Jesus modeled servant leadership. He was always serving those who were following him. When the crowds pressed in on him, he stayed healing them until he was done. When they had no food, he fed them. In the Upper Room, he lowered himself to the lowest position and washed feet. If you are a leader, you are called to servant leadership.
John 13:8,14-16
“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.””…“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.”
The Upper Room
This scene from the upper room shows us the true heart of Jesus. He wasn’t interested gathering his followers and showing his power; he was interested in modeling servant leadership. The lowest position of any slave was to wash the guest’s feet. This was hard because everyone wore sandals and it was common to have dusty, dirty feet at the end of the day. The newest servant or the one in trouble was assigned this duty. It was humiliating, yet Jesus willingly took this role for his disciples.
Called to Serve
We are called to be servants. Jesus came to serve, not to be served. He lowered himself to the point of a bondservant when he could’ve been king. The principle is this: do we look for ways to serve or be served? A temptation for every Christian is to be pampered when we should be looking for the opportunities to bless others. Do we take the best seat at the table or wait till everyone else has sat before we do? Are we willing to do the jobs no one else will do? We are servants first and foremost. Look for ways in which you can serve others.