John 13:12-17
The Example
Introduction
It’s a lot of fun with Evan right now because he is at the stage where he is starting to mimic things that we do. He mimics gestures that we make, which sometimes gets dad in trouble at the dinner table. It’s funny even to listen to him try to recreate sounds like, “vroom” or “beep” or the Gettysburg address. Recently Grandpa taught him how to pant like a dog and now that’s his favorite sound to make when he’s happy.
You learn something very quick as a parent, and that is that there is someone who is imitating you. You are an example to someone else.
Do you see yourself as an example?
Charles Spurgeon said, “A man's life is always more forcible than his speech. When men take stock of him they reckon his deeds as dollars and his words as pennies. If his life and doctrine disagree the mass of onlookers accept his practice and reject his preaching.”
I’ll tell you that you are more of an example to those around you then you know. Dad’s and Mom’s you are examples to your children. Husbands you are examples of Christ to your wife. If you’re a boss or an employee you are an example to your employees or your co-workers.
And don’t ever forget this: you are an example to your brothers and sisters in the church. I remember when I came to this church after becoming a Christian, learning from people in this church things about being a Christian. I looked to others to learn. They were examples to me.
Look around you – you are an example of who a Christian is and people are measuring their Christian walk by you in their own life. Now the question is, “Is your Christian life the kind of life our Father would want His other children to copy?”
Paul told young Timothy “Don’t you let anyone look down on you because you are young, but, set an example for the believers...” When others around me in the community are living to a higher standard it compels me to live to a higher standard. When the bar is set to a higher level, and, each of us holds ourselves accountable to live to that higher level of godliness, then, it also makes others feel accountable to live to that higher level. The spiritual maturity of the community increases.
It was my intention when I began as the pastor not to build an empire – a church of huge numbers. It is my ambition to build a church of huge spirituality – a church of spiritual depth and maturity. If God adds to our numbers then we will praise Him for it.
But if people are coming and there is no growing in godliness, then big or small we are………. Right after Paul talks in Philippians 3 about pressing on in godly living he says in verse 17, “Join with others in following MY EXAMPLE, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern (example) we gave you.”
Do you have that confidence that Paul had to call others to copy his Christian lifestyle? You might say, ‘Well Paul was Paul, I could never be like Paul’. Yes you can, as a matter of fact, Paul expected the churches to be like him which meant his example was one which could be copied.
Parent’s, if you want your kids to be examples of Christ when they grow up then give them the example. If you’re not confident of your example, then, get confident.
If I want all of you in this Church to be examples of Christ then it starts with me - I better be an example worth following myself. I better be able to say like Paul, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. Join together in following my example brothers”
But ultimately it’s not Paul we’re copying, it’s Jesus Christ. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Follow my EXAMPLE, for, I follow the EXAMPLE of Christ”. There it is. Christ is the ultimate example, the ultimate original, and we are all to be very good replicas.
The Main Point today is ‘Be an example of Jesus’ Example’. Jesus set an example for the disciples that night in John 13. It was an example that they were supposed to imitate. It was an example that He set for them, and, they were to copy that example for each other. They were to be an example of Jesus to each other. Did we get that? They were to be an example of Jesus to one another. This is so important because when they copied His example, they became living pictures of Jesus to one another. When they act like Jesus towards one another they represent Jesus to one another. Do you represent? Is your representation of Christ to your brothers and sisters in the Church a good replica?
The example that Jesus set was that of humility. Humility is defined as “showing a consciousness of one’s shortcomings; making yourself modest; to become lower in pride.”
This is a cardinal Christian virtue. God loves humility in a person. He absolutely loves it. “Whoever humbles himself will be exalted” Jesus said. And as much as He loves humility he hates pride and arrogance. “God opposes the proud; Whoever exalts himself will be humbled” and in Proverbs God mocks the proud.
Our response to the Example that Jesus set is to repeat that example. We are to be examples of His example. There are 3 points I want to make about our Response to the example of Jesus.
The Place for the Example (v12)
First, I want us to see the Place for the Example. In verse 12 it says, “When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place…”
The Place where Jesus set this example is very important. It is not the upper room. It was not at the head of the table. It was not at the place of prominence and prestige. It was on his knees. It was at the feet of those who were supposed to be at His feet. He served His brothers in the most sincere humility. That is the place of the example. The place where the example of Jesus is carried out is the lowest place of humility and modesty. It’s the place where self has been abandoned and the focus is on honoring others.
Listen, you’re not humble by accident. You’re certainly not humble by nature. You and I are humble intentionally when we are submitted to the Holy Spirit in our lives. Sometimes I hear people say if you’re humble you don’t know it – bologney. Humility is a trait that comes from a mind that is set on the Spirit of God. Romans 12 says, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment.” A couple verses later it says, “Honor one another above yourselves”. That is what Paul said in Romans and that is what Jesus did here in John 13 - He honored the disciples above Himself.
The key here is when it says that Jesus “returned to His place”. In other words, He went back to where He belonged – at the head of the table in the place of honor. He took time out to leave that place of honor and stoop down below His own rank and treat His disciples with more honor than Himself. Even though they were infinitely lower than Him He stooped down below them and washed their feet like He was the lowest slave.
I mentioned last week that this whole picture of what Jesus did in these verses is symbolic of His greater mission. There is a parallel in Philippians 2:6-9. He stooped down from heaven to come to earth. He removed His glory and put on human flesh – something far less glorious than His eternal glory as God. He came to serve, not to be served.
The reason this is the key is that Jesus came down from an honorary place He deserved to be at and lowered Himself willingly to a place that is beneath Him. And we need to come down from the high place of honor we hold ourselves at in order to wash the feet of others. We tend to think of ourselves as more than we ought to. Our natural response is to think that serving others for their benefit without any advantage for ourselves is a waste. We bend towards thinking “What’s in it for me?” and we want to advance self, not others. We are above acting like humble, lowly slaves. We think we have a rightful place ahead of others. We Jesus just showed us that we are to act like others are ahead of us and that our other brothers and sisters in Christ are better than us. “The greatest among you will be your servant” Matthew 23:11 and in Mark 9 He said it a different way, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
We have to stop treating our brothers and sisters as if they’re less than us, and, we have to start treating ourselves as if we’re less than them. When Jesus washed their feet, that’s how He acted. The place where He set the Example for us was at the feet of others. The place where we copy that example is at the feet of others.
The Premise for the Example (13-16)
Secondly, we see the Premise for the Example. Notice verse 13-14, “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 for you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.”
Some people understand this passage to be a 3rd church ordinance. In other words, in addition to the Lord’s Supper and Baptism, they believe that foot washing is a 3rd rite to be practiced by the church. However, I wouldn’t come to that conclusion from this passage.
First, because there is no other mention of foot washing as any kind of ordinance mentioned in the N.T. It’s not mentioned by any new testament writings as an ordinance within the church.
A second reason why is thatthe example of foot-washing emphasizes the attitude of a servant, not necessarily the action of foot-washing. That’s why Jesus says, “you should do AS I have done for you”, not, “what I have done for you.” In other words the attitude of Jesus AS He was washing their feet was one of humility.
That attitude of humility was to be in the disciples. Now, the premise, or basis for the humble slave-like service we give to each other is two-fold. First it is based on the High Authority of Jesus. He is our Teacher and our Lord. The Greek word for teacher is a term of respect. To call someone a teacher means that you recognize the instruction this person gives. You see them with great respect and you look to them for their instruction. Master is a good translation of that word.
Now, not only is Jesus their teacher, but, He is their Lord. This is another title that when used shows great honor and recognition of authority. We might couple these two titles together this way: Whereas the title “teacher” refers to Jesus as the One who we seek instruction from, “Lord” refers to His authority and our submission to whatever He instructs. As the teacher He gives the wise content of instruction, but, as Lord He has authority and commands obedience to His instruction.
Illustration of having authority
He is giving them instruction to wash one another’s feet and simply based on who He is that’s enough for them to obey.
So first, the humble, slave-like service we give to each other is based on the premise of the Authority of Jesus and our obligation to do what He commands. A Second reason is based on the Humble Actions of Jesus. “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” The point to see here is that if Jesus Christ who is the Lord of Glory actually got down on His knees and washed their feet, acting like a slave, then who are we not to do the same? This is an argument from the greater to the lesser. If the greater person did such a low task, should not the lesser person do likewise? After all, no servant is greater than his Master. Shouldn’t we eagerly give whatever form of humble service to each other we are afforded? Isn’t this how our love for one another is demonstrated? Isn’t that what Jesus says later in this chapter in verse 34, “A new command I give you: Love one another. AS I have loved you, so you must love one another.” No matter how low or how far beneath us we may see such a work, if we love each other as Christ loved us, there is no task too low for us to perform for each other.
In 1878, when William Booth’s Salvation Army was beginning to make its mark in history, men and women from all over the world began to enlist. One man, who had once dreamed of becoming a bishop, crossed the Atlantic from America to England to enlist. Samuel Brengle left a fine pastorate to join Booth’s Army. But at first General Booth accepted his services reluctantly and grudgingly. Booth said to Brengle, “You’ve been your own boss too long.” And in order to instill humility in Brengle, he set him to work cleaning the boots of other trainees.
Discouraged, Brengle said to himself, “Have I followed my own fancy across the Atlantic in order to black boots?” And then, as in a vision, he saw Jesus bending over the feet of rough, unlettered fishermen. “Lord,” he whispered, “you washed their feet; I will black their shoes
If we love each other as Christ loved us, there is no task too low for us to perform for each other.
The Promise of the Example (v17)
So we’ve seen the Place for the Example, and we’ve seen the Premise for the Example. Lastly, let’s look at the Promise of the Example. Notice verse 17, “Now that you know these things you will be blessed if you do them.”
Jesus makes a promise here: that if we do these things we will be blessed. It’s not unconditional blessings, it is conditional blessings. In other words, we have to do something before we get the blessing. That something is putting into practice that which we have learned from God’s Word. James 1:25 says, “The man who continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it, he will be blessed in what he does.”
I like what Warren Wiersbe says here about this passage, “Even in studying this section in John’s gospel can stir us emotionally or enlighten us intellectually, but it cannot bless us spiritually until we do what Jesus told us to do.”
Jesus asked the question in verse 12, “Do you understand what I have done for you?” Listen that’s the question before each one of us today – “Do we understand what Jesus has done for us?” Have we been changed by the Example Jesus Christ has given us? I think that until we are performing the humility that Jesus Himself performed here, we don’t understand. That’s why I would pray that each of us would become an example of Jesus’ Example here today.
The Example
Introduction
It’s a lot of fun with Evan right now because he is at the stage where he is starting to mimic things that we do. He mimics gestures that we make, which sometimes gets dad in trouble at the dinner table. It’s funny even to listen to him try to recreate sounds like, “vroom” or “beep” or the Gettysburg address. Recently Grandpa taught him how to pant like a dog and now that’s his favorite sound to make when he’s happy.
You learn something very quick as a parent, and that is that there is someone who is imitating you. You are an example to someone else.
Do you see yourself as an example?
Charles Spurgeon said, “A man's life is always more forcible than his speech. When men take stock of him they reckon his deeds as dollars and his words as pennies. If his life and doctrine disagree the mass of onlookers accept his practice and reject his preaching.”
I’ll tell you that you are more of an example to those around you then you know. Dad’s and Mom’s you are examples to your children. Husbands you are examples of Christ to your wife. If you’re a boss or an employee you are an example to your employees or your co-workers.
And don’t ever forget this: you are an example to your brothers and sisters in the church. I remember when I came to this church after becoming a Christian, learning from people in this church things about being a Christian. I looked to others to learn. They were examples to me.
Look around you – you are an example of who a Christian is and people are measuring their Christian walk by you in their own life. Now the question is, “Is your Christian life the kind of life our Father would want His other children to copy?”
Paul told young Timothy “Don’t you let anyone look down on you because you are young, but, set an example for the believers...” When others around me in the community are living to a higher standard it compels me to live to a higher standard. When the bar is set to a higher level, and, each of us holds ourselves accountable to live to that higher level of godliness, then, it also makes others feel accountable to live to that higher level. The spiritual maturity of the community increases.
It was my intention when I began as the pastor not to build an empire – a church of huge numbers. It is my ambition to build a church of huge spirituality – a church of spiritual depth and maturity. If God adds to our numbers then we will praise Him for it.
But if people are coming and there is no growing in godliness, then big or small we are………. Right after Paul talks in Philippians 3 about pressing on in godly living he says in verse 17, “Join with others in following MY EXAMPLE, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern (example) we gave you.”
Do you have that confidence that Paul had to call others to copy his Christian lifestyle? You might say, ‘Well Paul was Paul, I could never be like Paul’. Yes you can, as a matter of fact, Paul expected the churches to be like him which meant his example was one which could be copied.
Parent’s, if you want your kids to be examples of Christ when they grow up then give them the example. If you’re not confident of your example, then, get confident.
If I want all of you in this Church to be examples of Christ then it starts with me - I better be an example worth following myself. I better be able to say like Paul, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. Join together in following my example brothers”
But ultimately it’s not Paul we’re copying, it’s Jesus Christ. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Follow my EXAMPLE, for, I follow the EXAMPLE of Christ”. There it is. Christ is the ultimate example, the ultimate original, and we are all to be very good replicas.
The Main Point today is ‘Be an example of Jesus’ Example’. Jesus set an example for the disciples that night in John 13. It was an example that they were supposed to imitate. It was an example that He set for them, and, they were to copy that example for each other. They were to be an example of Jesus to each other. Did we get that? They were to be an example of Jesus to one another. This is so important because when they copied His example, they became living pictures of Jesus to one another. When they act like Jesus towards one another they represent Jesus to one another. Do you represent? Is your representation of Christ to your brothers and sisters in the Church a good replica?
The example that Jesus set was that of humility. Humility is defined as “showing a consciousness of one’s shortcomings; making yourself modest; to become lower in pride.”
This is a cardinal Christian virtue. God loves humility in a person. He absolutely loves it. “Whoever humbles himself will be exalted” Jesus said. And as much as He loves humility he hates pride and arrogance. “God opposes the proud; Whoever exalts himself will be humbled” and in Proverbs God mocks the proud.
Our response to the Example that Jesus set is to repeat that example. We are to be examples of His example. There are 3 points I want to make about our Response to the example of Jesus.
The Place for the Example (v12)
First, I want us to see the Place for the Example. In verse 12 it says, “When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place…”
The Place where Jesus set this example is very important. It is not the upper room. It was not at the head of the table. It was not at the place of prominence and prestige. It was on his knees. It was at the feet of those who were supposed to be at His feet. He served His brothers in the most sincere humility. That is the place of the example. The place where the example of Jesus is carried out is the lowest place of humility and modesty. It’s the place where self has been abandoned and the focus is on honoring others.
Listen, you’re not humble by accident. You’re certainly not humble by nature. You and I are humble intentionally when we are submitted to the Holy Spirit in our lives. Sometimes I hear people say if you’re humble you don’t know it – bologney. Humility is a trait that comes from a mind that is set on the Spirit of God. Romans 12 says, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment.” A couple verses later it says, “Honor one another above yourselves”. That is what Paul said in Romans and that is what Jesus did here in John 13 - He honored the disciples above Himself.
The key here is when it says that Jesus “returned to His place”. In other words, He went back to where He belonged – at the head of the table in the place of honor. He took time out to leave that place of honor and stoop down below His own rank and treat His disciples with more honor than Himself. Even though they were infinitely lower than Him He stooped down below them and washed their feet like He was the lowest slave.
I mentioned last week that this whole picture of what Jesus did in these verses is symbolic of His greater mission. There is a parallel in Philippians 2:6-9. He stooped down from heaven to come to earth. He removed His glory and put on human flesh – something far less glorious than His eternal glory as God. He came to serve, not to be served.
The reason this is the key is that Jesus came down from an honorary place He deserved to be at and lowered Himself willingly to a place that is beneath Him. And we need to come down from the high place of honor we hold ourselves at in order to wash the feet of others. We tend to think of ourselves as more than we ought to. Our natural response is to think that serving others for their benefit without any advantage for ourselves is a waste. We bend towards thinking “What’s in it for me?” and we want to advance self, not others. We are above acting like humble, lowly slaves. We think we have a rightful place ahead of others. We Jesus just showed us that we are to act like others are ahead of us and that our other brothers and sisters in Christ are better than us. “The greatest among you will be your servant” Matthew 23:11 and in Mark 9 He said it a different way, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
We have to stop treating our brothers and sisters as if they’re less than us, and, we have to start treating ourselves as if we’re less than them. When Jesus washed their feet, that’s how He acted. The place where He set the Example for us was at the feet of others. The place where we copy that example is at the feet of others.
The Premise for the Example (13-16)
Secondly, we see the Premise for the Example. Notice verse 13-14, “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 for you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.”
Some people understand this passage to be a 3rd church ordinance. In other words, in addition to the Lord’s Supper and Baptism, they believe that foot washing is a 3rd rite to be practiced by the church. However, I wouldn’t come to that conclusion from this passage.
First, because there is no other mention of foot washing as any kind of ordinance mentioned in the N.T. It’s not mentioned by any new testament writings as an ordinance within the church.
A second reason why is thatthe example of foot-washing emphasizes the attitude of a servant, not necessarily the action of foot-washing. That’s why Jesus says, “you should do AS I have done for you”, not, “what I have done for you.” In other words the attitude of Jesus AS He was washing their feet was one of humility.
That attitude of humility was to be in the disciples. Now, the premise, or basis for the humble slave-like service we give to each other is two-fold. First it is based on the High Authority of Jesus. He is our Teacher and our Lord. The Greek word for teacher is a term of respect. To call someone a teacher means that you recognize the instruction this person gives. You see them with great respect and you look to them for their instruction. Master is a good translation of that word.
Now, not only is Jesus their teacher, but, He is their Lord. This is another title that when used shows great honor and recognition of authority. We might couple these two titles together this way: Whereas the title “teacher” refers to Jesus as the One who we seek instruction from, “Lord” refers to His authority and our submission to whatever He instructs. As the teacher He gives the wise content of instruction, but, as Lord He has authority and commands obedience to His instruction.
Illustration of having authority
He is giving them instruction to wash one another’s feet and simply based on who He is that’s enough for them to obey.
So first, the humble, slave-like service we give to each other is based on the premise of the Authority of Jesus and our obligation to do what He commands. A Second reason is based on the Humble Actions of Jesus. “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” The point to see here is that if Jesus Christ who is the Lord of Glory actually got down on His knees and washed their feet, acting like a slave, then who are we not to do the same? This is an argument from the greater to the lesser. If the greater person did such a low task, should not the lesser person do likewise? After all, no servant is greater than his Master. Shouldn’t we eagerly give whatever form of humble service to each other we are afforded? Isn’t this how our love for one another is demonstrated? Isn’t that what Jesus says later in this chapter in verse 34, “A new command I give you: Love one another. AS I have loved you, so you must love one another.” No matter how low or how far beneath us we may see such a work, if we love each other as Christ loved us, there is no task too low for us to perform for each other.
In 1878, when William Booth’s Salvation Army was beginning to make its mark in history, men and women from all over the world began to enlist. One man, who had once dreamed of becoming a bishop, crossed the Atlantic from America to England to enlist. Samuel Brengle left a fine pastorate to join Booth’s Army. But at first General Booth accepted his services reluctantly and grudgingly. Booth said to Brengle, “You’ve been your own boss too long.” And in order to instill humility in Brengle, he set him to work cleaning the boots of other trainees.
Discouraged, Brengle said to himself, “Have I followed my own fancy across the Atlantic in order to black boots?” And then, as in a vision, he saw Jesus bending over the feet of rough, unlettered fishermen. “Lord,” he whispered, “you washed their feet; I will black their shoes
If we love each other as Christ loved us, there is no task too low for us to perform for each other.
The Promise of the Example (v17)
So we’ve seen the Place for the Example, and we’ve seen the Premise for the Example. Lastly, let’s look at the Promise of the Example. Notice verse 17, “Now that you know these things you will be blessed if you do them.”
Jesus makes a promise here: that if we do these things we will be blessed. It’s not unconditional blessings, it is conditional blessings. In other words, we have to do something before we get the blessing. That something is putting into practice that which we have learned from God’s Word. James 1:25 says, “The man who continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it, he will be blessed in what he does.”
I like what Warren Wiersbe says here about this passage, “Even in studying this section in John’s gospel can stir us emotionally or enlighten us intellectually, but it cannot bless us spiritually until we do what Jesus told us to do.”
Jesus asked the question in verse 12, “Do you understand what I have done for you?” Listen that’s the question before each one of us today – “Do we understand what Jesus has done for us?” Have we been changed by the Example Jesus Christ has given us? I think that until we are performing the humility that Jesus Himself performed here, we don’t understand. That’s why I would pray that each of us would become an example of Jesus’ Example here today.
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