The Path of Service (James Montgomery Boice)

“Following the Lord Jesus Christ is an individual matter, but it is not individualistic.

When we say that discipleship is an individual matter we are saying that it is something that the individual himself must do. No one else can follow Jesus for you. Your wife cannot be your proxy. Your children cannot read the Bible for you, pray for you, obey the Lord for you. You must do these things yourself; and if you do not do them, you are not a true disciple. Individualism is something different. The dictionary defines individualism as “any doctrine or practice based on the assumption that the individual and not society is the paramount consideration or end.” Christianity is not individualistic because it is never merely the individual but also all other persons who are in view.

The Lord indicated this when He responded to the question about the first commandment. He said that the first commandment is found in Deuteronomy 6:5, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." But having spoken of the individual’s relationship to God, Jesus immediately went on to speak of the individual’s relationship to all other people, citing Leviticus 19:18: “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:39-40).

What should our relationship to other persons be? Jesus said that we are to love them, but how is that love shown? Do we show love by some form of benevolent rule in the same way that a king might be said to love his people? Do we love them the way that a performer might be said to love his audience-or the way an audience might be said to love the performer? Christ’s answer was that we are to love others by serving them.

Jesus demonstrated what He had in mind. John tells us that at the Last Supper, which Jesus observed with His disciples before His arrest and crucifixion, the Master got up from the table, laid His clothes aside, and then wrapping a towel around His waist, poured water into a basin, got down on His knees, and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.

An action like that was so unheard of that the outspoken Peter objected, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus said, “you do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

That was enough for Peter, and he obviously thought he understood enough to rebuke the Lord, as he had before on an earlier occasion (“Never, Lord!…This shall never happen to you!” Matthew 16:22). Peter declared emphatically, “No…you shall never wash my feet.” However, when Jesus explained that unless He washed him Peter could have no part with Jesus, Peter reversed himself, saying, “Then, Lord,…not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” He was still trying to tell Jesus how to do things.

Jesus explained that He only needed to wash Peter’s feet, the very thing He had set out to do. Then He continued the foot washing, rose, and put His normal clothes back on, and returned to His place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” He asked.

They obviously did not.

He continued, “You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you and example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” (John 13:13-17; cf. vv 1-17).

According to that explanation, following Christ means serving others in accordance with His own example.”

So in light of Christ’s example and command to serve others as a proof of our discipleship…what is it that holds us back from doing this? We must agree that if all of those who claim the name of Christ as their own…nearly 82% of Americans according to George Barna…were actually worshiping God by selflessly serving others…our families, neighborhoods, communities, nation and world should look much different than they do. If those of us who profess to love God with all that we have take Christ’s second command seriously to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves…why is it that we have poverty, homelessness, broken homes and broken communities? I have some thoughts…how about you? How do we serve others to the Glory of God and for the joy of all peoples?