ESOCS Devotional 24 December 2024 – Loving in Humility
MEMORY VERSE: “Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.”John 13:1 KJV
TEXT: JOHN 13:1–17
Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”
7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”
8 Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!”
Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”
10 Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”
12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
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When we look to Christ, we find a beautiful freedom to serve others, arising from the security of His identity: “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant …” (Phil 2:6-7 NIV).
Jesus was able to serve in a way that no one expected because He knew the Father’s love intimately. The same heart that led Him to wash the disciples’ feet would lead Him to the cross. Because of Christ, we have the same privileged status and security with the Father; and so, we become free to serve in the radical, loving ways in which He has served us.
Christ, knowing the fullness of His power and glory, felt compelled; not to lord these things over His disciples or demand they serve Him, but to display His great love for them one more time before His death, by stooping low to serve them. This text speaks so clearly of Christ’s humility, which comes from a deep confidence in His true identity and sacred mission. The same is true for us.
In Colossians 3:12-13, Paul reveals our true identity in Christ, as “God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved” and then says our response to this truth should be to “put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another.” As Christians, we are called to be like Christ, a humble servant. We are expected to serve those around us, even those who would betray us, not considering ourselves better than others.
We are called to live our lives with Christ-like humility. A humility which says, “I am a Child of God, holy and dearly loved. Knowing who I am, I do not puff myself up with pride, but humbly stoop low to display God’s love through service, unity, and forgiveness.”
- Does your love have limits because you don’t embrace the truth of whom God has made you be?
- Lord Jesus, help us to live as you lived, humbly pouring out our lives as an offering for you and those you love.
Further Reading: Isaiah 59:15–end; Zechariah 2:10-end; Luke 1:26–45
ESOCS Devotional 24 December 2024
