Be Willing to Be a Servant for Jesus   

I have an important temporary new job. I’m currently performing the duties of a towel – that’s right, a towel. As my wife recovers from knee surgery, she is doing some recommended exercises to help regain her range of motion. In a couple of those exercises, she was instructed to pull on the ends of a towel stretched across the heel of her foot in order to add pressure as she bends her knee or lifts her leg in order to extend it. The only problem is that while pulling on the towel, she aggravated her bad shoulder. So now I’m substituting for her towel, helping to push her leg in the desired positions for those particular exercises. I guess I can add that impressive duty to my job resume – pastor, author, church association director, and…towel.

It reminds me of a couple of incidents recorded in the Gospels. On one occasion Jesus grabbed a towel and a basin of water while proceeding to wash the feet of His disciples. He carried out the most menial of tasks that would normally have been performed by the servant of the lowest rank. Afterwards Jesus explained to His disciples the lesson He was trying to teach them through that humble act of service. “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:13-15). I don’t know that Jesus was encouraging the literal practice of washing the feet of other people, but He was certainly seeking to instill an attitude of humility and service in the hearts of His followers. No job in serving God and helping others should be considered “beneath us.” We should be willing to stoop to whatever level necessary in order to express our love for the Lord and our love for others.

The second incident this brings to mind is the time when a woman came to Jesus, washing His feet with her tears and drying them off with her hair. She literally made herself a towel for Jesus. While some were critical of this woman and what she did, Jesus commended her. Her unusual actions were an expression of her deep devotion to the Lord and her gratitude for the forgiveness of her sins which He offered to her. Do we so love Jesus that we’re willing to show that devotion by taking on the role of a servant? It’s not only about helping other people, but also about serving the Lord out of gratitude and love for what He’s done for us.

Over the years I’ve encountered far too many individuals who profess to be followers of Jesus who were unwilling to do certain tasks or to go to certain places to serve because of an elevated view of themselves and their position. Sometimes I hear pastors seeking volunteers from their congregants to take care of some menial task around the church facilities or grounds. While there is a place for delegating and encouraging people to get involved, in certain situations I’ve wanted to interject, “Why not do it yourself, or at least volunteer to get in there and do it with your people. Give them an example to follow. Be a servant-leader.” We all have to guard against the attitude of thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to and losing sight of our role as a servant of the Lord.

Let’s show our love to God and His love to others by serving, even if it means washing feet – and even if it means being a towel.