A human being is not a mere cog existing for utility. We bear a responsibility that makes life possible for others, just as others make life possible for us. Jesus’ service during His time on earth brought relief to many people, especially those with disabilities. But the same truth applies to anyone whose eyes have been opened to see that the purpose of existence is to bring relief to fellow humans. A cleaner brings relief in a corporate organization, just as a tea brewer does.
Serving and being served are two principles that separate life from death: being served leans toward death, while serving leans toward life. Like other dichotomies, this world permits two behaviors to lead in opposite directions. A person either serves or is served. Being served appeals to humanity because it offers comfort. Serving others is associated with slavery and is abhorred. Most people aim at being served rather than serving. Yet the champion of our salvation emphasized serving others, not being served.
It is wrong to assume that Jesus was extraordinary in a way that exempts us from following His example. He sought to show an example of bringing relief to those struggling with various infirmities. He said that with faith as small as a mustard seed, nothing would be impossible to handle. Ordinary humanity dislikes challenges, but desires comfort—something possible when being served. When Jesus said He had come to grant freedom to prisoners, most people assumed this meant freedom from serving others.
Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” — Matthew 20:25–28 NIV
The toiling masses of this world aim at greatness. Schoolchildren aim at sterling results in order to achieve greatness, which they view as attracting veneration from others. In a misguided society, greatness is assumed to be achievable by being served rather than by serving others. Jesus said that whoever desires greatness must adopt the way of serving others. Celebrities, who attract the admiration of other people, offer another example of greatness achieved through service.
In sports, celebrities are considered achievers because of hard work in their professions. The same applies in other areas, where greatness is achieved through hard work. The meaningfulness of hard work depends on bringing joy to others. A hard-working farmer who reaps bountifully for himself is not necessarily in the category of greatness. This differs from a farmer whose bountiful harvests cater to the needy in his community.
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’”
— Luke 12:16–20 NIV
Ordinary people do not consider serving others admirable because of a culture of hierarchical categorization. Serving others is most despised, while being served draws admiration. On the contrary, being served is what leads to misery among poor nations and poor families. Yet those who selflessly serve others without expecting recompense are commonly the ones who reach the status of being idolized, as opposed to those who enslave others.
A person can either serve or be served. When occupied with serving, one can hardly be obsessed with the desire to be served. Jesus focused on serving people more than worrying about not being served. He was a hands-on man, serving people in their diverse challenges. Jesus performed great wonders on earth, all designed to serve humanity. The same can be said of a person who helps an elderly person struggling with heavy baggage. Wherever He was, Jesus served other people. There is no record showing that Jesus turned down anyone who sought service from Him. Humanity is instructed to do likewise.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.— Philippians 2:5–8 NIV
Bodyguards are commonly regarded as serving to protect their masters, and they may lose their lives while protecting them. Nothing appears amiss with that arrangement, except that it confirms the opposite of what Christianity demands. Serving in that manner is considered normal when risking one’s life to protect an important person. The tradition is that juniors are expected to give maximum protection to their masters, rather than masters protecting juniors. Bodyguards are trained to protect their masters effectively.
The difference between Jesus’ service to humanity and the protection service of bodyguards to their masters is that Jesus’ service was voluntary, while the bodyguards’ service is enforced. The principle of Christianity suggests that those assuming elevated positions should be the ones protecting the juniors, reversing the order that applies traditionally in this world. One cannot be one who is not of this world while pursuing what identifies with those of this world. Scriptural advice is that the followers of a great man should expect to be served by the great man, instead of the great man expecting to be served by followers.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others.” — Philippians 2:3–4 NIV
A master who exposes his bodyguards to death for the sake of his own protection would not be considering others as better than himself. He would be violating the above Scripture and therefore acting evil. He or she may be adored by those who serve him or her, just as worldly people commonly agree, but this should not be mistaken for true Christianity. Humanity’s trappings persist only where this principle is not understood.
Jesus had tight schedules on earth, yet no one catered to His personal needs. Even His closest disciples are not shown as having catered to His physical needs. He did not have a servant doing laundry or cooking for Him. At least those details are not shown in the Gospel books, except His teachings insisting on serving others rather than aiming for greatness in order to be served.
Jesus’ activities included handling complicated problems of humanity. Ordinary people loved Him as one capable of handling their physical challenges. To emphasize the principle of service in its true perspective, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, rather than the disciples washing His. He was highlighting the significance of service as a way of life among His disciples. One cannot be identified as a true Christian without applying the principle of service to others.
“The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”
— John 13:2–5 NIV
Jesus ensured that the lesson of service was demonstrated to His disciples before His departure to heaven. Rather than tell His disciples to wash one another’s feet, Jesus did the washing Himself. Everything else that followed could not have been as important as the lesson on service. What is relevant is that He did not instruct His disciples to wash His feet. He washed their feet, rather than having them wash His, to demonstrate what service really meant.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
— John 13:6–9 NIV
Simon Peter’s behavior simply followed the traditional custom in which the least important were supposed to wash the feet of their seniors. Peter had not understood Jesus’ teaching all along. Contrary to what many believe, he was not more informed than others. As the closest to the great Teacher, Peter ought to have understood that the greatest among them would be the servant, washing other people’s feet and not the one expecting to be served.
By desiring to wash Jesus’ feet, Peter assumed that this would impress Jesus, when the opposite was true. To Peter, displaying loyalty to Jesus was a sign of reverence toward the One he highly respected. But the opposite was true, since Jesus was the one displaying service, not the other way around. In his earnest zeal, Peter requested that Jesus wash his entire body. Peter’s character projected humanity’s common behavior.
Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean. — John 13:10–11 NIV
Jesus intended to instill a lesson about the principle of service as opposed to being served. His time of departure was at hand. Jesus needed to demonstrate the meaning of service to His disciples, as this was the most important among the various other disciplines He taught. The Holy Spirit would guide them into other aspects of the work. But the lesson of service was of utmost importance, as it needed demonstration.
Jesus was not selective about whose feet He would wash; He washed the feet of all twelve disciples, including those of the man who would betray Him. This was notwithstanding that He already knew Judas Iscariot’s intentions. The difference between Jesus and us is that Jesus was all-knowing. The aspect of loving one’s enemies was displayed at that point.
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 NIV
No other aspect of Jesus’ teachings can be considered more important than service, since it is what confers blessings on the disciples. The great Teacher had demonstrated the meaning of service, just in case those disciples had not understood it. After Jesus left, the disciples are not recorded as having washed each other’s feet as Jesus commanded them.
It is not one’s duty to evaluate the behavior of the disciples, whether they taught others according to Jesus’ instructions or not (Matthew 28:19–20). But we are grateful that His teachings were recorded for us to learn from. Jesus’ words should never be taken lightly by those sincerely desiring to be His followers. Those words are a matter of life and death.
Jesus was a Great Teacher. It is common knowledge that no other important personality could be regarded as a greater teacher. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.” In His teaching endeavor, Jesus demonstrated the art of service to His disciples. Christian believers, regarded as Jesus’ disciples today, are expected to apply this principle in order to receive the blessing He promised.
Modern Christianity seems to identify more with the activities of the early apostles rather than with the teachings and activities of Jesus. John 13:12–17 reveals that no other aspect of Jesus’ teaching can be more important than the principle of service. The meaning of service was demonstrated, leaving no guesswork among His disciples. Foot-washing must have been the most menial of all aspects of service, so Jesus chose it to emphasize the principle of service.
Another important lesson from Jesus’ teachings involved Peter’s handling when Peter sought to wash Jesus’ feet. Jesus stated that without Him washing Simon Peter’s feet, Peter would have no part with Jesus. What was of utmost importance was not Peter’s zeal in desiring to remain loyal to Jesus, but obedience. This is why even an individual’s intellectual capacity is not regarded as valuable as far as God is concerned.
To those insisting on observing the protocol of honouring pastors and elders, a great lesson must be observed in this footwashing exercise. Jesus was their leader, and as such, He washed the feet of the disciples. He did not say A leader among you should do as I have done, washing my disciples’ feet, but that they were to wash one another’s feet. The egalitarian principle, as instructed in washing one another’s feet among believers, was in perfect harmony with His teaching in Matthew 23:8-12.
What produces results is simply following instructions as commanded by the Master. The rest flows, not necessarily through hard work. At one stage, Jesus assigned His disciples a mission to preach the gospel. He specifically sent them to go to the lost children of Israel. They were not supposed to behave in any other way. But they were expected to apply exactly what was instructed, lest they fail to produce results.
“Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts—no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the Day of Judgment than for that town” — Matthew 10:9–15 NIV
When they returned, they were excited because the results were evident: The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name” (Luke 10:17). The only reason those disciples produced results was that they obeyed instructions during their expedition. However, Jesus spotted a serious flaw regarding the assumption of power to drive out demons. They sought to take credit that was not theirs, and Jesus decisively warned them: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18).
The work of Jesus does not depend on anyone’s own effort; it depends on obeying Jesus’ instructions without fail and remaining humble at all times. Any great work performed by any Christian in this world should be attributed to Jesus, so that people can see Jesus, even though He is physically absent. The aspect of service is the only instruction that Jesus declared would bring blessing if applied. The results would manifest only at the time of His second coming.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilisation, which lays out standards for lifting Zimbabwe out of its current economic depression and into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, offering relief to those who have witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book to be a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
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