“Come to me all you that are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.”--Matthew 11:28-29
Opening Thought
Giving In
There is an incredible amount of angst among people today. Everybody has their own agenda, personal goals and ambitions. Our culture seems to encourage us to be so focused on our own priorities that nothing else matters. The result? Road rage, going postal, domestic violence, workaholics, unbridled selfishness and lust… not a good picture.In our walk with Christ, another perspective begins to take shape. Those world-agendas will persist, but we see a higher road – godliness and ministry. We are new creatures, pursuing Christlikeness, and the priority becomes serving – because that’s what Christ did.
Christ was above all a servant. He considered Himself a servant to every person He encountered. With each individual, I can imagine Him thinking, ‘What can I do to minister to this person’s needs?” He did have a prevailing mission, the Cross, and that did not change. But the mission was accomplished, not by prevailing upon people, but instead by serving them.
We will constantly react to people’s attempts to take position in front of us, but when we see them through Christ’s eyes, we will allow that to happen and then seek to serve them, meet their needs, point them to Christ.
Study Notes
1. In the Upper Room
- This personal time for the Apostles and their Lord Jesus is in all 4 gospels. If you have one, use a “Harmony of the Gospels” to read through all four accounts. (See an earlier article I wrote about using a Harmony.)
•Matthew 26:17-30
•Mark 14:21-26
•Luke 22:7-38
•John 13 - Preparations for the Last Supper
o Peter & John are sent to find the chosen room – Lu 22:8
- Jerusalem was always packed for these 8 days of the Passover feast, many visitors in from surrounding areas.
- The disciples hadn’t even wanted to be in Jerusalem – now they’re supposed to go find
- a place where they could eat
- Imagine Peter just going along quietly with this plan!
- A man carrying a pitcher! Women almost exclusively did that. Perhaps he was a servant, since he goes into the house. The owner, by not questioning the request, seems know Jesus, the Teacher. – Lu 22:10-11
- They found everything just as He had said – Lu 22:13. The marvelous provisions of our Sovereign Lord! Nervous about going forward as instructed, but then in following their Lord’s instructions, they find everything as needed.
o Misconceptions about the Last Supper
- Was there just one long table, with all of the disciples on one side? Likely not, in spite of daVinci’s depiction.
- Were only the 12 and Jesus attending? Other writings suggest that there were others who were the larger group of disciples also there.“Before the feast”, i.e. Passover, so this must be Thursday night – Jesus would die next day, less than 15 hours later.
2. A Lesson in Humility from the Master Servant
- The Servant washes the feet of His followers
o Common enough that a servant of the house would wash feet of those attending dinner. But these were visitors were having their own separate feast, and everybody had been on their own for cleaning up – no humble servants around for this dinner… but Jesus.
o Jesus often seemed to be just a step out of synch with those around Him – He Measures life with a different ruler, with His focus on the Father’s goals. His followers seemed never to be quite “in tune” with Him.
o The disciples’ hearts struggled with pride and doubt – while they were believer in the work of the Savior, their feet still got dirty, they continued to be influenced by a sinful world.This humble act by Jesus was much more than a lesson in humility, it expressed the profound truth of His Redemption. Jesus demonstrated life at the heart of God’s character. - Petty arguments
o Peter says “no way” – he’s back to his regular approach of assuming he has the answer… although he does often seem to speak for the group, and he may be speaking the mind of several sitting around him.
- Peter is so… (you provide the description – but remember, we’re right in there with him!)
- More unthought words -- “do you understand what I’ve done?”
- Compare Mark 8:32; 9:5
- When Jesus washes his feet – it doesn’t mean he has to be baptized again
o Sin needs to be dealt with -- What does this mean?
- Look at 1 Jn 1:7, 9; 2:1-2
o God recognizes and provides for the fact that as Redeemed believers, we will still struggle with sinful activity
o What else can you learn from these verses?
- After salvation, the believer needs only to confess, acknowledge sin, recognize it is already cared for in Christ’s substitutionary death – continually apply Christ’s atonement to one’s daily sin, maintain a transparent relationship with the Father – but the great undergirding truth is that once you receive Christ as your Savior, He is always and forever your Father
o Then a couple of the disciples start up the “which is the greatest” discussion again
- After observing Jesus washing their feet and hearing His interaction with Peter
- Compare Mark 9:33-35;10:35— note Jesus’ ominous response, pointing to His death. Sinful man struggles with spiritual growth, gaining a truly godly mindset; these disciples loved God, were committed to Jesus as Lord, yet still they fall back into selfish human “issues” – we all have issues… - Humility in the Believer’s life doesn’t just happen – it’s a discipline
o Perhaps you have noticed: discipline and humility often show up in people at the same time – one brings the other with it
o Reality check: we want others to be humble, but…
o Where does True Humility come from?
- an inner strength founded on Christ and Christlikeness
- Compare 1 Peter 5:5-6, “humble yourselves” - Humility is… (from Chuck Swindoll)
o humility isn’t announced
o humility is willing to receive
o humility isn’t a sign of weakness
- once “bathed”, always bathed
- still needed “sponged” off
- 1 John 1:9
For further study...
1. Do you understand humility like Jesus did? What can you do to understand and apply it better?
2. Are you willing like Peter to change your heart? What needs to change?
3. Look up the word “servant” in other places in the Gospels, see what more you can learn about being a servant like Christ was.
