Christ, the Servant King
Scheduled for March 2
(John 13:3-5 NIV) Jesus knew that the Father
had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was
returning to God; {4} so he got up from the meal, took off his outer
clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. {5} After that, he
poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them
with the towel that was wrapped around him.
We
often preach Christ, the Son of Man. This is right, for He made it clear that
he came to seek the lost, to seek and to serve. Indeed, He deliberately made
himself the Servant King. In that light, then, we must examine the Lord’s
Supper.
First,
note John’s words: He “knew that the Father had put all things under his
power,” -- how often we forget just who this Jesus is. He is the agent of
creation, the one of whom John wrote:
(John
1:3 NIV) Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that
has been made.
Think
of that! Here is the one who spoke and the worlds began. This is the author
of the universe, the mind of the maker. The descent from his heaven to earth,
to become a servant, is beyond our imaginations. C. S. Lewis once used the
analogy of thinking of yourself as becoming a snail or a slug -- to explain to
the other slugs what man is like.
But
the descent from the throne was not a one way trip. Even at this moment,
Jesus knew He had come from God -- and was returning there. It is one thing to
come from heaven; that’s very interesting. It’s entirely another to let us
know you plan to make the return trip! As interested as I am in anyone from
heaven, the man who can make the return trip has my undivided attention. And
the message that man teaches? By word and by example, service to others; the
lesson of love. The service he is performing here was usually reserved for the
lowest ranking servant of a rich household. It was the “dirty work.”
In
this series of actions we see the immense depth of Christ’s sacrifice. It is
not just that he went willingly to his death on the Cross -- it is also that he
left his place of glory for the express purpose of doing so. Here, at the peak
of that mission, his message is completely consistent with that sacrifice: He
came to serve.
Consider
this well, then, as you take the Lord’s Supper. You are remembering not only
his death on the Cross, but the sacrifice of immeasurable glory which preceded
his arrival. Even greater news is this: You are also proclaiming his imminent
return, when we shall share in that glory.
