One of the most awkward moments I’ve found over the years is when I have been in a Bible study group where the leader tells the group: “whoever wants to pray, start us off!” That’s when the awkward silence begins. Who will be the first one to pray? Who is the least concerned with how he or she is going to sound? The leader is calling for someone to take the initiative! Jesus is calling for you and me to take the initiative! Why? Because he did, and so should we.
As the “beautiful catastrophe” of The Cross was drawing near, the twelve disciples of Jesus were still living in ignorance to the mission of Jesus Christ. He had told them many times that he must “die for the sins of the world.” Somehow, they were oblivious to his missional words, like a five-year-old staring down at a bowl of sugar cereal while his mother is trying to get him to go clean his room and make his bed. They weren’t listening, so Jesus took matters into his own hands.
In a shocking display of humility, Jesus got up from the table where they were all sitting, and he began to wash their feet. Wrapping a towel around his waist as he stripped down to a loin cloth (undergarment), Jesus began to do what only the most menial of servants in the household was required to do. Since they were at a “secret dinner” with no servants available, Jesus took the initiative when no one else would.
The “crazy disconnection” is that every one of the disciples would have been willing to wash Jesus’ feet, but they were “too good” to wash each other’s feet. Are you and I guilty of the same mentality? We say that we love God, and somehow, we don’t love others...in action. Over the years, I have heard people say that they “love Jesus but hate the church.” Granted, the American church has done a lot of things that have warranted a lack of trust from people, but make no mistake, you cannot separate Jesus from his church. Notice what the Apostle John said about this in 1 John 4:20: “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” This seems pretty clear-cut to me.
Jesus had been faithful to love his disciples through “thick and thin.” He knew that they would soon abandon him for a time, and even Peter would deny knowing him. He knew that “times were about to get tough and confusing!” It kind of reminds me of our present day in America. From political unrest to moral indifference to financial devastation, we must “sure up” our priorities and mission. Jesus’ whole reason for washing his disciples’ feet was to prepare them for future service that had the Kingdom of God in view. That’s why he took the initiative!
What initiative do you need to take? Maybe it’s refocusing your family on Biblical priorities removing worldly influences. Maybe it’s serving in a ministry to influence others and model for your children. Maybe it’s confronting sin that has gotten its tentacles into the lives of people who you love. No matter what it is, we need to be willing to “take the initiative” in the same way that Jesus did! Ultimately, his purpose in washing his disciples’ feet was to prepare them for sacrificial service.
Sometimes taking the initiative can be awkward, but it’s your destiny! There is so much to be gained when we decide to be servant-leaders for Christ! The time is now. Be a leader. Be a servant leader.
As the “beautiful catastrophe” of The Cross was drawing near, the twelve disciples of Jesus were still living in ignorance to the mission of Jesus Christ. He had told them many times that he must “die for the sins of the world.” Somehow, they were oblivious to his missional words, like a five-year-old staring down at a bowl of sugar cereal while his mother is trying to get him to go clean his room and make his bed. They weren’t listening, so Jesus took matters into his own hands.
In a shocking display of humility, Jesus got up from the table where they were all sitting, and he began to wash their feet. Wrapping a towel around his waist as he stripped down to a loin cloth (undergarment), Jesus began to do what only the most menial of servants in the household was required to do. Since they were at a “secret dinner” with no servants available, Jesus took the initiative when no one else would.
The “crazy disconnection” is that every one of the disciples would have been willing to wash Jesus’ feet, but they were “too good” to wash each other’s feet. Are you and I guilty of the same mentality? We say that we love God, and somehow, we don’t love others...in action. Over the years, I have heard people say that they “love Jesus but hate the church.” Granted, the American church has done a lot of things that have warranted a lack of trust from people, but make no mistake, you cannot separate Jesus from his church. Notice what the Apostle John said about this in 1 John 4:20: “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” This seems pretty clear-cut to me.
Jesus had been faithful to love his disciples through “thick and thin.” He knew that they would soon abandon him for a time, and even Peter would deny knowing him. He knew that “times were about to get tough and confusing!” It kind of reminds me of our present day in America. From political unrest to moral indifference to financial devastation, we must “sure up” our priorities and mission. Jesus’ whole reason for washing his disciples’ feet was to prepare them for future service that had the Kingdom of God in view. That’s why he took the initiative!
What initiative do you need to take? Maybe it’s refocusing your family on Biblical priorities removing worldly influences. Maybe it’s serving in a ministry to influence others and model for your children. Maybe it’s confronting sin that has gotten its tentacles into the lives of people who you love. No matter what it is, we need to be willing to “take the initiative” in the same way that Jesus did! Ultimately, his purpose in washing his disciples’ feet was to prepare them for sacrificial service.
Sometimes taking the initiative can be awkward, but it’s your destiny! There is so much to be gained when we decide to be servant-leaders for Christ! The time is now. Be a leader. Be a servant leader.