The Humble Example

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.  “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.  Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.  Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”  John 13:12-17

There is this saying called ‘The Golden Rule,’ which simply states to do onto others as they do onto you.  To me, that was a very simple rule to follow.  It meant to treat those well when they have treated you well.  But if you do not know how one would treat you, you treat them as you would be wanted to be treated by setting the example.  Thus, if someone is either ungrateful or treated you poorly, you would dismiss them or treat them not as well as you would treat others.  Pretty basic I would say.  However, deep down something did not feel right when I applied the rule.  For example, someone who once mistreated me on the job years ago was let go from their job role months later.  Instead of feeling a bit of satisfaction and ease, there was a degree of sadness.  What would happen to them?  How would their family survive?  These were subtle thoughts in my mind, and a part of me wanted to reach back out to them to see how they were doing.  Unbelievably, I suddenly felt a bit of guilt.  Other times, how one would treat me had nothing to do with them at all.  It was my perception, which at times was not right.  It forced me to ask a tough question.  Why were others thrusted into challenging times while I was allowed to be relatively at peace?  It was that moment I felt God’s blessings and knew what it meant to be merciful.  I was given blessings that I did not feel worthy of and wished it upon others even if they may have deserved a far worse fate.  Moments like that can humble you.  It drives you to give to others simply because you acknowledge the blessings God has given even if it may seem fairly little to recipient.

We are to be humble servants to others because God humbled Himself before us.  A friend of mine told me of an initiation in a Christian college where the senior class would wash the feet of the incoming freshman class.  A small university in Kentucky does something similar for local elementary school students as part of their ministry.  These were acts based on the example set by Jesus Christ in today’s verses.  But if we see it as just an act or a symbol, we are not getting the point.  Hence, why Jesus asked, “Do you understand what I have done for you?”  He then added, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”  An example is just a point of clarity.  The point He was making is to do onto others as He has done onto us.  Put another way, the one who commands all authority would act toward us as if He was our servant even though He certainly does not have to that as our Lord.  Therefore, none of us are in any position to feel above another.  In Matthew 11:29, Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you.  Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”  Read a certain way, it means to humbly give our lives to Christ because He himself id humble and gentle at heart.  The principle in today’s verses is that we are given so many blessings from God, and as such, we are to give our lives in service to both Him humbly and joyfully and others whether we are a master, servant, or messenger.

Acts of humility are a sign of strength.  Not weakness.  It takes a great deal of strength to be in a position of authority to say, “I will put your needs above mine.”  This is by no means easy, and it can be particularly challenging to be selfless to one who does not see the world as we do.  As followers of Christ, our job is not to focus on their behaviors, beliefs, or actions.  Ours is to focus on our own imitation of the teachings of our Lord and Savior.  That is what matters.  Let us remember that in everything we do.  How will you humble yourself before Christ?  Where can you be humbler in your treatment of others?  My prayer is that we are driven by the humble example of Christ to do as He has done for us.  Amen.