March 3, 2024
Malcolm in the Middle is a TV show from 20 years ago that I enjoyed watching. It’s about a family with 4 kids. The Mom, Lois, thinks she’s always right. It’s hard to live with someone who’s always right, and you’re always wrong.
One day she gets a traffic ticket for pulling out of a parking lot into the street right in front of another car. She can’t believe it! She says, “There was no car when I pulled out! It must have come out of nowhere! I have never gotten a ticket! But it was all caught on video. She says, “Well the video was wrong!” But then she starts to think, maybe I do make mistakes. She starts to change and tells her family, I could be wrong. Lois becomes a nicer person.
Then a friend tells her family, I have a video of the incident from another angle that shows she should not have gotten the ticket! Because the car she supposedly cut in front of had just done an illegal U turn in the road to get there. Lois’s husband and kids destroy the video, and they tell the friend, “No one can ever speak of this!” They like the newly humble Lois!
If you don’t like arrogant people, you’re not alone! 1 Peter 5:5 says, “God resists the proud, but shows favor to the humble.” God doesn’t like proud people either! God is good to the humble. Today we’re continuing our sermon series on the cross, the symbol of Christianity. The cross is more than a symbol: it’s a way of living. It’s a way we so often resist because it’s the opposite of how the world works. Jesus said, if we want to follow him, we need to take up our cross, and to be humble.
Are you tempted to be humble! No! You don’t say, “I rebuke you humility! I will not give in to you!” It’s not tempting at all. It’s hard to be humble! But when we see humility in another person, we like it. Humility is pretty amazing! Today we’ll look at two stories where we see Jesus amazing humility.
In John 6, Jesus crossed the sea of Galilee, to get away from a crowd that loves him because they saw him heal the sick. Then Jesus goes up on a mountainside, still trying to get away. But the crowd follows. It is almost the time of Passover. The Jews celebrate Passover to remember when God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt. That was wonderful and amazing. The people in Jesus’ time also want to be delivered, not from slavery, but from the Roman Empire ruling over them. As Passover approaches people are especially looking for a Messiah, a king to fight for Israel and lead them. Pilate, the Roman governor, made sure to have many more troops in Jerusalem as Passover came nearer. He didn’t want a rebellion.
So, Jesus is on the mountainside, and the crowd is coming to see him. Jesus says to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” Philip says there’s no way we have enough money to buy bread for these people! Then Jesus blesses the food they have, and they feed everybody with just five loaves and two fish! The loaves and fish are multiplied to feed over 5000 people! Everybody thinks this is amazing. They say in verse 14: “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” They’ve been hoping for the Messiah! Verse 15 says, “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.” They wanted Jesus to be their king and leader to battle the roman empire. Jesus didn’t want to be king.
Instead of heading to Jerusalem to start a rebellion, Jesus goes away by himself. Jesus doesn’t want to be that kind of king with a kingdom. He doesn’t march on Jerusalem. Later, he would go to Jerusalem, not to take a life, but instead to give his life away. There is a crowd of people, and maybe even Jesus disciples, that are hoping Jesus will be their king! Let’s go have a holy war! But Jesus humbly refused.
Jesus did eventually go to Jerusalem. His last act before he was arrested happened at the last supper. Jesus arranged for a quiet Passover meal, just him and the disciples. Usually, foot washing was something a servant would do. A rabbi, or any important, powerful person, would not wash people’s feet. But Jesus took off his robe, knelt down and washed his disciples’ feet! The disciples did not think it was right! He was important! He was their teacher! Yet Jesus acted as their servant.
Not only did Jesus wash his disciples’ feet. Think about it: he washed the feet of Judas, who would betray him. Judas would point out who Jesus was, so he could be arrested, tried, and crucified. Jesus knew what Judas would do, but still he washed Judas’ feet! He also washed his other disciples’ feet! They would desert Jesus when he went to the cross. Jesus washed Peter’s feet: he would deny that he ever knew Jesus three times. Jesus showed deep humility and loved all these people.
After Jesus washed their feet, he got off the floor, put his robe back on and sat down. In John 13:12-13 says, “Do you understand what I have done for you?” Jesus asked them.“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.” Jesus is saying, I am a big deal. I am an important guy.
Some of you are a big deal. You’re the boss. You’re a parent. You’re a coach. You’re important! Jesus washes feet, then says, when you’re a big deal, here’s what you do. (Verses14-15,) Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Jesus didn’t say, think about what I did. Write about what I did. Consider what I have done. NO, Jesus said, DO what I have done for you. Jesus washed Judas’ feet and then told the 12 disciples; you should do for others what I have done for you.
Jesus wants us to chase humility. What do you do when you’re a big deal? You wash feet. He was humble! He washed the feet of cowards, deniers and traitors.
The world looked at Jesus, and to them he lost. Jesus wasn’t against winning. He was competing in a whole different way. He was competing against pride and arrogance. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, his disciples got it! They also chased humility and followed the way of the cross.
My homework for you this week is to ask yourself: what would it mean to chase humility? What could you do that would be like washing feet?
We love humble people! They bring us together. Their lives speak the message that everybody matters. Crowds followed Jesus because he humbly cared for them. Jesus showed remarkable strength by being humble! Jesus tells us to wash some feet that don’t deserve it, and see the world become a better place. Amen.
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