Discovering Jesus | 11-03-24 | The Portrait of a Servant

Dr. Chuck Herring | John 13:1-20

In chapters 13 through 17, Jesus turned from a
public ministry to those who rejected Him to a
private ministry to those who received Him.
These chapters cover approximately 24-36
hours of Jesus’ ministry.
John 13:1… Now before the Feast of the
Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had
come that He would depart out of this world
to the Father, having loved His own who were
in the world, He loved them to the end.
Jesus knew that “His hour was come.” It was
time for the Lord Jesus to be glorified through
His death, resurrection, and ascension. John,
more than any other gospel writer, emphasized
the fact that Jesus lived on a “heavenly
timetable” as He did the Father’s will. Because
Jesus knew who He was, where He came from,
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“Discovering Jesus” (John’s Gospel)
what He had, and where He was going, He was
complete master of the situation.1
“He loved them to the end”
— This means that
His love for them was perfect and complete.
Paul described the Lord’s love for those who
receive Him by faith…
Ephesians 3:17–19… so that Christ may dwell
in your hearts through faith; and that you,
being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be
able to comprehend with all the saints what is
the breadth and length and height and depth,
19 and to know the love of Christ which
surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled
up to all the fullness of God.
Interview Mike and Allison Amick—Allison,
what would you consider to be your most
selfless act of serving the Lord and others?
Mike, what are two or three blessings you have
received as a result of serving the Lord by
serving others?
1 Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol.
1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 345.
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I suppose you’ve already guessed the
foundational truth of today’s sermon—SERVE
THE LORD BY SERVING OTHERS! Grab one of
the “serve cards” from the seat back in front of
you. You will notice several opportunities to
serve. If you use the QR Code on the screen,
you will be introduced to even more chances to
actively serve the Lord by serving others.
John 13:2-4… During supper, the devil having
already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot,
the son of Simon, to betray Him, 3 Jesus,
knowing that the Father had given all things
into His hands, and that He had come forth
from God and was going back to God, 4 got up
from supper, and laid aside His garments; and
taking a towel, He girded Himself.
Verse 2— The attention shifts from Christ’s
love to the satanic darkness of Judas’s heart. In
this surreal scene in the upper room, the devil
had already planted within the heart of Judas
Iscariot a sinister desire to betray the dear Son
of God.
Verses 3-4— Having walked through the dirt
streets of Jerusalem to the upper room, the
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disciples’ feet would have been dirty. One of
the Twelve should have volunteered to wash
the feet of the others. But, according to Luke’s
gospel, they were too busy arguing about who
was greatest among them. They totally ignored
the Lord’s clear teaching…
Matthew 23:11… “But the greatest among you
shall be your servant.”
By stressing Jesus’ exaltation, John is about to
reveal the depth of His humility and love.
1. THE EXAMPLE OF SERVANTHOOD
John 13:5… Then He poured water into the
basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet
and to wipe them with the towel with which
He was girded.
The Gospel of John has been building to this
point, when the Lamb would offer His body and
His blood as the perfect, atoning sacrifice for
the sin of a broken, fallen world. For him to
stop at this tender moment to wash the feet of
his disciples is significant. This task was
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normally assigned to Gentile slaves. Jewish
slaves could not be forced to do this.
The idea of serving the Lord and serving people
should not have caught these guys by surprise.
It’s a common theme throughout the Old
Testament and the New Testament.
Psalm 100:2… Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing.
Joshua 24:15…
“If it is disagreeable in your
sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves
today whom you will serve: whether the gods
which your fathers served which were beyond
the River, or the gods of the Amorites in
whose land you are living; but as for me and
my house, we will serve the LORD.”
Romans 12:10–11… Be devoted to one
another in brotherly love; give preference to
one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in
diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.
Mark 10:45… “For even the Son of Man did
not come to be served, but to serve, and to
give His life a ransom for many.”
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Romans 1:1… Paul, a bond-servant of Christ
Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the
gospel of God.
2 Peter 1:1… Simon Peter, a bond-servant and
apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have
received a faith of the same kind as ours, by
the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus
Christ.
Jesus is the perfect example of a servant. Now I
want you to notice…
2. THE EXPLANATION OF SERVANTHOOD
John 13:6–11… So He came to Simon Peter. He
said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” 7
Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do
you do not realize now, but you will
understand hereafter.” 8 Peter said to Him,
“Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus
answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have
no part with Me.” 9 Simon Peter said to Him,
“Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also
my hands and my head.” 10 Jesus said to him,
“He who has bathed needs only to wash his
feet, but is completely clean; and you are
clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew the
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one who was betraying Him; for this reason
He said, “Not all of you are clean.”
Peter was appalled and shocked. For a superior
to wash the feet of an inferior was unheard of
in either Jewish or Roman culture. He and the
rest of the disciples could not grasp the full
significance of this moment until Jesus had died
on the cross for their sins and had been
resurrected from the dead.
“Washing (bathing)” is a common biblical
metaphor for spiritual cleansing (Ezek. 36:24–
27; Titus 3:5; Heb. 10:22). Only those who
repent and place their faith in Jesus Christ as
Lord and Savior receive forgiveness and the gift
of eternal life.
Peter missed the Lord’s point. Jesus explained
in greater detail,
“He who has bathed needs
only to wash his feet.” Spiritually speaking,
those who have already bathed (been
redeemed and saved) do not need to take
another bath every time their feet get dirty.
This refers to the sin believers commit. They
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simply need to wash their feet—to confess
their sins to the Lord.
1 John 1:9… If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
To be a true servant of our Lord and to be able
to serve others effectively we need to be
saved, to be clean before the Lord, and to be
filled with love and humility!
3. THE EXPECTATION OF SERVANTHOOD
The primary truth Jesus wanted the disciples to
learn and to implement was that of humble,
loving service.
John 13:12–20… So when He had washed their
feet, and taken His garments and reclined at
the table...