A few weeks into a new school year, Susan Moser, a mother from Pennsylvania, asked her young son what he thought of first grade. With enthusiasm, he replied, "Oh, I love school. It's great!" Then, after a brief hesitation, he added. "Well, except for one thing . . . I don't really like it when Mrs. Decker tries to teach us stuff." (1)
Well, that's a problem, isn't it? Some of our students here can attest to the fact that learning isn't all fun and games. It can be frustrating for both the student and the teacher.
Jesus' disciples would certainly agree with that first-grader. They didn't like it much when he tried to teach them "stuff." Imagine Jesus' frustration, on the other hand, as he tried to teach his disciples to live a Kingdom lifestyle here on earth. They wanted an earthly kingdom of might and power. He taught them about a heavenly kingdom of love and grace. They wanted quick results. Jesus taught the value of patience and perseverance. The disciples wanted easy answers. Jesus challenged them to ask different questions.
In our Bible passage for today, Jesus knows that he will be returning to the Father soon. He will be leaving his disciples to carry on his message. And so Jesus takes this opportunity to teach them one last valuable lesson. As our first verse says, "Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love." And then Jesus did the last thing anyone ever expected he would do. He wrapped a towel around his waist and began washing their feet.
In Jesus' day the washing of feet was a task reserved not just for servants but for the lowest of servants. Every circle has its pecking order, and the circle of household workers was no exception. The servant at the bottom of the totem pole was expected to be the one on his knees with the towel and basin.
Author Max Lucado writes, "In this case the one with the towel and basin is the king of the universe. Hands that shaped the stars now wash away filth. Fingers that formed mountains now massage toes. And the one before whom all nations will one day kneel now kneels before his disciples. Hours before his own death, Jesus's concern is singular. He wants his disciples to know how much he loves them. More than removing dirt, Jesus is removing doubt." (2)
What profound words: "More than removing dirt, Jesus is removing doubt."
Philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, "All persons are puzzles until at last we find some word or act (which is) the key to the man, to the woman; straightaway all their past words and actions lie in light before us."
This moment, this act of washing his disciples' feet, is the key to understanding all of Jesus' past words and actions. What is he saying here? "My love for you knows no end. You are precious to me, so precious that no sacrifice is too great for you." As you picture Jesus kneeling in front of his disciples, remember this: He knew that within a matter of hours, all of these men would desert him. At his hour of greatest need, they would fail him. Judas was already plotting against him. Peter would soon deny him. What did Jesus think he was doing? That's easy. He was showing them "the full extent of His love." In this moment, Jesus is giving them the most forceful, unmistakable example of what agape love--unconditional, undeserved, sacrificial, no strings attached love--is all about.
AGAPE LOVE WILL GO TO ANY LENGTHS FOR THE SAKE OF OTHERS. It cannot stoop too low, hang on too long, or suffer too much for the sake of its loved ones. Now I am not advocating that someone stay in an abusive relationship for the sake of love. Abuse is not, and never will be, love. But status-seeking and selfishness never interfere with acts of agape love.
Many years ago, a sticky situation arose at the wedding ceremony for the Duke of York. All the guests and the wedding attendants were in place. Majestic organ music filled the sanctuary of Westminster Abbey. But something was wrong. As part of the marriage ceremony, the Duke and his bride were to kneel on a cushioned bench to receive a blessing. A nervous whisper spread through the congregation as guests noticed that one of the cushions from the kneeling bench had fallen on the floor. Most of the attendants standing near the kneeling bench had royal blood lines; at the very least, they were all from the upper crust of British society. To reach down and pick up the pillow would have been beneath them. They all pretended to ignore the misplaced pillow until finally the Prince of Wales, who was a groomsman, picked it up and returned it to the bench. (3)
That may not impress us very much, but in a society that is as class-conscious as British society is, this was an extraordinary act.
We may laugh, but it is no easier to ignore status in American society. The hunger for status springs from our own insecurities. Many of us carry around a deep wound, a huge question mark where a healthy self-image should be.
According to Lawrence O. Richards only someone who is secure in his/her identity can humble himself and become a servant to others. John, chapter 13 verse 3, mentions that Jesus had come from the Father and knew that he was returning to the Father. He had no qualms about his identity. He was not threatened or diminished in any way by his humbling himself. He chose his servanthood. It is those who are insecure in their identity that must constantly strive to appear great, or in control. Humility is threatening to those who don't know who they are. (4)
Pastor Bill Hybels' father was an ambitious, successful businessman with a busy schedule. Yet Hybels' father always carved out one afternoon a week to spend with a group of mentally disabled women at a local hospital. For twenty-five years, he led a Sunday afternoon song service with these women. He knew each woman by name, and treated each with respect. These women couldn't do much for him in return. Still, he found great joy in serving them. (5)
What would motivate a successful, busy executive to spend time with poor, women with limited intelligence? What kind of love doesn't expect anything in return? This kind of love costs us something. It is inconvenient. It is messy. It is sacrificial. It hurts. This kind of love makes no sense. And that's why it is so powerful.
OUR ACTS OF AGAPE LOVE TOWARD OTHERS ARE THE BEST EVIDENCE WE CAN GIVE THE WORLD OF THE REALITY OF JESUS.
In his first church assignment, Pastor Ron Mehl learned that one of his many responsibilities was to watch out for Jim. Jim was an alcoholic. Jim had the annoying habit of calling almost every Friday night at some ungodly hour and asking Pastor Mehl for a ride home from the local bar. Many times, Pastor Mehl considered saying no, but he never did. Instead, he would drag himself out of bed and drive down to the local bar. Then, he would help Jim out of the bar. When Jim was this drunk, he usually did one of two things: talk incessantly, or throw up. Can you imagine spending your Friday nights with an obnoxious drunk? How would you feel about mopping vomit out of your car? At what point would you say, "I don't have to take this anymore. This guy can take a hike?" But Pastor Mehl didn't have the heart to tell him off.
It took years of this kind of love before Jim finally came around. But eventually, he gave up the booze and became one of Pastor Mehl's most committed, fruitful church members. (6)
If we could peek into the lives of those around us, we would see many acts of agape love in everyday lives. Think of the nurse who spends her days cleaning out bedpans and setting up IV bags. Her patients are too stressed out to show their gratitude. The father who cleans up after a sick child. The wife who patiently cares for her husband with Parkinson's disease. The teacher who spends a few extra minutes working with a slower student. The young woman who raises money for charity. The man or woman who does an act of kindness for someone who can never pay them back. This is the love that honors God and embodies Christ, and it has the power to change lives.
Roy Hanschke had been praying for an opportunity to tell his neighbors about Jesus. But rather than opening a door for him, God seemed to be leading Roy to visit his neighbor, Jim, who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. On their first visit together, Jim asked Roy to teach him to pray.
This was a more difficult task than you might imagine. Jim's mind was fogged by large doses of pain-killers. At first Roy didn't know how to pray with him. But he listened carefully to Jim's thoughts and fears. Then he went home and wrote out a prayer based on their conversation. The light in Jim's eyes showed that he relished these prayers.
When Jim died, the family asked Roy to perform the eulogy. As Roy looked out over the gathered family and friends, he saw all his neighbors there. Once, he had prayed that God would allow him to witness to his neighbors. Now God had opened the door. He used that opportunity to share Jim's faith and his many prayers with them. (7)
To all those who love through the difficult times . . . To all those who don't let status get in the way of service . . . To all those who give without expecting anything in return . . . To all those who do the jobs that society looks down on . . . Look in the mirror. That's the face of Jesus you see looking back at you.
1. Susan P. Moser, Pennsylvania "Small talk," TODAY'S CHRISTIAN WOMAN, Sept./Oct. 1996, p. 41.
2. Max Lucado, JUST LIKE JESUS (Nashville: Word Publishing, 1998), p. 18.
3. George C. Pidgeon
4. Richards, Lawrence O., THE 365-DAY DEVOTIONAL COMMENTARY (Colorado Springs, Colo.: ChariotVictor Publishing, 1990), p.793.
5. Bill Hybels, MAKING LIFE WORK (Downers Grove, ILL.: InterVarsity Press, 1998), pp.170-171.
6. Ron Mehl. MEETING GOD AT A DEAD END (Sisters, OR.: Multnomah Books, 1996), pp.186-187.
7. "The Answered Prayer" by Roy Hanschke in Linda Evans Shepherd, HEARTSTIRRING STORIES OF LOVE (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000),pp.62-66.