“When he had finished washing their feet,” Picture this scene in your mind: the Passover Festival was about to begin; thousands upon thousands of Jews had descended on Jerusalem to purify themselves before the celebration began. Jesus and His Disciples had been laying low in Ephraim because the chief priests and Pharisees were searching for Jesus to arrest and kill Him. Knowing His time had come, Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, and the people greeted Him with shouts of praise declaring Him the King of Israel. The tension in the air was incredible; the long-awaited time for Jesus to reveal His true purpose was at hand. Everyone could feel something glorious was about to take place, but not in the way they imagined. Especially not the Disciples.

It had been an incredible few weeks to be sure, including Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. This one event truly enraged the Pharisees, so much so that they wanted Jesus, and Lazarus, dead for good. They plotted to capture and kill them both. Jesus continued preaching and teaching the crowds, all the while being hunted and eluding capture until the time was right.

Jesus knew His time was short and He didn’t waste a precious second of it. He loved and taught his Disciples up until the very end. His actions and the words He spoke in that small, crowded upstairs room, would transcend time and space to declare His glory to the world, His followers, and to us.

The Disciples and Jesus were gathered in the room, reclining at the table, talking among themselves and preparing to partake of the Passover meal like they had many times before. No one could guess what would happen next: Jesus left the table and began to wash the feet of His Disciples. Jesus — not the host, not the host’s servant, but JESUS was washing their feet. How could this be? He was their Teacher, their Lord, the Messiah, the promised Deliverer, and He was doing the unthinkable! He had stooped to the job of the lowliest servant. That was not His job! He was too important for such a menial task!

As He moved from one man to another, it’s easy to imagine the silence building in the room, their shock and the sudden realization of their need to be cleansed. This singular act of humility spoke louder than any words He could have uttered in that moment. To say it was powerful is an understatement. Jesus finished His task, gathered His garment, and sat back down in His place.

He then asked, “Do you understand what I have done for you?” All the years of teaching and discipleship were beginning to culminate, and Jesus didn’t want them to miss the point. He had given them a new command to follow. He had shown them one of the greatest truths in the Kingdom of God: Everyone is equal in God’s sight. No one person is more important than another, and we should serve each other. If He could set aside His glory to serve them, surely, they would glorify God by serving each other.

“I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” Jesus didn’t mince words. He set an example. There was no room for misunderstanding. He didn’t preach to them; He didn’t have to. His message was clear: Do for each other what I am doing for you. But just in case they were so astonished at His actions that they missed the point, He explained His expectation of them: Serve each other with humility. It wasn’t a sweet little act of kindness, or even a suggestion to be ignored. It was clear: it was a command. Christ expected them to care for and serve each other in every way possible. There would be nothing too lowly or undesirable a task for anyone to request.

If the One who has discipled us was willing to set aside His glory, not only in Heaven, but even in the lowly confines of a human body, surely His followers could emulate the same and glorify Him by serving each other. When our mentors, teachers and those who have discipled us reach out to serve us, we should only expect to do the same for each other.

Jesus also tells us, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” The Church is most glorious when it is serving God by serving others. A test of healthy Church leadership is their willingness to get down into the trenches and serve the people under their care. Thankfully, our leaders understand the importance of this command. At any given time, you will find them breaking a sweat by performing manual labor, showing up when they hear of a need, seeking ways to serve the community and the Church. They don’t consider themselves to be too good to serve. They don’t seek places of honor, accolades, or desire the spotlight. They simply serve Jesus with open hearts and hands. They epitomize His love for us. And God has blessed this Church as a result.

Following Christ’s example is not just for leaders though — every believer can glorify God in this same manner. We must all examine our hearts, our minds and our motives to see if our pride is keeping us from being obedient servants. Jesus promises a blessing if we serve in humility. Don’t miss out on His promise! Don’t miss out on bringing glory to God!

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“Sing more of His greatness than of yours and more of His power than of yours, live for His praise more than for yours, and you will know the glorious freedom and peace of the life of humble faith in the God who loves you, forgives you, and saves you.” —Alistair Begg