Accepting Jesus’ serving us

John 13:6-11

6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ 7 Jesus answered, ‘You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ 8 Peter said to him, ‘You will never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.’ 9 Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’ 10 Jesus said to him, ‘One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.’ 11 For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’

Simon Peter learns two lessons here. First, he was not willing to let Jesus serve him. Being served by another is a humbling experience, we are being cared for by someone else who is doing something for us that we cannot do ourselves. To be served by another person is to recognize that we are not self-sufficient. Additionally, to be served by someone who is of greater importance than ourselves is unnerving, why is this powerful person taking up the role of the servant, such an action unsettles our understanding of the world.

But as Jesus so clearly states, unless we are willing to be served by Jesus, in fact, until we are served by Jesus, we can have no part in him. The salvation, the redemption, we are offered in Jesus Christ, require that we are humble enough to accept the gift, accept being served., recognize our inability to save ourselves. As one of the themes of Lent proclaims, we need a Saviour.    

The second thing that Peter learns is to follow Jesus’ rhythm, pattern, plan. Peter thinks he has a better way, wash all of me. Jesus says, “no.” Peter tries to tell Jesus how to do what Jesus is doing. But Jesus gently tells Peter to let Jesus do it Jesus’ way. So frequently we tell God how to do something, having worked out the plan for God to implement. The road of faithfulness is to let Jesus lead, to let Jesus work his plan and his purposes. Here again our egos get knocked back, for it requires humility to let God lead.

PRAYER:

Lord God, we resist being served by you, we fear admitting that we are not self-sufficient, we fear admitting that we need help. We often think we have a better plan, and have the temerity to suggest those plans to the God of the universe. Take away our pride and ego and shape us into humble followers of your Son, Jesus Christ, In whose name we pray. Amen.