Readings for today: 2 Samuel 2:12-3:39, John 13:1-30, Psalms 119:1-16, Proverbs 15:29-30
The greatest among you will be a servant. These are the words of Jesus and they run directly against our culture today. In order to serve, one has to be selfless. One has to be willing to put another’s needs above their own. Be it their spouse. Their children. Their co-workers. Their classmates. The poor. The sick. The hurting. One has to be willing to put aside one’s own needs, wants, and desires. Position, power, and privilege. One has be willing to listen. Learn. Love without strings.
This is the model Jesus gives us when he wraps a towel around His waist and washes His disciples’ feet. He took the position of the slave. The servant. The lowest of the low in order to serve those He loved. He washed their feet in humility. The Lord of the Universe not holding onto pride or privilege and instead relinquishing it all for the sake of both His friends and His enemies. We too often forget that Judas Iscariot was present throughout the Last Supper. His feet were washed. He too was served the bread and the cup. Jesus loved him to the end as much as He loved the rest of the disciples.
We live in a self-centered world. We talk about self-protection. Self-care. Self-esteem. Self-help is a billion dollar industry. Self-proclaimed gurus use all kinds of media to promote their latest, greatest “secret” to a fulfilled life. But the fruit is rotten. Our society is more fractured than ever. People are more depressed than ever. People are more lonely than ever. Life is more unfulfilled than ever. It doesn’t seem to matter how many toys we buy. How much money we make. How many awards and accolades we receive. How many people we sleep with. It doesn’t seem to matter how many laws we pass or people we elect or organizations we launch. We cannot seem to grasp the simple truth that the more we focus on “Self”, the more we will despair. We will never measure up. Never satisfy all our desires. Never arrive at self-fulfillment.
So what do we do? We follow the way of Jesus. The way of surrender. The way of service. The way of selflessness. Whoever loses their life will find it. Whoever gives up the world will gain it. Whoever denies “self” will find true acceptance. Jesus gave Himself away. He laid down His life so the whole world might be saved. He forgave freely. He embraced sinners. He loved even His enemies. If you want to know what a life of surrender looks like...look to Jesus. If you want to know what a life of service looks like...look to Jesus. If you want to know what a life of self-denial looks like...look to Jesus. He is literally the most joy-filled man who ever lived. He is the most peace-filled man who ever lived. On this everyone -from Buddhists to Hindus to New Age to Agnostics to Christians -seem to agree. Jesus found the secret to a truly fulfilled life. Maybe we should trust Him when He says His is the Way, the Truth, and the Life?
Readings for tomorrow: 2 Samuel 4-6, John 13:31-14:14, Psalms 119:17-32, Proverbs 15:31-32