find my greatest joy and glory in serving you and others in the ways you have equipped me to serve. Amen.
GPS Insights
Lauren Cook
Lauren Cook, who serves as Director of Online Engagement & Entry Points at Resurrection, wrote today’s Insight. She is a self-proclaimed foodie, a bookworm, and is always planning her next trip. She has the sweetest (and sassiest) daughter, Carolina Rae, a rockstar husband, Austin, and a cutie pup named Thunder. She loves connecting with others so let her know the best place you've ever eaten, best book you've ever read, or best place you've ever been!
As I’ve told you all before, I’m an Enneagram 3. The Enneagram Institute describes 3’s in brief by saying: “Ambitious, competent, and energetic, they can also be status-conscious and highly driven for advancement. They are diplomatic and poised but can also be overly concerned with their image and what others think of them.”
As you know, I have the honor of working at Resurrection. I often have people tell me that it must be so easy to have good intentions and a constant spiritual focus when you work at a Church. Sometimes, that’s true, but work is work and workplaces are workplaces. Despite being surrounded by the most incredible people and having constant reminders of Jesus, I still trip over my own two feet sometimes.
I think back to my very first job on staff: the Children’s Ministry Director at Resurrection Overland Park. I joined that team 4 months ahead of launching the location and I was on a team with two other extremely focused, hardworking, high-achieving people (Hi, Pastors Suzy and Joshua!). While these are two of the most incredible teachers I’ve ever had in the subject of leadership, I remember so well those first six months of pre-launch and launch phases. I ran harder than ever in my life, but not only toward the prize of Jesus, but often toward the golden calf of success. I wanted to prove myself to my leaders and our community, I wanted millions of children to know Jesus in two weeks, I wanted everyone to see that I was called to ministerial work!
Skip ahead to Christmas Eve: it was our first Christmas Eve as a location, and I was so excited! Then my tiny little daughter was diagnosed with RSV. I had to work our Candlelight services without her; I had to leave her in the care of others and something about that just wrecked me. It was as I stood with a candle at the very last service that Jesus simply flooded my soul and reminded me of why any of us do what we do: for Him. Each of us has been uniquely gifted with talents that we need to share with the world, but not for our own glory. For His. I am in ministry because I love Jesus, because I feel called to share his love and light with the world. Not so that I look better, but so that others come to know Him.
We all care about how we look to others to some degree, but when we let caring about how we look get in the way of caring about loving others, we become the problem.
Jesus came to teach us how to live. The example of washing the disciples’ feet is just that: a clear picture of living lives of service. Not one of us is greater than another–we are all children of God who are crafted as masterpieces to serve God and serve others in the best way we know how and with what we have.
Plus: the lesson I learned on that Christmas Eve? The truest kind of joy comes from serving others and seeing the light of Christ shine upon faces, rooms, and spaces in a way that changes the world. Don’t miss being a part of that, it’s worth more than any accolade. I promise.
© 2025 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible (Kindle Locations 241225-241226). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
** Adam Hamilton, John: The Gospel of Light and Life. (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015, p. 96.)
