Jesus, the Servant: The night before the cross, when he washed the feet of his disciples, Jesus modeled the type of humble service he called his followers to do. As the Son of God, Jesus was the greatest — but he wasn't afraid to become the least to meet our greatest spiritual need. Ever since, humility has been one of the highest virtues for the followers of Jesus. Recorded on Jan 28, 2024, on John 13:1-17 by Pastor David Parks.

Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.

Sermon Transcript

All year, we’re working through The Gospel According to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. Today, in John chapter 13, we’re considering the humility of Jesus. And this aspect of Jesus’s character (maybe more than anything) is so compelling to modern people. We love it when someone who’s rich or powerful or famous is humble. One of my favorite bands is Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Maybe 6-7 years ago, I was able to see them play, and the way Tom Petty thanked us for coming out and told us what an honor it was to be able to entertain us, even for just a few hours, demonstrated a level of humility that was so impressive. Now, I don’t know if he was that humble or if it was just part of the act, but it really made an impression on me. Humility is a powerful thing. But to be honest, humility is also a tricky thing to work on. Because as soon as you think about it, as soon as you notice it, it disappears. You might do something or say something and then think, “Wow, that was really humble of me to respond in that way or to do that thing for that person, and I don’t even like them!” but then, poof! The humility’s gone; it disappeared! Pride is still pride, even (or maybe especially) if it’s generated by your own humility. But this is a broken world, and we are sinful people, so pride/ego/self-centeredness, these things are the default mode of the human heart. I’ve noticed that it’s become popular on social media to talk about narcissists. But narcissism is nothing new. It’s just selfish pride. And it doesn’t take too much observation to see some narcissistic tendencies in our own lives. Am I the only one who looks at myself first in a group photo to see if the group photo is good? Or maybe I’m the only one who struggles with this? If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 13:1. We’ll unpack this as we go.

John 13:1–5 (NIV), “1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 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.” Let’s pause here briefly. So, everything in John’s gospel has built up to this point. John has been alluding to the hour of Jesus since chapter two, but even before that, Jesus was described by John the Baptist as the sacrificial lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And now, that time had finally come. For the past several weeks, we’ve been working through the events of the week leadi...