SESSION 1
A Life of Humble Service
Question 1:
When have you seen someone go out of their way to serve others?
THE POINT
We reflect Christ when we serve others with humility.
THE PASSAGES
John 13:3-10,14-16
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
I read a lot of books about kings, swords, and medieval battles. I have discovered that these books of fantasy tend to highlight a fundamental flaw of humanity. In these fictional worlds, strong kings crush weak ones. The fastest blade wins. The frail end up serving the fearsome.
Of course, we don’t live in a time of swords and kings, but ours is still a world in which those with strength often oppress instead of support. In the real world, many in positions of power abuse it, but the strongest person in history set a different example. Jesus walked the earth with the power of God Himself, but He didn’t crush, kill, or overwhelm. He had power the world had never seen, but He used it to serve.
That is to be our way as well. Since being connected to Christ gives us opportunity for abundance, and since being like Jesus means becoming the person God wants us to be, then we should treasure humility. The God of heaven put on flesh and served the world. We reflect Christ powerfully when we serve with humility.
JOHN 13:3-5
3 Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into his hands, that he had come from God, and that he was going back to God.
4 So he got up from supper, laid aside his outer clothing, took a towel, and tied it around himself.
5 Next, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel tied around him.
KEY WORDS: Outer clothing (v. 4)—Jesus’ outer clothing was a long shawl. He covered His head with it for prayer and warmth. These were often made of heavy, uncolored wool.
God washed feet. Jesus wrapped a towel around His waist, poured some water, and washed some feet. Isn’t that incredible? Of course, when the God of heaven inhabited a human body and lived a life with regular people, it surely was going to lead to a few remarkable interactions, but Jesus washing His disciples’ feet has to be one of the more surprising scenes of His life.
Verse 3 helps us embrace the significance of this moment. The apostle John helps us appreciate Christ’s act of service by reminding us where Jesus came from and where He was going. Let us not be so focused on what Jesus did on this occasion that we forget who He is. He certainly didn’t. “Jesus knew … that he had come from God, and that he was going back to God.”
Jesus knew the power He had. Of course He knew, as His disciples did, the miracles He was capable of performing. Throughout John’s Gospel of Jesus’ life, we see stunning evidence of the fact that “the Father had given everything into his hands.”
Jesus healed an official’s son (John 4:46-54). Jesus simply said, “ ‘Your son will live’ ” (v. 50), and the dying boy was healed.
Jesus fed over five thousand people with only five loaves of bread and two fish (6:10-13). After telling his disciples, “ ‘Have the people sit down’ ” (v. 10), Jesus proceeded to multiply the food through His authority over everything.
Jesus walked on water (vv. 19-21). Jesus’ power over nature was so unsettling He had to encourage His followers, “ ‘Don’t be afraid’ ” (v. 20).
Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (11:41-44). It didn’t matter that Lazarus had been dead for four days. When Jesus “shouted with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ ” (v. 43), Lazarus wasn’t dead anymore.
That’s what the power of God looks like. Everything had been given into Jesus’ hands; He knew it, and He demonstrated it—but He also demonstrated humility.
Verse 3 also shows us Jesus knew where He had come from and where He was returning. “Jesus knew … that he had come from God, and that he was going back to God.” John’s Gospel began by pointing to the divine origin of Jesus.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created” (1:1-3).
Jesus created everything. Jesus has authority over everything. Jesus was about to die for the sin of the world, conquer death by being resurrected, and return to Heaven to rule forever. Jesus knew all this, yet with all that power and authority, what did He choose to do in this moment? He washed feet.
Don’t believe for a moment that this was simply a ceremonial act. No, Jesus’ example of service made a powerful point, but it was all the more powerful for the fact that it was lowly, filthy work. The One with the authority of everything in His hands knelt before the sandaled feet of working men who walked dirt roads. And He scrubbed. He didn’t just make the point; He did the job until their feet were dry.
It is an incredible example. We can find no greater model of humble service. We are called to be like Jesus. We have been given the privilege of being connected to the One true God who has everything in His hands. If Jesus can work, we can work. If Jesus can die to Himself, we can do likewise. When we see how He served through His miracles, through His selfless acts like this one in John 13, and ultimately, through His death on the cross, we are changed, and we are moved to be like Him. Through Jesus, we have the joy of humbly serving others.
Question 2:
Why are we sometimes unwilling to serve in seemingly menial tasks?
JOHN 13:6-10
6 He came to Simon Peter, who asked him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus answered him, “What I’m doing you don’t realize now, but afterward you will understand.”
8 “You will never wash my feet,” Peter said.
Jesus replied, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.”
10 “One who has bathed,” Jesus told him, “doesn’t need to wash anything except his feet, but he is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you.”
I grew up in a church that practiced foot washing. Most of the time, when the church shared the Lord’s Supper, we would follow that up by washing one another’s feet. It was a vivid reminder of Jesus’ example. As a young person, my dad washed my feet; he also was the principal of my school. My fifth-grade friend, the fastest kid I knew, washed my feet. One of the pastors washed my feet once. In that moment I thought, “There is now no higher foot-washing for me. I’ve had my heels toweled off by a man of the cloth.”
Peter’s experience put mine to shame. The One he had already acknowledged as the Messiah washed his feet (Matt. 16:16). If we struggle with the image of God washing feet, we are not alone. Peter strongly protested. Leon Morris points out that “his ‘you’ is emphatic, and in the Greek it is immediately followed by ‘my,’ thus placing the two in sharp contrast: ‘Lord, do you my feet wash?’ ” 1
Peter had not volunteered to wash feet, yet it made more sense for him to be washing Jesus’ feet. In typical Peter fashion, he stood his ground on the protestation. “ ‘You will never wash my feet.’ ”
Jesus’ response reveals that He offers more than clean feet. “ ‘If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.’ ” Jesus wanted Peter and the other disciples to understand that they needed to be made completely pure by the cleansing He offers. Just as water washes away filth and dirt from our bodies, so Jesus seeks to wash away the filth of our sin. This is not a reference to baptism—for baptism is only a symbol of the greater washing Jesus provides. “He saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). Jesus came so that through His perfect life, sacrificial death, and miraculous resurrection, the unclean could be made clean and fully take their place with Him.
Peter’s foot-washing protest set Jesus up to share that He can forgive sinners and make them clean. Just as Jesus humbled Himself and took on the servant’s task of washing feet, He humbled Himself further by taking our sin as His own and dying on the cross. “He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8).
The humility of Christ isn’t just the greatest example of power being used to serve others, it brings with it the most stunning and gracious outcome of serving others the world could ever know. Jesus’ humble act of dying on the cross for us was also singularly generous, for by it He offers us forgiveness, holiness, freedom, joy, and eternal life.
Peter wanted Jesus in his life, so he said, “ ‘Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.’ ” If it meant lining up with Jesus, Peter wanted the full bath! Isn’t that the heart of the true Christian? Those who want Jesus want all of Him. The gift of the gospel is a connection to Christ, friendship with Christ, and the ability to be “in” Christ.
Jesus corrected Peter, since such a bath was not necessary. Leon Morris suggested that Jesus was saying to Peter, “Such a cleansing as you indicate is not necessary. Anyone who has lined up with me, has identified with me, has been washed by me, has no need to supplement that washing. That person is wholly cleansed.” 2 Jesus, the humble Servant, doesn’t leave us half dirty. He gives us the full measure of His forgiveness and makes us completely clean.
Question 3:
How would you explain Jesus making us completely clean to another person?
ENGAGE
Use the attitude scale to represent your current attitude toward Jesus’ offer to serve you. Your attitude will be further to the left if you have difficulty accepting his offer.
“Never wash my feet”----------“My head and hands as well.”
Ask Jesus to help you overcome pride and self-will to accept His offer to serve and cleanse you.
JOHN 13:14-16
14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you.
16 “Truly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him.
I once watched my grandpa dive into a pond to catch a catfish with his bare hands. The catfish was flopping off my hook, so my grandpa dove in, grabbed the catfish, and hoisted it out of the water before it could flip free and swim away. He was 65 at the time, which seems a little older than the average dirty pond diver. It should be clear he was a passionate fisherman, but he later admitted a regret to me: “I reckon I spent too much time fishing to amount to anything.” Then he encouraged me to give my time to the pursuit of Jesus and the mission of the church. My grandfather had shown me an incredible example of passion and commitment, but then he said, “Don’t do as I did, because it isn’t worth it.”
So, what is “worth it”? Jesus pointed us to the answer in verses 14-16: we find great worth in serving as Jesus served. “ ‘So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.’ ” This is another reminder of just who was doing the dirty work of washing feet that day. It was Jesus, their Master and Lord. The One with the authority was also the one with the towel. The Leader humbled Himself to serve.
He calls us to do the same. “Do just as I have done.” Jesus could have said that for no other reason than because He is God. He created us. What He says to do is what should be done. When the Creator speaks, the created should obey. Period. But Jesus wasn’t just ordering others to do something merely because He said so. He was calling us to be like Him. Do as I have done. His example motivates us.
Question 4:
What would be equivalent to washing other people’s feet for a Christ-follower today?
In verse 17, He reminds us, “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” Jesus went on to perform the greatest act of service: He sacrificed Himself. The One who told us to humble ourselves died for us. Shortly before Jesus went to the cross to pay the price for our sins, He promised to bless us for our humble obedience. This reality is all over God’s Word.
“ ‘If you follow my statutes and faithfully observe my commands, I will give you rain at the right time, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will bear their fruit’” (Lev. 26:3-4).
“Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that you may prosper and so that you may enter and possess the good land the Lord your God swore to give your ancestors” (Deut. 6:18).
“Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it” (Luke 11:28).
Christ has called us to reflect Him by how we serve others with humility. He modeled this service for us beautifully and clearly. He has promised to bless us as we obey.
Question 5:
What are some obstacles we face in serving others?
DIGGING DEEPER
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE SHADOWS
See the article to see how sacrificial servanthood plays out in the church today.
LIVE IT OUT
Serving others with humility doesn’t come easy. God will give us opportunities daily to model humble service to others. As you go about this week, ask God to keep the example of Jesus in mind as you look for ways to serve those around you.
Observe. Pay attention to those who have the responsibility of serving you. Create a list of the ways Jesus has sent others to serve you and thank Him for those people and ways. Take the initiative to express your gratitude to those who serve you.
Serve. Ask God to put one person on your heart whom you can serve this week.
Share. Ask God to put one person on your heart who has not experienced the cleansing of Jesus. Share with that person how Jesus has forgiven you.
END NOTES
1. Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995), 548.
2. Ibid, 549.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE SHADOWS
By Jeff Iorg
Shadow Christians are people who work in dimly lit margins, the shadows created by the spotlight shining on others. They are believers who serve quietly, often anonymously, doing the work that keeps churches, families, and communities functioning. Shadow Christians make an impact even when no one knows their names. They care for children, drive friends to the doctor, prepare meals for others to enjoy, give money to sustain ministries, and clean up after meetings. Shadow Christians are the unseen army — millions strong — who take their faith seriously, see themselves as role players in God’s grand plan, and seldom give any thought to being recognized for their service.
You are likely a shadow Christian. You do not have thousands of social media followers or influence anyone by writing a blog. In a celebrity-driven culture, where people are often famous for being famous, you may wonder if your service matters — to other people or even to God. The clear answer from the Bible is yes.
THE ANONYMOUS INSPIRERS
A few years ago, the story of some anonymous preachers in the Bible caught my attention. Their riveting story later motivated me to become a church planter. The Bible says, some “men from Cyprus and Cyrene” (Acts 11:20) arrived in Antioch and started preaching the gospel. The result was the founding of the church at Antioch, which many people consider the most consequential church in the New Testament. This church was so important because it was where the gospel was first preached widely among Gentiles. That was an important breakthrough and set the precedent for global gospel expansion reaching to our generation. Despite the significance of their work, the names of the Antioch founders were not recorded. This led me to a series of questions.
Why are some biblical people named and others not named? Why did Jesus call some by name and leave others in anonymity? Why are some singled out, by name, for relatively inconsequential contributions while others, not named, did things that changed the world?
Answering those questions led me to discover the importance of shadow Christians, believers who make a difference even when no one knows their names. Studying anonymous people in the Bible underscored two truths: God chooses and uses shadow Christians. More personally, this means your behind-the-scenes service matters to God.
AN UNNAMED NURTURER
One unnamed, middle-aged woman in the Bible illustrates this point. We meet her when she was bedridden with a high fever, too weak to greet Jesus when He arrived in her hometown. Her son-in-law, Peter, was one of Jesus’ followers, a rising leader in His kingdom movement, so Jesus stayed at Peter’s house. When Jesus arrived and found Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed, “he touched her hand, and the fever left her” (Matt. 8:15a). What a great moment that must have been! It deserved a big celebration or commemoration —but that’s not what happened.
Peter’s mother-in-law, known in history by her family title but not her name, “got up and began to serve him [Jesus]” (Matt. 8:15b). The details of her service are not included, but a phrase in the narrative hints at what it might have been. After staying at Peter’s house throughout the day, “when evening came” (Matt. 8:16), Jesus continued His ministry by performing exorcisms and healings. The demands of His evening ministry suggest Peter’s mother-in-law served Jesus by providing meals and a place for rest during the day. Her hospitality helped prepare Him for a long night of demanding ministry encounters. This unnamed woman got up from her sick bed to serve Jesus. She made sure He had food to eat, something to drink, and a comfortable place to rest. After being healed, she didn’t go on the speaking circuit describing her miraculous recovery. She went to the kitchen.
A SILENT SERVER
Inez was in her 70s when she and her husband, Glenn, learned about a church being planted in their area. They were old-school Baptists—hymns and the King James Version were their staples. Yet they also had a Baptist heart for reaching people with the gospel. Inez told me, “We want to help build a church to reach young families.” They joined our contemporary church to serve, not to be served. During worship services, they stood silently when everyone else sang worship songs. They were not protesting; they just did not know the newer songs.
Inez had a skill set and passion, however, every generation appreciates. She knew how to cook, organize events, create a welcoming environment, and make sure everyone had a good time. For several years, until she could not physically do it any longer, she coordinated the hospitality ministry of our growing church. Younger women eventually took over her role, but only after learning from Inez’s example of the importance of hospitality.
Shadow Christians set up the tables, install the décor, prepare the food, serve the meals, wash the dishes, mop the floor, and haul out the trash. The rest of us enjoy the benefits of the hard work of these dedicated servants—like Peter’s mother-in-law and a shadow Christian named Inez.
AND WHOEVER YOU ARE
Beyond this example, you may serve behind the scenes in many other ways. Perhaps you help prepare baptismal candidates, create flower displays for your church sanctuary, care for children during the worship service, or drive the church van to pick up your friends. If the years have slowed your mobility, you still reach out by writing notes to hurting people or making phone calls to those who are homebound. Even though no one may notice your service, God does! He values people who serve in the shadows, making a difference in the lives of others.
Shadow Christians are the invisible army working behind the scenes to make every church and ministry organization successful. If you are in their number (and even if no one else seems to notice), continue to serve with the confidence that your contribution matters and God values your work highly.
DR. JEFF IORG is the president of Gateway Seminary. He teaches leadership, preaching, and church ministry courses and speaks frequently on these subjects in conferences and other venues. He maintains a leadership blog and podcast at JeffIorg.com. [Lifeway Adults (NaN). (p. 14). Bible Studies for Life: Senior Adult Personal Study Guide - CSB - Spring 2022. Lifeway Press. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]
A Life of Humble Service
Question 1:
When have you seen someone go out of their way to serve others?
THE POINT
We reflect Christ when we serve others with humility.
THE PASSAGES
John 13:3-10,14-16
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
I read a lot of books about kings, swords, and medieval battles. I have discovered that these books of fantasy tend to highlight a fundamental flaw of humanity. In these fictional worlds, strong kings crush weak ones. The fastest blade wins. The frail end up serving the fearsome.
Of course, we don’t live in a time of swords and kings, but ours is still a world in which those with strength often oppress instead of support. In the real world, many in positions of power abuse it, but the strongest person in history set a different example. Jesus walked the earth with the power of God Himself, but He didn’t crush, kill, or overwhelm. He had power the world had never seen, but He used it to serve.
That is to be our way as well. Since being connected to Christ gives us opportunity for abundance, and since being like Jesus means becoming the person God wants us to be, then we should treasure humility. The God of heaven put on flesh and served the world. We reflect Christ powerfully when we serve with humility.
JOHN 13:3-5
3 Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into his hands, that he had come from God, and that he was going back to God.
4 So he got up from supper, laid aside his outer clothing, took a towel, and tied it around himself.
5 Next, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel tied around him.
KEY WORDS: Outer clothing (v. 4)—Jesus’ outer clothing was a long shawl. He covered His head with it for prayer and warmth. These were often made of heavy, uncolored wool.
God washed feet. Jesus wrapped a towel around His waist, poured some water, and washed some feet. Isn’t that incredible? Of course, when the God of heaven inhabited a human body and lived a life with regular people, it surely was going to lead to a few remarkable interactions, but Jesus washing His disciples’ feet has to be one of the more surprising scenes of His life.
Verse 3 helps us embrace the significance of this moment. The apostle John helps us appreciate Christ’s act of service by reminding us where Jesus came from and where He was going. Let us not be so focused on what Jesus did on this occasion that we forget who He is. He certainly didn’t. “Jesus knew … that he had come from God, and that he was going back to God.”
Jesus knew the power He had. Of course He knew, as His disciples did, the miracles He was capable of performing. Throughout John’s Gospel of Jesus’ life, we see stunning evidence of the fact that “the Father had given everything into his hands.”
Jesus healed an official’s son (John 4:46-54). Jesus simply said, “ ‘Your son will live’ ” (v. 50), and the dying boy was healed.
Jesus fed over five thousand people with only five loaves of bread and two fish (6:10-13). After telling his disciples, “ ‘Have the people sit down’ ” (v. 10), Jesus proceeded to multiply the food through His authority over everything.
Jesus walked on water (vv. 19-21). Jesus’ power over nature was so unsettling He had to encourage His followers, “ ‘Don’t be afraid’ ” (v. 20).
Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (11:41-44). It didn’t matter that Lazarus had been dead for four days. When Jesus “shouted with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ ” (v. 43), Lazarus wasn’t dead anymore.
That’s what the power of God looks like. Everything had been given into Jesus’ hands; He knew it, and He demonstrated it—but He also demonstrated humility.
Verse 3 also shows us Jesus knew where He had come from and where He was returning. “Jesus knew … that he had come from God, and that he was going back to God.” John’s Gospel began by pointing to the divine origin of Jesus.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created” (1:1-3).
Jesus created everything. Jesus has authority over everything. Jesus was about to die for the sin of the world, conquer death by being resurrected, and return to Heaven to rule forever. Jesus knew all this, yet with all that power and authority, what did He choose to do in this moment? He washed feet.
Don’t believe for a moment that this was simply a ceremonial act. No, Jesus’ example of service made a powerful point, but it was all the more powerful for the fact that it was lowly, filthy work. The One with the authority of everything in His hands knelt before the sandaled feet of working men who walked dirt roads. And He scrubbed. He didn’t just make the point; He did the job until their feet were dry.
It is an incredible example. We can find no greater model of humble service. We are called to be like Jesus. We have been given the privilege of being connected to the One true God who has everything in His hands. If Jesus can work, we can work. If Jesus can die to Himself, we can do likewise. When we see how He served through His miracles, through His selfless acts like this one in John 13, and ultimately, through His death on the cross, we are changed, and we are moved to be like Him. Through Jesus, we have the joy of humbly serving others.
Question 2:
Why are we sometimes unwilling to serve in seemingly menial tasks?
JOHN 13:6-10
6 He came to Simon Peter, who asked him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus answered him, “What I’m doing you don’t realize now, but afterward you will understand.”
8 “You will never wash my feet,” Peter said.
Jesus replied, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.”
10 “One who has bathed,” Jesus told him, “doesn’t need to wash anything except his feet, but he is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you.”
I grew up in a church that practiced foot washing. Most of the time, when the church shared the Lord’s Supper, we would follow that up by washing one another’s feet. It was a vivid reminder of Jesus’ example. As a young person, my dad washed my feet; he also was the principal of my school. My fifth-grade friend, the fastest kid I knew, washed my feet. One of the pastors washed my feet once. In that moment I thought, “There is now no higher foot-washing for me. I’ve had my heels toweled off by a man of the cloth.”
Peter’s experience put mine to shame. The One he had already acknowledged as the Messiah washed his feet (Matt. 16:16). If we struggle with the image of God washing feet, we are not alone. Peter strongly protested. Leon Morris points out that “his ‘you’ is emphatic, and in the Greek it is immediately followed by ‘my,’ thus placing the two in sharp contrast: ‘Lord, do you my feet wash?’ ” 1
Peter had not volunteered to wash feet, yet it made more sense for him to be washing Jesus’ feet. In typical Peter fashion, he stood his ground on the protestation. “ ‘You will never wash my feet.’ ”
Jesus’ response reveals that He offers more than clean feet. “ ‘If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.’ ” Jesus wanted Peter and the other disciples to understand that they needed to be made completely pure by the cleansing He offers. Just as water washes away filth and dirt from our bodies, so Jesus seeks to wash away the filth of our sin. This is not a reference to baptism—for baptism is only a symbol of the greater washing Jesus provides. “He saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). Jesus came so that through His perfect life, sacrificial death, and miraculous resurrection, the unclean could be made clean and fully take their place with Him.
Peter’s foot-washing protest set Jesus up to share that He can forgive sinners and make them clean. Just as Jesus humbled Himself and took on the servant’s task of washing feet, He humbled Himself further by taking our sin as His own and dying on the cross. “He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8).
The humility of Christ isn’t just the greatest example of power being used to serve others, it brings with it the most stunning and gracious outcome of serving others the world could ever know. Jesus’ humble act of dying on the cross for us was also singularly generous, for by it He offers us forgiveness, holiness, freedom, joy, and eternal life.
Peter wanted Jesus in his life, so he said, “ ‘Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.’ ” If it meant lining up with Jesus, Peter wanted the full bath! Isn’t that the heart of the true Christian? Those who want Jesus want all of Him. The gift of the gospel is a connection to Christ, friendship with Christ, and the ability to be “in” Christ.
Jesus corrected Peter, since such a bath was not necessary. Leon Morris suggested that Jesus was saying to Peter, “Such a cleansing as you indicate is not necessary. Anyone who has lined up with me, has identified with me, has been washed by me, has no need to supplement that washing. That person is wholly cleansed.” 2 Jesus, the humble Servant, doesn’t leave us half dirty. He gives us the full measure of His forgiveness and makes us completely clean.
Question 3:
How would you explain Jesus making us completely clean to another person?
ENGAGE
Use the attitude scale to represent your current attitude toward Jesus’ offer to serve you. Your attitude will be further to the left if you have difficulty accepting his offer.
“Never wash my feet”----------“My head and hands as well.”
Ask Jesus to help you overcome pride and self-will to accept His offer to serve and cleanse you.
JOHN 13:14-16
14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you.
16 “Truly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him.
I once watched my grandpa dive into a pond to catch a catfish with his bare hands. The catfish was flopping off my hook, so my grandpa dove in, grabbed the catfish, and hoisted it out of the water before it could flip free and swim away. He was 65 at the time, which seems a little older than the average dirty pond diver. It should be clear he was a passionate fisherman, but he later admitted a regret to me: “I reckon I spent too much time fishing to amount to anything.” Then he encouraged me to give my time to the pursuit of Jesus and the mission of the church. My grandfather had shown me an incredible example of passion and commitment, but then he said, “Don’t do as I did, because it isn’t worth it.”
So, what is “worth it”? Jesus pointed us to the answer in verses 14-16: we find great worth in serving as Jesus served. “ ‘So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.’ ” This is another reminder of just who was doing the dirty work of washing feet that day. It was Jesus, their Master and Lord. The One with the authority was also the one with the towel. The Leader humbled Himself to serve.
He calls us to do the same. “Do just as I have done.” Jesus could have said that for no other reason than because He is God. He created us. What He says to do is what should be done. When the Creator speaks, the created should obey. Period. But Jesus wasn’t just ordering others to do something merely because He said so. He was calling us to be like Him. Do as I have done. His example motivates us.
Question 4:
What would be equivalent to washing other people’s feet for a Christ-follower today?
In verse 17, He reminds us, “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” Jesus went on to perform the greatest act of service: He sacrificed Himself. The One who told us to humble ourselves died for us. Shortly before Jesus went to the cross to pay the price for our sins, He promised to bless us for our humble obedience. This reality is all over God’s Word.
“ ‘If you follow my statutes and faithfully observe my commands, I will give you rain at the right time, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will bear their fruit’” (Lev. 26:3-4).
“Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that you may prosper and so that you may enter and possess the good land the Lord your God swore to give your ancestors” (Deut. 6:18).
“Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it” (Luke 11:28).
Christ has called us to reflect Him by how we serve others with humility. He modeled this service for us beautifully and clearly. He has promised to bless us as we obey.
Question 5:
What are some obstacles we face in serving others?
DIGGING DEEPER
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE SHADOWS
See the article to see how sacrificial servanthood plays out in the church today.
LIVE IT OUT
Serving others with humility doesn’t come easy. God will give us opportunities daily to model humble service to others. As you go about this week, ask God to keep the example of Jesus in mind as you look for ways to serve those around you.
Observe. Pay attention to those who have the responsibility of serving you. Create a list of the ways Jesus has sent others to serve you and thank Him for those people and ways. Take the initiative to express your gratitude to those who serve you.
Serve. Ask God to put one person on your heart whom you can serve this week.
Share. Ask God to put one person on your heart who has not experienced the cleansing of Jesus. Share with that person how Jesus has forgiven you.
END NOTES
1. Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995), 548.
2. Ibid, 549.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE SHADOWS
By Jeff Iorg
Shadow Christians are people who work in dimly lit margins, the shadows created by the spotlight shining on others. They are believers who serve quietly, often anonymously, doing the work that keeps churches, families, and communities functioning. Shadow Christians make an impact even when no one knows their names. They care for children, drive friends to the doctor, prepare meals for others to enjoy, give money to sustain ministries, and clean up after meetings. Shadow Christians are the unseen army — millions strong — who take their faith seriously, see themselves as role players in God’s grand plan, and seldom give any thought to being recognized for their service.
You are likely a shadow Christian. You do not have thousands of social media followers or influence anyone by writing a blog. In a celebrity-driven culture, where people are often famous for being famous, you may wonder if your service matters — to other people or even to God. The clear answer from the Bible is yes.
THE ANONYMOUS INSPIRERS
A few years ago, the story of some anonymous preachers in the Bible caught my attention. Their riveting story later motivated me to become a church planter. The Bible says, some “men from Cyprus and Cyrene” (Acts 11:20) arrived in Antioch and started preaching the gospel. The result was the founding of the church at Antioch, which many people consider the most consequential church in the New Testament. This church was so important because it was where the gospel was first preached widely among Gentiles. That was an important breakthrough and set the precedent for global gospel expansion reaching to our generation. Despite the significance of their work, the names of the Antioch founders were not recorded. This led me to a series of questions.
Why are some biblical people named and others not named? Why did Jesus call some by name and leave others in anonymity? Why are some singled out, by name, for relatively inconsequential contributions while others, not named, did things that changed the world?
Answering those questions led me to discover the importance of shadow Christians, believers who make a difference even when no one knows their names. Studying anonymous people in the Bible underscored two truths: God chooses and uses shadow Christians. More personally, this means your behind-the-scenes service matters to God.
AN UNNAMED NURTURER
One unnamed, middle-aged woman in the Bible illustrates this point. We meet her when she was bedridden with a high fever, too weak to greet Jesus when He arrived in her hometown. Her son-in-law, Peter, was one of Jesus’ followers, a rising leader in His kingdom movement, so Jesus stayed at Peter’s house. When Jesus arrived and found Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed, “he touched her hand, and the fever left her” (Matt. 8:15a). What a great moment that must have been! It deserved a big celebration or commemoration —but that’s not what happened.
Peter’s mother-in-law, known in history by her family title but not her name, “got up and began to serve him [Jesus]” (Matt. 8:15b). The details of her service are not included, but a phrase in the narrative hints at what it might have been. After staying at Peter’s house throughout the day, “when evening came” (Matt. 8:16), Jesus continued His ministry by performing exorcisms and healings. The demands of His evening ministry suggest Peter’s mother-in-law served Jesus by providing meals and a place for rest during the day. Her hospitality helped prepare Him for a long night of demanding ministry encounters. This unnamed woman got up from her sick bed to serve Jesus. She made sure He had food to eat, something to drink, and a comfortable place to rest. After being healed, she didn’t go on the speaking circuit describing her miraculous recovery. She went to the kitchen.
A SILENT SERVER
Inez was in her 70s when she and her husband, Glenn, learned about a church being planted in their area. They were old-school Baptists—hymns and the King James Version were their staples. Yet they also had a Baptist heart for reaching people with the gospel. Inez told me, “We want to help build a church to reach young families.” They joined our contemporary church to serve, not to be served. During worship services, they stood silently when everyone else sang worship songs. They were not protesting; they just did not know the newer songs.
Inez had a skill set and passion, however, every generation appreciates. She knew how to cook, organize events, create a welcoming environment, and make sure everyone had a good time. For several years, until she could not physically do it any longer, she coordinated the hospitality ministry of our growing church. Younger women eventually took over her role, but only after learning from Inez’s example of the importance of hospitality.
Shadow Christians set up the tables, install the décor, prepare the food, serve the meals, wash the dishes, mop the floor, and haul out the trash. The rest of us enjoy the benefits of the hard work of these dedicated servants—like Peter’s mother-in-law and a shadow Christian named Inez.
AND WHOEVER YOU ARE
Beyond this example, you may serve behind the scenes in many other ways. Perhaps you help prepare baptismal candidates, create flower displays for your church sanctuary, care for children during the worship service, or drive the church van to pick up your friends. If the years have slowed your mobility, you still reach out by writing notes to hurting people or making phone calls to those who are homebound. Even though no one may notice your service, God does! He values people who serve in the shadows, making a difference in the lives of others.
Shadow Christians are the invisible army working behind the scenes to make every church and ministry organization successful. If you are in their number (and even if no one else seems to notice), continue to serve with the confidence that your contribution matters and God values your work highly.
DR. JEFF IORG is the president of Gateway Seminary. He teaches leadership, preaching, and church ministry courses and speaks frequently on these subjects in conferences and other venues. He maintains a leadership blog and podcast at JeffIorg.com. [Lifeway Adults (NaN). (p. 14). Bible Studies for Life: Senior Adult Personal Study Guide - CSB - Spring 2022. Lifeway Press. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]