A Slave and His Master

 

“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.” (John 13:16 – 17).

 

Later that night Jesus will remind them, “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” (John 15:20).

 

How often do we expect and insist on special considerations that were never given to our Lord Jesus? How often do we assert our privileges and supposed rights, how often do we advocate for special recognition in areas which are contrary to our status as slaves of our Lord Jesus Christ? That is, how often do we insist that we are treated better than Jesus was treated?

 

I cannot think about this without pain and shame because I cannot begin to count the ways I have thought myself worthy of more consideration that Jesus was given.

 

Now to be sure there are complexities to these questions, for example, in the workplace my sense is that we ought to assert our rights and protections against discrimination and harassment in its insidious forms – not solely for our own sakes, but for the sake of others. I write “for the sake of others” because if one person is being discriminated against it is usually a pattern, meaning that others are being discriminated against. Discrimination is respect of persons, and it is using a false balance, which is an abomination to God (Proverbs 11:1).

 

Paul asserted his right as a Roman citizen to be treated according to Roman law and to appeal to Ceasar. His appeal to Ceasar led to his witness to many in authority over the course of his imprisonment and journey to Rome. His invocation of Roman citizenship both protected his witness and expanded his witness.

 

I wonder why Paul didn’t immediately assert his Roman citizenship in Philippi. (See Acts 16:22 – 40). Whatever the reason, the beating of Paul and Silas and their jail experience was quite a testimony to our Lord Jesus and led to the jailer’s conversion and that of his household.

 

The heart of the issue is whether we see ourselves as slaves of Jesus Christ, whether He is our Master and we are His servants. Do we see ourselves as being purchased by His blood and as belonging to Him? Paul writes in 1 Cor. 3:23, “…you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.” Then in 1 Cor. 6:20, “For you have been bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.”

 

To identify with Jesus Christ is to bear the reproach of Jesus Christ. The recipients of the letter to the Hebrews were reminded of this in the midst of persecution, “So let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.” (Heb. 13:13 – 14, see also Heb. 11:13 - 16).

 

Peter writes, “For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrow when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps…” (1 Peter 2:18 – 21, of course please read the context to get the full import!).

 

Then we have, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing…If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rest on you…but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glory God in this name.” (1 Peter 4:12 – 16 passim).

 

But the idea of Jesus as our Master and we as His servants is not limited to our witness and the world’s response, as critical as that understanding is – it is to encompass all of life, hence Jesus not only speaks of the Master – slave relationship in the context of persecution (John 15:18 – 16:4), but also in the context of feet washing and serving one another.

 

Jesus washed the feet of Judas knowing that Judas was betraying Him. While I hope to consider the subject of betrayal in the next reflection, for now let me say that if the Master washed the feet of His betrayer that we, His slaves, are called to wash the feet of our betrayers and those who would destroy us. (See also Matthew 5:38 – 48).

 

Have we considered that when Jesus was washing the feet of the other apostles that they did not understand what He was doing and what we can learn from this? The apostles did not thank Jesus for washing their feet – or if they did it isn’t recorded. In fact, the apostles had just argued about who was going to be the greatest in the Kingdom (Luke 22:24 – 27), so their minds and hearts were hardly focused on servanthood.

 

Jesus was serving the apostles and they had no idea what He was doing and, as far as we know, they didn’t express appreciation for His service to them. Do we serve others when we don’t receive recognition? When we do serve others and do not receive thanks and recognition, how do we think and feel and act?

 

Consider that Jesus would shortly be betrayed and abandoned and tortured and crucified – and yet the Master is still serving His servants – without receiving thanks or recognition. In fact, as the Upper Room unfolds in John chapters 13 – 17, Jesus not only continues to serve, He invites His servants, His friends, into intimacy with the Father, the Spirit, and with Himself, the Son. That is, the Master calls His servants into the love and life and joy of the blessed Trinity; He loves His own to the end (John 13:1). Jesus is holding nothing back, He is giving Himself away to those who, at the moment, do not understand what He is doing, do not appreciate what He is doing, and are not thankful for what He is doing.

 

How does this compare with us?

 

Are we willing to serve, to wash the feet of others, without thanks and recognition? Are we willing to be like our Master?

 

If we consider the sacramental element of feet washing, as explored in a previous reflection, the reality is that if we wash the feet of the saints with the Word that few will know what we are doing, for few of us live in the Word and are therefore aware of the Word. O for sure we may know current “Christian’ jargon and pithy sayings and the latest songs, but we typically don’t breathe the atmosphere of the Word of God. We may know the title of a Christian best - selling book or DVD series, but we don’t live in the Word, we don’t speak the Word, we don’t recognize the Word. We know more about “Chrisitan” therapy than we do the disciplining and molding and convicting of the Holy Spirit.

 

If we are not speaking the Word to others (Col. 3:16), how will we know when someone is speaking the Word to us?

 

When we consider other forms of service in the Church and in the world (Rom. 12:3 – 21), are we willing to give and to serve without recognition? (See Matthew 6:1 – 18).

 

Is there not something amiss in the professing church when those in vocational ministry are elevated to pedestals? It is one thing to honor those who faithfully serve our Lord Jesus and His People, but to make them (and often their families) the objects of veneration…how does this harmonize with what we see in our Lord Jesus and His life and ministry?

 

But are we not all infected with pride and a desire for recognition? Do we not insist on others being thankful for us and on being given, despite what we may say, some measure of the spotlight? Some acknowledgement?

 

While we all need encouragement, how easy it is to move beyond a desire for encouragement to a hunger for glory centered on ourselves. I know what it is to drink from this poisonous cup.

 

What would our congregations look like if we were willing to wash the feet of others without recognition? What would we look like, as God’s People, if we served one another out of love, without thought of reward and recognition? What would we look like if we served others whether or not they realized our service?

 

While I have seen much beauty within the professing church, I have also seen ugliness. I have seen more ugliness and destructive behavior in the professing church than I have seen in decades in the business world – much of this has been about recognition, praise, and honor; much of it has been about who is the greatest. O that we would learn to wash one another’s feet. O that we would learn that the servant is not above his or her Master. O that we would learn the high calling in Jesus Christ to serve others, to wash others with the Word, with loving service – whether or not they recognize what we are doing, whether or not they recognize us.  

 

When we serve others, we serve our Master (Matthew 25:31-46).

 

Is this enough for us?