What We Learn from the Service of Jesus

What is one word that you would say defines our current culture? Connected, digital, intelligent, empathetic, busy, or creative? 

Now, if you think about leadership within our culture - how would you define it? Power-hungry, image-seeking, socially aware, honest, supportive, or inspirational? 

When I think of leadership qualities within our culture, service and servanthood is typically not the first thing to come to mind. But service and leadership are connected. Throughout the Bible, there is an overall theme of servanthood, and we eventually see the ultimate example of what a life of serving looks like in the person of Jesus. 

John 1 tells us that Jesus is the Word, the Logos, that became flesh. It says that He was both with God and was God. For Jesus to be called the Word (or Logos), it means that He is the entire and complete message of God sent to Earth. The Word became flesh and was born in a stable among animals. A humble birth. Jesus came to serve, as seen in Philippians 2, “...Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

Jesus came not to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). One of the clearest depictions of Jesus’ servant nature is seen in John 13 when He washes the disciples' feet with His death soon approaching. This story in the Bible shows Jesus loving His disciples until the very end (13:1). In this chapter, parallel scenes are running. On one hand, John is giving readers the scene of Jesus kneeling to wash the feet of his beloved disciples. But on the other hand, readers are finding out that Judas is about to betray Jesus. These two scenes juxtaposed against one another makes the fact that Jesus is taking time to intentionally serve his disciples even more beautiful. 

Jesus knelt and washed the feet of the one He knew would betray Him. In this passage we are also given an example to follow by Jesus - to serve one another. “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 also should do just as I have done to you” (13:14-15). The concept here is not that we should literally be washing each other's feet all the time, but that we should be humbly serving and loving one another. And part of that is through imparting the wisdom of Scripture with the people around us. 

So if we are called to serve one another in all that we do, what does that look like? And what does it have to do with how we read the Bible? 

• Serving each other looks like honoring one another above ourselves (Romans 12:10)

• Serving each other looks like belonging to one another as the body of Christ (Romans 12:5)

• Serving each other looks like counting the needs of others as more important than our own (Phillipians 2:3)

• Serving one another looks like reading the Bible with the intention to build the Kingdom and know the character of God (Romans 14:17)

• Serving one another looks like reading the Bible so that we can serve one another by sharing our insights and encouraging them in what is learned (Colossians 3:16)

Like Jesus in John 13, serving one another is something we get to delight in, as it tangibly shows the love and character of God. To lead is to serve. The Bible is also something we get to delight in. Psalm 1:3–4 says that the person who meditates on God’s word “is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.” So, may we be people who serve freely and read the Bible so we can give away what we learn and serve others. We serve God by studying and understanding His word. We serve others by taking the knowledge gained from studying Scripture and sharing it with them.