Serving

| Sermon Summary by Robbins Jesuraj |

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many - Mark 10:45

When Jesus declared this statement, He brought forward serving as the core ingredient of all that He does. Henceforth, serving became a hallmark as well as differentiator of those who follow Jesus and all of us want to serve like Jesus. But, how can we emulate Him in serving? A closer look at the events that unfolded on the upper room on the day before the crucifixion sheds much light, as recorded in John 13.

John begins with the emphasis on the love of Jesus for His disciples as the foundation for what He is going to do (John 13:1). Without love, our acts of serving are in vain. It’s very much possible to go on serving, without really any love in our hearts. Later Paul echoed the same in I Corinthians 13:1-3; he placed love with high precedent for all subsequent acts of service. Mother Teresa exclaimed “it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action.”

If we need to serve like Jesus, love for others has to be the starting point. John further emphasizes the presence of Judas (John 13:2,11,18,21) as well the presence of Peter (John 13:6-10) in the room. The betrayal and denial of these disciples would have loomed largely in the mind of Jesus, as He knew well what would they do to Him. But as Jesus could forgive them, He could stoop down and wash their dirty feet as well. So, forgiveness is another important precedence for serving.

Jesus also got the clarity in His thought about who He was, as He stood up to take the basin and towel. He knew where He came from and where He was going. His identity was well-wrapped as Son of God who is the second person of Trinity (John 13:3). This confidence of His identity made Jesus to do something which even a Jewish slave would not do.

Love, Forgiveness and clarity of Identity precede serving one another like Jesus. By washing the feet of His own disciples, Jesus has set forth a great example for us to emulate in serving one another.

May God help us to exhibit the same attitude as we go and serve in our home, work and church.