Called to Be Somebody Else
It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 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. (John 13:1-5)
The roads in Jerusalem were covered with a thick layer of dust. When it rained, they turned to liquid slush. It was the custom for the host to provide a slave at the door of his home to wash the feet of dinner guests as they arrived. The servant would kneel with a bucket of water and a towel and scrub off the manure and mud from foul feet. If a home could not afford a slave, one of the early arriving guests was to take upon himself the role of the house servant and wash feet. Such were the likely circumstances as Jesus and his followers arrived in the upper room to celebrate the last Passover. It had been a tough journey getting to this point. The past week had been one of the busiest and difficult weeks of their time together. Having that emotional rollercoaster behind them, they were now tired and hungry and dirty from their journey. On top of that, as they were prone to do on so many other occasions, they were arguing. It was a worn out, tired topic which had caused their tempers to flair against each other on so many other occasions: “Who was the greatest? Who is going to be in charge?” They were so engrossed in their argument that they did the unthinkable. They came right to the table with their dirty feet unwilling to volunteer for such a humble job as foot-washing. The room was filled with proud hearts and dirty feet. The disciples were willing to fight for a throne, but not willing to pick up a towel.
Jesus does the unthinkable. He gets up and wraps a towel around himself and does the job himself. This was unheard of! Jesus was their teacher. If anything, they should be washing His feet! Peter objects at first but Jesus in his own wise way reminds Peter and the rest of his followers a lesson he had taught over and over, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.” And we must do likewise.
Fast forward a few hours from that moment. Jesus is now standing in front of Pontius Pilate and a crowd is screaming for his blood. Do you remember what Pilate did when he had a chance to acquit Jesus? He called for a bucket and washed his hands of the whole thing. Matthew 27:24: “When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood,’ he said. ‘It is your responsibility!’” Pilate’s paradigm is alive and well today. He knew what he should have done but he took the easy way out. He passed on to others the responsibility that should have been his. Many people today pass the buck(et) and wash their hands clean of everything they can.
Maybe it’s because we think Somebody Else will do it. I recently ran across an interesting description of this person called Somebody Else. “There’s a clever young guy named Somebody Else, There’s nothing this guy can’t do. He is busy from morning till way late at night, Just substituting for you. You’re asked to do this or you’re asked to do that And what is your reply? Get Somebody Else to do that job, He’ll do it much better than I. So much to do in this weary old world- So much and workers so few, And Somebody Else, all weary and worn, is still working hard substituting for you.” (author unknown) Far too many have been content to let Somebody Else do the work. The problem of course is that there aren’t that many Somebody Elses out there. And those there are have grown weary and tired. Pilate’s bucket theology is still alive and well today. There are far too many people washing their hands in Pilate’s bucket while totally ignoring the bucket Jesus used to serve his followers. Far too many say, “It’s not my responsibility. I’ve got my own responsibilities to deal with.” Far too many wash their hands of their responsibility in Pilate’s bucket. While Somebody Else labors on with the servant’s bucket given to them by Jesus.
I think proud Peter learned the lesson of the bucket. Later as he wrote his first epistle he says, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” (1 Peter 5:5) Peter quit arguing about the throne and taught others to pick up the towel. He realized he was changed into Somebody Else when his sins were forgiven through the blood of his Savior. Because he was somebody else, he lived the rest of life as a servant. How about you? Would people describe you as a humble servant of the Master? Are you wholeheartedly serving others out of response to Christ’s love for you? Do others recognize that you have been changed into Somebody Else since you’ve surrendered to Jesus? Or like Pilate are you still waiting for dear old Somebody Else to do what you know you are called to do? Learn the lesson of the bucket – we are all called to be Somebody Else. We are all called to do the work that Somebody Else is currently doing. “Lord, Help us get our bucket theology figured out. Help us all to be Somebody Else.”
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
The roads in Jerusalem were covered with a thick layer of dust. When it rained, they turned to liquid slush. It was the custom for the host to provide a slave at the door of his home to wash the feet of dinner guests as they arrived. The servant would kneel with a bucket of water and a towel and scrub off the manure and mud from foul feet. If a home could not afford a slave, one of the early arriving guests was to take upon himself the role of the house servant and wash feet. Such were the likely circumstances as Jesus and his followers arrived in the upper room to celebrate the last Passover. It had been a tough journey getting to this point. The past week had been one of the busiest and difficult weeks of their time together. Having that emotional rollercoaster behind them, they were now tired and hungry and dirty from their journey. On top of that, as they were prone to do on so many other occasions, they were arguing. It was a worn out, tired topic which had caused their tempers to flair against each other on so many other occasions: “Who was the greatest? Who is going to be in charge?” They were so engrossed in their argument that they did the unthinkable. They came right to the table with their dirty feet unwilling to volunteer for such a humble job as foot-washing. The room was filled with proud hearts and dirty feet. The disciples were willing to fight for a throne, but not willing to pick up a towel.
Jesus does the unthinkable. He gets up and wraps a towel around himself and does the job himself. This was unheard of! Jesus was their teacher. If anything, they should be washing His feet! Peter objects at first but Jesus in his own wise way reminds Peter and the rest of his followers a lesson he had taught over and over, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.” And we must do likewise.
Fast forward a few hours from that moment. Jesus is now standing in front of Pontius Pilate and a crowd is screaming for his blood. Do you remember what Pilate did when he had a chance to acquit Jesus? He called for a bucket and washed his hands of the whole thing. Matthew 27:24: “When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood,’ he said. ‘It is your responsibility!’” Pilate’s paradigm is alive and well today. He knew what he should have done but he took the easy way out. He passed on to others the responsibility that should have been his. Many people today pass the buck(et) and wash their hands clean of everything they can.
Maybe it’s because we think Somebody Else will do it. I recently ran across an interesting description of this person called Somebody Else. “There’s a clever young guy named Somebody Else, There’s nothing this guy can’t do. He is busy from morning till way late at night, Just substituting for you. You’re asked to do this or you’re asked to do that And what is your reply? Get Somebody Else to do that job, He’ll do it much better than I. So much to do in this weary old world- So much and workers so few, And Somebody Else, all weary and worn, is still working hard substituting for you.” (author unknown) Far too many have been content to let Somebody Else do the work. The problem of course is that there aren’t that many Somebody Elses out there. And those there are have grown weary and tired. Pilate’s bucket theology is still alive and well today. There are far too many people washing their hands in Pilate’s bucket while totally ignoring the bucket Jesus used to serve his followers. Far too many say, “It’s not my responsibility. I’ve got my own responsibilities to deal with.” Far too many wash their hands of their responsibility in Pilate’s bucket. While Somebody Else labors on with the servant’s bucket given to them by Jesus.
I think proud Peter learned the lesson of the bucket. Later as he wrote his first epistle he says, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” (1 Peter 5:5) Peter quit arguing about the throne and taught others to pick up the towel. He realized he was changed into Somebody Else when his sins were forgiven through the blood of his Savior. Because he was somebody else, he lived the rest of life as a servant. How about you? Would people describe you as a humble servant of the Master? Are you wholeheartedly serving others out of response to Christ’s love for you? Do others recognize that you have been changed into Somebody Else since you’ve surrendered to Jesus? Or like Pilate are you still waiting for dear old Somebody Else to do what you know you are called to do? Learn the lesson of the bucket – we are all called to be Somebody Else. We are all called to do the work that Somebody Else is currently doing. “Lord, Help us get our bucket theology figured out. Help us all to be Somebody Else.”
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
posted by Larry | 1:43 PM
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