A QUICK LESSON IN HAPPINESS
John 13:12-17 NLT
12 After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, "Do you understand what I was doing? 13 You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and you are right, because that's what I am. 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16 I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. 17 Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.
Jesus had just washed the feet of the disciples. Peter had some strong objections to Jesus washing his feet. The servant's role of foot washing was typically reserved for the lowest slave in the house. It was considered the least desirable job for a servant; one they were more than willing to pass along. So for Jesus to wash His disciples' feet was considered way beneath Him, and it had to have made the disciples uncomfortable. Peter just voiced what everyone was thinking. On another note, John tells us in verse eleven that Jesus knew who was going to betray Him and yet He still washed the feet of Judas—an amazing display of discipline and composure.
Jesus, who was not at all concerned with positional leadership or status, gave the disciples an object lesson. He knew they would not understand it in the moment, but they would later. Later, the Holy Spirit would teach them the importance of servant leadership. When the church was in its infancy, it would need servant-minded leaders who were not jockeying for power and position. The modern church still needs the same. Jesus' message was that if He, their Lord and Teacher, could wash their feet, then they could do the same for each other. No doubt the actual job of foot washing continued, but what was more important was the principle of serving one another with humility. It took humility for Jesus to wash their feet, and humility would be vital to the establishing of the church. The church of Jesus Christ was to be founded on serving, not posturing.
Jesus brought additional clarity by telling His guys that the slave was not above his master. Jesus was the Master, and we are His slaves. Maybe servant seems to be a softer word, but in truth, we belong to Him, not to ourselves. We absolutely have the choice, but choosing to serve is the smart move. If our Master served, then we are not out of His league; we do the same. In the Kingdom of God, there is only one Master, and we are His servants. Jesus is the One who sends the message; we are the messengers. The One who sends the message is the greater. If we are smart, we will know these things. Knowing them will help us do things His way. And doing things His way is the key to happiness.
The King James Version renders verse seventeen as different from blessed, "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." Blessed also works, but here is a key to happiness. Looking to serve and be a blessing to others as opposed to being served. The striving to climb the positional ladder does not work well in God's Kingdom. The church of Jesus is littered with people who have forgotten the key to happiness. Their sad stories of fallen glory are not a blessing to anyone. Jesus is the Star, and the rest of us are the supporting cast. Jesus is the Master, the rest of us are His servants. He is The Message. We are simply messengers.
If you want to be happy in your life. Skip the striving and the strife. Look to serve and look to bless. And let the Lord take care of the rest.