He stumbled through the back door of the house, sweat-soaked and covered with dirt. He had worked hard today. Now he was ready for a meal and some relaxation.
In a home he shared with others, everyone had agreed to help bear the burden of household chores. His night to wash dishes had passed two nights ago, but he had not done them by the time he left for work that morning. Now the kitchen stood spotless and every surface shined. He noticed none of this as he reached for a glass, into which he dropped ice cubes, followed by water from the shiny tap, over a polished steel sink. In the process, he dodged the two who were cooking the evening's meal.
He trod toward his favorite recliner in the living room, slurping loudly from his glass. On the way he stepped over a pallet and pillows he had left on the floor from last night, as well as his laundry -- by now mixed dirty and clean -- and the odd shoe or boot scattered from their mates. On the way, he stopped by the TV and VCR, selected a video from the jumbled pile of empty cases and caseless video tapes, pushed it into the VCR. He was frustrated to find that last night's video was still in the machine. Once extracted, he tossed it into the pile and inserted his choice. With his feet elevated on the footrest, his shoes made two thumps on the floor, in spite of the half-empty chip bags, paperback books never finished, plastic soda bottles, and other unidentified debris.
For a brief instant he noticed the mess, when he found no place to set his glass on any of the flat surfaces within reach. But he thought outloud to himself, "Man, I'm TIRED," and simply pushed something off into the floor to make room. As the war movie began, he entertained visions of a possible promotion to sergeant in his military reserve unit.
Jesus and His disciples were threading their way through the holiday crowds in Jerusalem, as they approached the rather large home of one of their wealthy supporters. It was the holiest night of the year for Jews worldwide -- Passover. Everyone was scurrying about on those last minute errands before the sun set, when they absolutely must be indoors. Everyone must take the meal together at a specific time, and everything had to be just right for this one evening of the year. Jesus and His disciples had been offered one of the best accomodations in the city for their observance this evening, with comfortable, modern furniture, and the best quality food, already prepared by well-trained servants. The disciples were really looking forward to it.
Jesus was, too. On the one hand, if anyone on earth understood the importance of this celebration, and what it meant, it was He. What an awesome God they served, and they were His chosen people!
On the other hand, He knew that this would be his last hours of freedom. Indeed, they were His last few hours of life. By this time tomorrow He would be dead, after a long night of emotional torment, and a long morning of intense physical suffering. Crucifixion was surely the most diabolical death that humans could have invented. Worse, He would have to face much of this alone. Indeed, He would be scorned by His own people, and murdered by foreigners who would have no clue what was really happening.
With this on His mind, he noted on the way that His disciples were carrying on a heated discussion. It appeared no more than simple jockeying for position. Of all the times for them to stoop to such silliness! Still, there was one last lesson to teach that night, and they simply must have their minds cleared of all other concerns before He shared it. Obviously, He would have to lay some groundwork before the main point could be broached.
So with a heavy heart, and much weariness of spirit and mind, He waited until they were all seated in the upper room of the house. After the meal was finished, and all the ritual observances had been completed, He took off His clothing, wrapped a towel around his waist, took a pan of water and like a slave proceeded to wash their feet. Not just any slave. No Jew was allowed to make his Jewish slaves do this; it had to be a Gentile slave. They were shocked that their Rabbi -- the Messiah! -- was lowering Himself so very much.
When everyone's feet had been washed, Jesus put His clothes back on and rejoined them at the table. He said, "You call me 'Rabbi.' You even call me 'Lord.' And rightly so, for I am that. If, as your Lord, I can serve you all as the lowest of slaves, each of you should be able to serve the others in the same way. Let my actions be an example for you. It's painfully obvious -- I shouldn't have to tell you -- no one of you is too good to do what I've just done. If you can catch on to this, you'll find a great treasure in living this way."
In truth, the man in the first story above shall be last, and the man in the last story will ever be first. Leaders don't ignore their own needs, but remember that theirs are but one set of needs in the same basket with everyone else's needs. They don't demand their own comfort when no one else has any, nor do they stand aloof when everyone else indulges a little, but he will insure he is last in line. If he's truly fortunate, his followers will catch on to that ethic. If not, he is hardly relieved of the responsiblity for trying to enforce it.
Christian leaders will do this in every aspect of their lives. What pleases Jesus at your church pleases Him at your home, as well. If the young man in the first story were to walk through the house with his military leadership eyes, he would see a mess, and he would own the mess. He would accept responsibility for it, and with that, the obligation to act. That action would not come at his convenience, but when it was needed. Since the people he lived with did not agree to live like pigs, the obligation for making some effort came any time he was there at the house, and he was not engaged in the necessities of life, such as bathing, eating, getting a reasonable amount of sleep, and so forth. Regardless of how tired he felt, if he was capable of moving, the least he could do was pick up after himself.
An old military axiom says, "You have to learn to follow before you can lead." A leader is a leader, even when he is following. Indeed, he is usually the best of followers. He deserves to lead because he has an irresistable urge to make life better for everyone. If he is willing to serve in any way possible, he is qualified to serve as leader.
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Ed Hurst
24 September 2002
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