There’s always a risk that the rise from being an average person to one who becomes famous will have some detrimental side effects. Fame has a tendency to go to the head if the feet aren’t still firmly planted on the ground. We see those effects reported often in the press when our stars fall from grace.

The time was coming when Jesus knew he would be betrayed so I guess He needed to prepare the disciples for life after He’d gone. He knew that humility would be key. If ministry at any level is going to be successful it can never be about the minister. It must always be about the person (or people) being ministered to and about God. The demonstration Jesus gave at dinner must have blown the socks off the disciples (if you’ll pardon the pun!). For an esteemed leader to go on his knees before his subordinates and do the job of a servant wasn’t just unusual it was so counter cultural and so demeaning to do that it simply NEVER happened. But in that moment Jesus demonstrated how the Kingdom of Heaven is supposed to work. We are supposed to do this very simple thing – we are supposed to put aside our notions about self-importance, self-esteem and personal pride and get down on our knees to do whatever needs to be done for those around us. Even when it means doing something that we might find demeaning or even, dare I say it, disgusting. It really doesn’t matter who we are – rock star, movie star, politician or King of the nation we are all called to serve God and serve one another. It is the reason why King Charles declared at his coronation that “I have not come to be served but to serve.”

The betrayal of Judas that would follow the foot washing and Peter’s later denial must have been all the more painful for the 2 perpetrators to bear when they came to understand the scale of this particular bit of practical, down to earth teaching. In the end it was too much for Judas to bear and he took his own life.

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Question:

What do you find too difficult or too demeaning to do for others? What are you doing to overcome your feelings so that you might be a better servant?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus let me never be someone who walks away from someone in need. I give You my permission to prick my conscience and nudge my spirit if You need me to be a better servant. I ask for the glory of Your Kingdom. Amen.