If you have your Bible, open to the Gospel of John, chapter thirteen. If you don’t have a Bible with you, there are Bibles in the backs of the pews, and you’ll find today’s text on page 1,077.
And you know, I think that this is one of the greatest privileges we have right now—the privilege of reading God’s Word together. Not just on our own, but when we’re gathered as the body of Christ, with the Holy Spirit present among us. We don’t just read His Word, but we read it in the presence of one another, and there’s something deeply powerful about that.
So, I’m going to read verses 1-12, though my sermon will focus on verses 12-17.
John 13:1-12 NASB: 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. 6 So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” 8 Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” 9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” 10 Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.” 12 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?
Jesus begins to explain why He is washing the disciples’ feet, and it’s not just because their feet were dirty from walking the streets of Jerusalem. It was customary to wash feet, but no one had done it. So Jesus did.
The foot washing is not just a kind gesture, but a symbolic act meant to illustrate a deeper reality
That’s why, in verse 12, Jesus asks, “Do you know what I have done to you?” He is pressing them to think beyond the physical act. Do you understand the deeper reality behind Me washing your feet? This act contradicted every social expectation of the day. A teacher would never wash the feet of his disciples. That task was reserved for the lowest servant. Jesus was not the least among them—everyone knew He was the greatest. And yet, He stooped to serve. In doing so, Jesus demonstrates what true love looks like—a love that lowers itself for the sake of another. This moment foreshadows the cross, where Jesus would serve them in the greatest way possible.
Because this act was so radical, the disciples struggled to grasp it in the moment. It completely overturned their understanding of leadership, authority, and power. But Jesus knew they wouldn’t fully comprehend it yet. That’s why, in verse 7, He tells them, “What I am doing you do not realize now, but you will understand later.” He is inviting them to wrestle with it—to think deeply about its meaning. There were prophetic hints in the Old Testament about the Messiah as a servant, but they were largely missed by Israel. Isaiah 53 describes the Messiah as a suffering servant, but the disciples expected a triumphant king, not someone who would wash feet. Even though Jesus had been teaching them about servanthood throughout His ministry, this act of foot washing ran completely counter to everything they assumed about leadership, authority, and power.
When Jesus asks them, “Do you know what I have done for you?” He is inviting them to reflect deeply on its meaning. It’s not just that their feet were dirty. In verse 13, He says,
John 13:13 NASB “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.
Jesus affirms His identity—He is both their Teacher and their Lord.
He is not dismissive of His authority; He is the one who rightly interprets divine truth and the master
Sometimes, in an attempt to appear humble, we can downplay the authority God has given us in people’s lives. I’ve wrestled with this, and I’ve seen others wrestle with it as well. But notice what Jesus does—He does not deny His authority. He does not say, Oh no, don’t call Me that. Instead, He affirms, “You are right—I am your Teacher and your Lord.”
And Jesus is not just any teacher. He is not merely a rabbi or a respected religious instructor of His day. He is the source of all divine wisdom. He is the very Word of God, as John tells us in John 1:1—the Logos, the ultimate revelation of truth. His teaching is not just a collection of helpful insights or life advice for a better existence. It is authoritative, eternal, and the very key to knowing God.
In Matthew 24:35, He declares, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” For any ordinary teacher to say such a thing would be arrogant. But Jesus is not an ordinary teacher. Peter understood this. In John 6, when many disciples abandoned Jesus because they could not handle His teaching, He turned to the Twelve and asked, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter responded in John 6:68, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” Peter saw what many others missed: Jesus’ words were not just wise—they were life-giving.
My friends, Jesus says, “I am your Teacher,” but He also says, “I am your Lord.” In verse 13, He declares, “You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.” But Jesus’ lordship is not just about rank. When we think of the term lord today, it’s not something we commonly use unless referring to Jesus or medieval times, where landowners were called lords. In that context, a lord was someone with a high social rank.
The Greek word κύριος (kurios) means master, ruler, or sovereign. But Jesus’ lordship is not just a title—it is sovereign, universal, and absolute. There is no one above Him. No one can claim authority over Him. He is not just Lord over people—He is Lord over all creation. In John 1:3, we are told, “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” Everything that exists—every molecule, every galaxy—was made through Him and for Him. And His lordship is not optional—it is essential to salvation. In Romans 10:9, Paul tells us, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Your salvation is tied to your confession of His lordship over your life. He is your Teacher, but He is also your Lord—and this is critical if you are to understand what He has just done for you by washing your feet.
Because of who He is, His actions set a binding example for His followers.
John 13:14 NASB “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
This statement was shocking in the culture of Jesus’ time. The highest and greatest being in existence performed the lowest and most degrading act in that society. Foot washing was a task reserved for the lowest servant, yet Jesus—the sovereign Lord—stooped to do it Himself. In doing so, He was being profoundly countercultural and intentionally challenging the world’s assumptions about power and status. Isaiah 57:15 describes the majesty of Christ, saying, “For thus says the high and exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit, in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.’” Jesus, the exalted One, humbled Himself to serve. And He commands us to do the same.
When He says in verse 14, “You also ought to wash one another’s feet,” the word ought conveys a moral obligation. This is not a suggestion or good advice—it is a divine mandate. If He, our Lord and Teacher, has done this for us, then we must do it for one another. To neglect the service He calls us to is to deny His lordship over our lives.
What kind of lord gives a command to his subjects, only for them to disregard it without consequence? A slave does not own himself, nor does he set his own agenda. And yet, if Christ is your Lord, then you are His slave. The Apostle Paul reminds the Corinthian church in…
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NASB: Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
If someone were to say, “I bought you,” you would rightfully be offended because they would be claiming ownership over you. And yet, this is exactly what Scripture teaches about Christ’s claim over us—He has purchased us with His blood. As Christians, we do not belong to ourselves. Our lives, our choices, our rights—they all belong to our Master. We don’t have the right to set our own course apart from Him. We don’t have the right to harbor resentment when mistreated—our Master alone judges what is just. When we are wronged, our response should be, “Lord, they are mistreating Your property. Do with me as You will.”
A refusal to serve betrays a shallow understanding of the gospel—of the good news of what Christ has done to save us. It exposes our pride, the very thing that opposes the gospel and resists humility. It reveals our natural tendency to put ourselves first. Refusing to serve shows that we are thinking in terms of self-promotion, not self-denial. But have we truly been gripped by the depth of Christ’s love? If we refuse to serve, we must ask ourselves: Have we truly understood what He has done for us? Christ is showing just how much He loves His disciples by taking the lowest position—on the night before His crucifixion. And yet, when we refuse to follow Him, to obey His commands, and to serve, it reveals that we have not been sufficiently gripped by the depth of His love.
Love that does not serve is not love at all—it is hypocrisy. Many claim to love Christ, yet their actions tell another story. True love meets needs, just as Christ’s love meets our deepest need for redemption. If we resist serving, it suggests that we want the benefits of Christ without being conformed to Christ. This struggle is real for all of us. Even those who have been born again and transformed by His love still battle the sinful nature within. It resists submission.
Some excuses.
Some hold back from serving because they think, “I’m too weak. I’m unworthy.” But does Christ not call the weak, not the strong? If you think you can’t serve because you lack ability, remember: He calls the weak, not the strong. He knelt to wash the feet of men who would soon fail Him. If He had waited for perfect, worthy disciples, He wouldn’t have had any feet to wash. Your weakness does not disqualify you. In fact, it makes you the perfect candidate for His grace to work through you.
Some of us struggle with the idea that we need to meet our own needs first—”Shouldn’t I take care of myself before serving others? I can’t pour water on feet from an empty vessel.” It’s true—we are not limitless. But Jesus’ command challenges our natural tendency toward self-preservation. My friends, I want to die exhausted for Christ. That is the duty of every Christian—to spend their life for Him, to go to the very ends of the earth, and to die a tired man, faithfully serving the One who went to the cross for us. The one who serves in faith will never lack what is necessary. The real question is not, “Do I have the strength?” but, “Do I trust God to provide what I need?” Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Seeking Him first will do away with the excuse, “I don’t have what I need to serve.”
Some of us resist service because we don’t want to serve those who are hostile to us. “What about those who mistreat me?” But look at what Jesus just did. He washed the feet of every single disciple—including the one who was about to sell Him out for silver. He said, “Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you.” If we wait until others deserve our service, we will never serve.
Some of us are just tired, and I understand that. Serving the Lord can be exhausting. It requires us to go to Him for renewal. But some hold back not because of exhaustion, but because they simply don’t like the idea of serving when it’s inconvenient. Some of us—and I’m sorry if this hurts, but I won’t apologize for saying it—are just lazy. Some of us procrastinate, making excuses. I know, because I’ve been there. Sometimes, I still struggle with it. Because serving costs something, doesn’t it? It costs strength. It costs time. It costs comfort. It forces us to step out of areas where we feel secure. Some of you struggle with social anxiety—serving requires you to confront that. It costs weekends. But—”Pastor, I only get two days off a week!” Thank the Lord, because for most of human history, people only got one. Service costs something. That’s why it cost Jesus drops of blood as He sweat in the garden, agonizing over what was to come. It exhausted Him. But He didn’t shrink back because He was exhausted, did He? So why should we? We think giving of ourselves is loss, but in Christ, it is never loss—it is gain. When we give everything to Christ, we never come out as losers. We gain. Not just in eternity, but even now.
Some of us don’t serve because we think the area we’re supposed to serve in is insignificant. Does my service really matter for eternity? Does it really matter if I serve babies in the nursery? Does it really matter if I give Alicia a chance to sit in church instead of being back there three weeks a month? We look at areas in the church and question their value. But we live in a world obsessed with instant results, don’t we? We scroll from one thing to the next, expecting everything right away—fast food, fast answers, instant gratification. And in a world like that, service sometimes seems insignificant. Is it really that important? Shouldn’t I do something that seems more significant? Does it really matter if I serve in the nursery? Does it really matter if I help set up chairs? Does it really matter if I care for the overlooked—aren’t they just going to stay that way? Yes, it matters. Jesus leaves no doubt in Matthew 25:40:
Matthew 25:40 NASB ” Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”
It matters. Picking up a piece of trash on the ground—it matters. Cleaning up your communion cup after service—it matters. At the very least, it helps the one who cleans our church. But it’s more than that. Jesus sees it. And He invites us into this kind of service. After telling them, “You ought to wash one another’s feet,” Jesus says,
John 13:15 NASB “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.
Christ invites us to follow His pattern so that we may know Him more deeply & magnify His glory
Some of us struggle with feeling close to Christ because we don’t serve.
The word Jesus uses here for “example” suggests something deliberately placed before us to copy. Some of us struggle to learn if we’re only told what to do. We need an example—we need to see it in action. Some of you know what that’s like. Your teacher tells you to read something, and you’re just expected to get it—but that doesn’t always work, does it? If I had to repair my truck, I wouldn’t get far with just a written set of instructions. Thank God for YouTube—I’m YouTube-certified in a lot of things! I need to see it.
And Jesus—the Lord of the universe, the highest authority, the eternal Son of God—didn’t just leave us words in a book. He showed us what to do. He gave us an example. If the King of Kings stooped to serve, how could you or I ever refuse? How could we ever think that serving another person—anyone—is beneath us, no matter how much they may have mistreated us? If God Himself stooped, then who are we to refuse?
Jesus told His disciples on several occasions that the greatest shall be the least, and the least shall be first. One example is found in Mark 10:42-45, where Mark tells us:
Mark 10:42-45 NASB: Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. 43 “But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. 45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Jesus was going to the cross. He was about to die for you, an unworthy sinner, who, if we’re honest, is not as thankful as we should be for everything He has done. For every breath He gives us. For the times we ignore Him. For the prayers we never pray, though we should. And yet, none of that stopped Him from stooping to serve you. It didn’t make Him say, “Well, you’re My enemy. Just wait until you see what I have in store for you.” Nor did He say, “I’ll save you, but to be honest, I’m annoyed with you. I’ll put you in some corner of heaven selling popcorn, and you’ll smell like butter for eternity.” No. He stoops to serve you—here and now. And if He does that for us, how could we ever think that the person we personally despise or struggle with the most is beneath us to serve?
Now, when Jesus says, “I give you this example, that you should do as I have done to you,” I don’t believe He is commanding a foot-washing ritual in the church. Some churches practice this, and I’m not saying they shouldn’t. But I don’t believe this was intended as a sacrament—a binding, repeated ordinance. What He is commanding, however, is that the same attitude and heart He displayed in washing His disciples’ feet should be in us as we serve one another.
We need to look to Jesus as our example, and I can think of no better passage in Scripture that captures His attitude than Philippians 2:5—where Paul tells us what kind of attitude we should have:
Philippians 2:5-8 NASB: Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
God emptied Himself. He didn’t become less God, but He took on the form of a servant, stepping into His own creation. And He didn’t just orchestrate a compassionate, painless way to die for you. He didn’t die by lethal injection on a table. He died on a cross.
That is the attitude we are called to have. That is the model for you and me. And, my friends, I will never adopt the attitude of Jesus until I truly appreciate what He did for me. That’s what holds us back. That’s what keeps us from serving, from joy, from love, from patience, from kindness, from forgiveness, and from all the blessings that come in the Christian life—because we fail to grasp what He has done for us.
If you look at the two verses prior to this, the reason Paul tells us to have this attitude is because he has just instructed the Philippians in…
Philippians 2:3-4 NASB: Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
Until we truly appreciate what Jesus did for us, we will never adopt His attitude. Serving like Jesus goes beyond obligation. I am determined that this sermon will not end with a guilt trip—as if my only goal is to make you feel bad and say, “Well, you should be a better servant.” No, my friends, serving like Jesus is far more than duty. It means that I am willingly going to carry someone else’s burden—not begrudgingly, but joyfully, because of all that He did for me. His example was not one of reluctance. He didn’t say, “Well, I guess I have to die for you now—so you better be thankful.” No—John 13 tells us that “having loved His own, He loved them to the very end.” He joyfully endured the cross.
Some of us are quick with words but slow with deeds. True service does more than see a need—it meets the need. So when will you humble yourself and follow Jesus’ example? When will you set aside excuses, take up the towel, and wash someone’s feet—not literally, but by meeting their needs? My feet are fine—I took a shower. But I have needs. You have needs. Do you even see the needs of those around you? Because refusing to serve is a declaration that you are not truly a servant of Christ, that He is not your Lord and Master.
John 13:16 NASB “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.
If Jesus is Lord, then we must follow His example. To refuse to serve is to imply that we are somehow above Him, that we have privileges He Himself did not claim. And so, if we call Him Lord but do not serve, we are lying. Jesus’ words in Luke 6:46 are sobering:
Luke 6:46 NASB: “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
I have not only read those words in my Bible—I have felt them pressed upon my heart in prayer. To call Him Lord but ignore His commands is not the posture of a true disciple. Rejecting a life of humble service exposes a heart that is still ruled by self rather than by Christ.
I thank the Lord that He didn’t just leave it there. Look at verse 17—He doesn’t end His teaching with a threat: “You ought to, you better, you must.” No, He ends it with a promise:
John 13:17 NASB “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
My friends, service is not a punishment. It’s not extra chores being added to you because you failed in some way. According to Jesus, service is not a debt—it’s a privilege. It’s not about making up for failures, because no amount of service will ever compensate for our sin. Rather, it’s about stepping into the joy of obediently knowing Christ—walking with Him, serving through Him, and living for Him.
When we serve as Jesus served, we enter into deeper communion with Him. We know Him better, we relate to Him more intimately, and service becomes far more than a duty—it becomes an invitation to experience a greater closeness with our Lord. The more we walk in His humility, the more we share His heart. The more we become like Him, the more we are able to forgive, to love, and to pour ourselves out for His sake. The less fearful we become in sharing the good news, even with those who may reject it.
Many people resist service because they see it as draining or demeaning, but Jesus teaches that it is the pathway to joy. When we give of ourselves in service, we don’t lose—we gain. But this is something that cannot be fully understood until it is experienced. There is a deep satisfaction in walking in step with God’s will, day after day, even when it’s hard. Sometimes, as the writer of Hebrews describes, our knees grow weak and our arms grow weary, but there is still joy in pressing forward—because we are in communion with Him, and He strengthens us.
God sees every act of faithful service, and He will not forget even the smallest sacrifice we make. Nothing we do for Him—no matter how small—will ever be wasted, because even the most hidden, unnoticed act is seen and rewarded by God. Serving like Jesus is not just about helping others; it’s about being changed. It’s about killing my pride, my self-centeredness, my obsession with self-preservation, my comfort, and my desire for ease. It is in depending on Christ and being shaped into His likeness that I am able to bear the burdens of others. Jesus didn’t command us to serve in order to burden us. He commanded us to serve in order to free us—to liberate us from the tyranny of our own selfishness.
When we serve, we store up treasures in heaven, and nothing on this earth can ever take away what we have earned in Christ. The world may not notice our service, but God does. Every sacrifice made for His glory—even the burdens we carry day after day—has eternal significance.
How many more years do you have left? How many more gray hairs until that final one? Life is not as long as we think. Most of us look back and realize how quickly time has passed—our teenage years, raising kids, going to work every day. A decade feels like a year. That’s why Solomon says, The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the glory of the Lord will last forever. I would rather die penniless, unable to afford the hospital bill, and yet be rich for all eternity in Christ, knowing His joy, than to have a well-funded 401(k) and, as John Piper famously said, collect seashells on the shore.
This world is dying. I’m dying. You’re dying. Before we know it, each of us will be saying goodbye to our friends and loved ones—unless the Lord returns first. The only thing that will last is what we have done for His name. And when we cross to the other side and see Christ waiting for us, His graciousness will be beyond comprehension. We’ll stand in awe, asking, Did You really reward me for that? And yet, in His great mercy, He will. You will never give anything to Him that He will not return to you tenfold in this life and a hundredfold in the life to come, just as He promised Peter. On the night He was betrayed, the night of the Last Supper, Jesus did this. He didn’t serve worthy disciples. Judas wasn’t the only unworthy one—they were all unworthy. Every one of them would betray Him in some way. And yet, He still gave them the bread and the wine as a reminder of something they would only understand later. He is so gracious that He forgave them. And if you will trust Him today, He will forgive you. You can be saved. He will deliver you from the tyranny of your selfishness, from the obsession with your own agenda. But you must do business with Him—by confessing Him as your Lord and Savior.
