Walking With Christ

(Part 5 of 9)

John 13:15  For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.(ESV)

Jesus could’ve given a lesson on humility.  He could’ve explained servant leadership.  He could’ve told the disciples that no one was too important to serve someone else.

Instead, He stood up.  He removed His outer garments.  He wrapped a towel around Himself.  He poured water into a basin.  Then He began washing feet.

The lesson was already happening before the explanation came.  The One they called Teacher and Lord took the position of a servant.

Peter objected.  Jesus continued.

Only afterward did He explain what they’d just seen.

“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”

There are some lessons that become much harder to misunderstand once they’ve been demonstrated.

Jesus didn’t merely tell them what humility looked like.  He let them watch Him kneel.

He didn’t simply define service.  He served.

Then He told them to follow the example.

Words are important.  Explanation is important.

But sometimes the clearest lesson is the one someone can see being lived out in front of them.

A teacher who says, “Serve others,” can be understood.  A Teacher who gets on His knees with a towel makes the lesson difficult to forget.

How Jesus taught:  He showed them.