I want to go back this morning to the time during the Last Supper. We see Jesus setting an example of a servant, washing the feet of the apostles. He is showing the disciples an outward expression of how they should care for others, just as He had. He encourages them to continue in His example.
I like to think of this as "reverse accountability." It is not at all proper to think that those you are guiding and teaching to only be accountable to you. Leaders are to set the example, and therefore be accountable to whom they lead. John 13:16-17 says, "Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." In this verse, we see Jesus sharing with the disciples that we are all on a level plane. No one is greater than any other.
Going back just a few verses, I love the beautiful picture that is painted during the meal. It seems almost surreal to think of the "Son of Man" taking time from His last meal with the disciples to wash their feet. This is not the picture of the past or modern day king of many a nation. Jesus removes His clothing, wraps a towel around His waist, pours water into a basin and begins to wash the feet of the disciples. John 13:4-5 reads, "so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began washing the disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him."
Jesus sat at the head of the table. He was in the sitting appropriately in the middle of the Twelve.
Why was it He that displayed such an act of servanthood?
We can find the answer to this in John 13:12-15. "When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set an example that you should do as I have done for you.
These few verses are what brings to me the idea of "reverse accountability."
Jesus was not placed on this earth to be served, but rather to serve. Not yet known to the disciples, Jesus knew where He was going. The final steps were already in motion. While He would ask if they had to be done, He simply states in Luke 22:42, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
Jesus may have been serving the disciples, but He knew that He was also being held accountable to God. He knew without doubt that He was soon ascending to a higher place. He therefore submitted to God above and became a servant to His disciples. First a servant, then a "King in Heaven."
My takeaway from this is that embodying the role of a servant can propel you to higher places. Serving others becomes ascension.
"Wash the feet" of others, and see where it takes you. Not for personal gain, but simply to remind yourself that serving others becomes a choice that is also best for you. You can move higher by becoming lower.
Ask yourself, "What can I do today to serve?'
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