Dressing As The King In A Servant’s Towel
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power … so he got up from the meal … wrapped a towel around his waist … and began to wash his disciples’ feet.
John 13:3-5
Presidents, kings, queens, ambassadors—they’re called VIPs. Ordinary people they’re not!
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So try to imagine an ambassador washing a taxi driver’s car. A queen collecting garbage. A king mopping the floor for the janitor.
That will give you an inkling of what Christ stooped to do, and why his model of servanthood made such an impact on his followers.
John Henry Jowett describes the scene we find in John 13.
WALK WITH JOHN HENRY JOWETT
“We might have assumed that divinity would have moved only in planetary orbits, and would have overlooked the petty streets and ways of men.
“But here the Lord of Glory girds himself with the apron of the slave and does menial service.
“That is the test of a growing servant’s heart.
“We may be sure that we are growing smaller when we begin to degrade humble services. We are growing larger when we love ministries that never cry or lift their voices in the streets.
“When a man begins to despise the ‘towel,’ he has forgotten the words of the King who was not ashamed to wear it: ‘I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you’ (John 13:15).”
WALK CLOSER TO GOD
You are a child of the King. That makes you part of a royal family. And the tendency is to want to live like royalty, when in fact you have been called to live like Christ.
Jesus had every right to demand the attentions of his followers. Instead, he took up a servant’s towel and assumed a servant’s role.
It’s a humbling experience to follow his example. Especially in a day when humility is already in short supply.
Even so, the Servant-King’s command to his followers still stands: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15).
