Leadership is no easy task. For those that serve the Lord’s Kingdom in some sort of leadership, it’s maybe even more difficult. Yet, it is even more rewarding. When we read John 13:1-17, we get a glimpse of the kind of servant leadership Jesus demonstrated for our leaders to model, today. Take a look at the text:

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. During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, 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, *got up from supper, and *laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself.

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. So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” 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.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” 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.” For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”

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? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. 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 you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

Here are a few of my observations from this reading:

  1. Servant leadership requires LOVE – Notice that Jesus loved them to the end. The disciples saw that love. They experienced it. They knew Jesus loved them all the way to the end of His life (even Judas). They heard him teach to love God and to love their neighbor. Now, Jesus is teaching them that if you are going to lead people, you will have to lead them as a servant leader.
  2. Servant leadership requires HUMILITY – Notice that Jesus knew that the Father had given Him all things. He had all authority, all power, all knowledge. What is remarkable is what Jesus does with that authority, power, and knowledge. He gets up and takes on the role of the servant. Jesus did not leverage His position for His personal gain. Even knowing that He had come from God and was going back to God, He girded Himself with a towel and washed their feet. Too many times, leaders are not willing to roll up their sleeves and get to work. Pride gets in the way, and they forget the example of the Lord.
  3. Servant leadership requires INITIATIVE – Notice that with great love and humility, Jesus did not just sit there; He got up. All serving begins with pushing away the comforts of life to work. Moving from where we are and getting busy. When we get up, we step up into the role of servant. Start with your own family. Get up and serve those who are in your home. Then with your friends. Get and up and serve those who you care deeply about in your neighborhood. Get up and serve your community, your church, your county, and your country. Get up and serve.

Bottom line: Here is what we can learn about servant leadership from John 13:1-17:

Servant leadership is lovingly and humbly taking the initiative to serve others as Jesus did.


I love you,

Alex