Jump Start # 1548
John 13:12 “So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garment and reclined at the table again, “He said to them, ‘Do you know what I have done to you?’”
My wife and I have been fans of the British show Downton Abbey. After six seasons, it heads to the final episode this coming Sunday. There is a fascination with aristocratic society. The large mansions, the stately dinners, the elegant dresses, the beautiful settings and the servants that come running at the beckoning of their masters—it’s something so foreign to us in the United States. When we have traveled overseas, we have made it a point to tour castles and mansions when possible. They are amazing.
There are two stories and two societies in the Abby at Downton. There are the upstairs people, the Crawley’s, who have inherited titles, wealth and the mansion. Their position in society grants them special privileges. The other story and society, are the servants who live “down stairs” at the Abby. They serve the family upstairs. There are butlers and under butlers, footmen and cooks, and chauffeurs and hand maids and a whole world downstairs that work long and hard hours to serve the family upstairs. The downstairs people do not dress, eat nor have the pleasures that the upstairs people do. It’s two different worlds in one house. Fascinating show.
Most who have been captured by that show would love to be one of the Crawley’s. To live in that mansion, to have people dress you and cook for you. What a world. The reality is, most who watch that show would be the “downstairs” people. There is a principle from Scriptures that is so fitting to that show.
Our verse today comes from the time when Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, including Judas’ feet. When He finished washing their feet, where our verse is found, He asks, “do you know what I have done?” The obvious answer is, “You washed our feet.” Anyone would know that. However, that wasn’t the answer Jesus was looking for. There was something greater than clean feet. The point wasn’t that He washed their feet, it was that He served. When Jesus told them to do the same, the point wasn’t to establish foot washing in churches. Our times, our feet do not get that dirty. We wear socks and shoes, our streets are paved and we simply do no walk very much. What Jesus wanted them to see was a lesson about serving. If Jesus, the teacher, washed their feet, then they ought to serve others.
Jesus was definitely an “upstairs” person. He was God. He lived in the glory of His Father. Yet, He came to earth and lived like a “downstairs” person.
- Mt 21:28 “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
- Mt 21:26 “…whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant.”
So many of Jesus’ lessons surrounded “servants” or “slaves.” The parable of the talent was about a master who gave talents to three of his slaves. The parable about the laborers in the vineyard was about common, everyday workers. Most of the audience that first heard Jesus, were cut from this fabric. They were common people, poor people. Many of them were servants. They found a connection in Jesus because He did not act like “upstairs” people. He did not have the apostles running to pamper Him. He didn’t live distant from others and He certainly had a compassion and love for the common man.
Our times have made many of us want to be “upstairs” people. We want others to come running to our every call. We want to be in a position of honor and distinction. Many who aspire this have soured their opinions about those who serve. The blue collar man is considered not as intelligent as those who went to college. The problem is, when the banker’s car isn’t working, he’ll call that mechanic to fix it. It’s the plumber that shows up to fix our leaky pipes. It’s the furnace guy that shows up when our house can’t stay warm. It’s the yard guy that keeps our lawns so green in the summer. The common laborer, the blue collar guy, isn’t dumb nor are we too good for them. There should never be a “them” and “us” spirit. It ought to be “we.”
The disciple of Jesus will understand the value of serving. Anyone that is too good for that, won’t make it in God’s kingdom. The church isn’t a place to find power and rank. Those who misunderstand this, view the eldership as the top of a congregation. That is so backward and wrong. That thinking has led to strained relationships, broken trusts and split congregations. Too often we draw a vertical line and put the elders at the top and the members at the bottom. This is how some view and teach the organization of God’s church. That’s nothing more than “upstairs” and “downstairs” thinking. The elders, viewed by some as the “upstairs” people, do all the thinking, decision making. And everyone else, including the deacons, are the “downstairs” people who do all the serving. The elders ring a mythical bell, like on Downton Abbey, and all the members come running. Prayers are offered to high Heaven for the great decisions that the elders make. They puff their chests out and look over what they have and have with a sense of pride. They brag about how much money is in the church’s bank account or how many men are being supported by that congregation. All the elders have done was to sit around a table and make those decisions. Phone calls, letters and checks were all sent out by the “downstairs” people. This thinking is wrong. It cannot be supported Biblically. Certainly the elders “oversee” the flock but they are not above the flock.
Shepherds is a word for God’s leaders today. Shepherds are among the flock. They do not sit in warm houses and send out servants to care for the sheep. That’s what young David was doing when God called him. Those weren’t David’s flocks. They belonged to his father. David was working as a servant. The flock belongs to the Lord. God’s shepherds are the servants. They are the ones who go after straying sheep. They are the ones who care for the spiritual sick. They are the ones who bind up the broken and heal the injured. They are the ones who feed the flock. If a line had to be drawn to illustrate this, it would be a horizontal line. The position of elder is not a promotion in the sense of “moving on up.” It’s a role of responsibility and a work of service.
God wants all of His people to be servants. This “upstairs” mentality leads to some being too good to bend over to pick up a piece of paper on the ground. It leads some to say, “Why don’t we get someone to do this,” rather than, “why can’t I do this?” Upstairs thinking leads to prayers like the Pharisee in the temple, who thanked God that he wasn’t like other people. His prayer did nothing—for God or for himself. Upstairs thinking leads to believing that we are better than others. We are not. We all need Jesus. Pride sickens God. Arrogance, whether from the pulpit, from the eldership, or from the pews, turns people away and distorts the image of Jesus.
Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. Jesus washed Judas’ feet. Jesus came to serve. Have you?
Roger