Imitating Christ in Service

SUMMARY: The act of Christ washing the feet of his disciples is a powerful example of humility and service that leaders should emulate. It demonstrates the importance of serving others with true joy and Christian devotion, without expecting anything in return. We all wear a cloak of pride, false modesty, or hypocrisy that prevents us from serving others with sincerity. However, imitating Christ in service requires total surrender and burying all bitterness of the heart. The Lord gives us opportunities every day to discover areas in our Christian life where we can serve others, and we need wisdom from on high to do so. Let us imitate the example of our Savior and serve others with humility and love.

Generally when we think of the example of Christ in his work to serve others, the act of washing the feet that he practiced on his disciples in the Upper Room before the Last Supper comes to mind, an act of humiliation and a lesson. of supreme humility of the Lord that in some religious places is celebrated almost literally to exemplify the spirit of service that leaders must have towards the people they minister (John 13. 1-20).

The spirit of service is not an option. The scene narrated by the apostle John in the aforementioned passage testifies to a Lord who humbled himself at the most in an unexpected act (by the disciples) of his love. God humbled to do a servant's task, God washing the dirt brought from the world, abandoning his seat at the paschal table - symbol of the throne and of his authority as Master and Lord -, taking off his mantle (v. 4) - as leaving his greatness aside - and wrapping the towel around his waist to wash his feet, including his, who an hours later, was going to betray him. It was the last night that the Lord would be with his disciples before his martyrdom on the cross.