Jesus the Servant-Pt. I
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
A Humble Act
A Humble Act
When you think of the word “humble” what do you think of?
Hopefully you think of Jesus as humble, in fact there are many scriptures that deal with being humble are there not? In our passage tonight Jesus does not speak of being humble He displays it. He will speak of His actions next week, but this week He examples it.
Alexander Mcclaren wrote about chapters 13-17: “nowhere else in His speech at once so simple and so deep. Nowhere else have we the heart of God so unveiled to us. . . The immortal words which Christ spoke in that upper chamber are His highest self-revelation in speech, even as the Cross to which they led up is His most perfect self-revelation in act.”
When you think of “servant” what do you think of?
Remember Jesus did not come to serve did He?
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
(Passage)
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.
2 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.
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.
When did this transpire, do we have a time stamp on this?
Name the characters, players in this part of the drama being played out.
What has been given unto Jesus hands? Where did you find that answer?
When did Jesus get up from the supper? Look carefully, you can find the answer.
Jesus and His last formal time with Disciples
Jesus and His last formal time with Disciples
1 Before the Passover Festival, Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
Are there things that you anticipate? Things that you look forward to? Jesus did!
Jesus lived for this hour, this was His purpose (Jn12:27)
27 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.
He knew before His hour had not yet come (Jn2:4); His public ministry was over. His time to be the suffering servant (Isa53) was upon Him in just a short 24-hour period away.
Jesus was going to use these last few hours with his closest followers for last minute instructions and prayer before going to the cross for the sin of the world (Jn1:29).
His time had come, His hour had come, so what is He doing? He is serving, well, really in our passage tonight he is preparing to serve before becoming our sacrifice.
The next phrase says-hold on, someone read it again.
1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
He should depart from this world to the Father
Depart to the Father; the Cross is not mentioned, but it is only through the cross that He goes to the Father.
In looking at (v.1) what do you see as the next phrase after depart to the Father?
Loved His own . . . loved them to the end.
Jesus without a doubt loved His disciples. He led them, taught them, cared for them, admonished (corrected) them, and protected and provided for them. He did for them more than any other teacher or Rabbi would have done for followers or disciples.
Jesus did have a love for all people, and there was a love for His own that was different, i will get more to that in just a minute.
Jon Courson says “The love of Jesus for His own is greater because because it has a response, and love answers to love.”
The wider love is “God so loved the world” (Jn3:16) is the concentrated love love of Jesus for His friends but is is they who experience it in its fullness FF Bruce
Now to return to what I mentioned a moment ago about His own:
His own because He chose them
His own because He gave Himself for them
His own Because His Father gave them to Him
His own because he would soon purchase them
His own because he conquered them
His own because they yielded themselves to Him
Tenney went on to say: “he loved them to the end: Jesus had loved His own. But He hadn’t finished loving them. He would love them to the end. The idea behind the phrase to the end is ‘to the fullest extent, to the uttermost. It does not mean that Jesus continued to love his disciples only up to the end of his career but that his love has no no limits.”
To the end, one more comment on this, it does mean also, to the end of Jesus earthly life. The disciples gave up on Him, but Jesus did not give up on Them. They scattered, but he brought them back together. They stopped thinking about Him, but thought about themselves. He went to the cross thinking about them.
A Heart Matter (Jesus and Judas)
A Heart Matter (Jesus and Judas)
God knows what is in your heart and will hand you over to what is in your heart, scripture shows that (Rom1:24). God knew what was in the heart of Judas and Satan was going to use it and Jesus was going to allow it for the good of mankind.
2 Now by the time of supper, the Devil had already put it into the heart of Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son, to betray Him. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into His hands, that He had come from God, and that He was going back to God.
There are several variances to the timing that this happened: In progress (NIV) time of (HCSB, NLT); During (ESV, AMP), Ended (NKJ, KJV)
Important phrase found in (v.3) what is it, what significance does it play with what was just stated before it in (v.2)?
We will see more on this in the near future as we continue to work through this chapter.
Well when you look further down (v.30) it makers better sense “in progress”
30 So after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night.
Just makes more sense to me.
Now Jesus already knew the Father had given all things into His hands, it was no surprise. He had just said “I came for this purpose” (12:22). But wait he knew even before
John the Baptizer spoke that Jesus knew all things had been given (Jn3:35)
35 “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.
We get to the point, this hour, that Jesus was about to face agony of the crucifixion, of taking on the sin of the world, the guilt, the shame, the horror, it pleased the Father to crush Him, to put His grief on Him as a guilt offering.
isa53:10
10 But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
Jesus was going not as a victim but as a victor. He could have backed out, but He was backing up all that He said with His actions to humble himself. He did not come from a place of weakness but a place of meekness, a place of authority, because the Father and given all things into His hands.
Jesus knew where He came from and where He was going; He knew His authority; His relationship; His identity
He knew His past with God; His future with God and was determined to glorify God the Father in the present.
“It was not in spite of but because of His consciousness of His divine origin and destination, that He rose from the supper, and assumed the dress and posture of a slave; for a servant in truth He was, being none other than the ideal Servant delineated in Isaiah’s prophecy.” - Tasker.
Jesus washing some feet
Jesus washing some feet
Washing dishes, washing a car, but washing feet, all are a type of service, but there is more to it then meets the eye here.
4 got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself.
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.
Only one question to ask in this section, there are some very specific actions that John notes, what are they?
Got up
Laid aside
Taking a towel
Girded himself
Poured water
Began to wash
And to wipe
The reason I wanted us to think about these vivid statements is that John wrote these statements years after they happened. The gospel was not written on the night in which they happened. But they were imprinted on his mind and years later they were recounted.
Trench said: “John’s account read’s like that of an eye-witness who had watched with wonder and suspense - short staccato sentences.”
But think about this, at the time, this would have just seemed weird, something that would have been for the lowest of low servant to do their master was doing.
Dods said: “Each step in the whole astounding scene is imprinted on the mind of John. ‘Next He pours water into the basin,’ the basin which the landlord had furnished as part of the necessary arrangements.”
Jesus knew what was just ahead of him, yet at this crucial time He is taking on the role of a lowly servant and washing the disciples feet, all who abandon him, one who would betray him, all He would love to the utmost until the end.
I think just a few more comments on this then will close out for tonight
Rose from supper
A place of rest and comfort
Laid aside His garments
His glory, taking off His heavenly covering.
Took a towel
Being ready to work. took the form of a servant, and came ready to work not to be served, but to serve
Poured water, ready to clean
Jesus poured out His blood to cleans us from the guilt and penalty of our sin. Then sat down again. This is portrayed in shadow here (Jn13:12)
Jesus was clothed in humility here, we will pick up more on this next week, maybe consider what Peter had to say
5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
(Prayer)