Jesus is one of the greatest teachers who has ever walked the earth; his life and how he personally impacted those around him contain many lessons to be learnt. Even today's scholars are astounded by his leadership and mentoring abilities.
Some academic books even list servant leadership as one of the various types of leadership styles, citing Jesus as the best example and author of a servant leadership style.
One of the best examples of Jesus' acts of service and humility is when He shared the Passover meal with His disciples the night before His crucifixion. As the meal was served, Jesus removed his outer coat and presented each of the twelve with a towel and a basin of water to wash their feet. The sentence "order of towel" is derived from this action by Jesus Christ.
Jesus did this to teach his disciples the value of humility and mutual service. You must understand that foot washing was an act performed by a slave or servant for his master after he returned from a distant location. If there were no slaves or servants, the youngest person should wash the feet of the elders or those in higher positions. It's also worth noting that the environment in the Ancient Middle East was hot and dry, so the feet were covered in dust. Thus, washing the feet of others was a task assigned to the lower classes in society.
To appreciate what Jesus did, remember that his disciples called him "Rabi," which means teacher and Lord. Because Jesus was superior to his disciples in terms of rank, the disciples should be the ones to wash his feet. You can now understand why Peter refused to have his feet washed by Jesus because that is not how the order should be, but Jesus had to insist by telling him that if he refuses, he will have no part with Jesus.
Jesus modelled service and humility for his disciples before instructing them to do the same. His words were: "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet”. He set an example for His disciples to follow, and as Jesus' disciples, we should do the same.
IMITATING JESUS CHRIST IN SERVICE.
God is very interested in our relationships with one another and how we influence others through the way we serve them. How we serve others reveals whether or not we are Christ-like; it makes no difference what position one holds; if you have been transformed by Jesus, you can serve anyone. Jesus had every right not to wash his disciples' feet, but he chose to teach us about servant leadership. Jesus demonstrated his concern for those inferior to him by washing their feet. This can only be fueled by love, kindness, and compassion.
Jesus encourages you to love your neighbor as yourself. The most important measure of how to serve others is how you would like to be served; the same measure you would want is the same measure you should provide. The way you love yourself should be the way you love others; therefore, serve others in the same way you would like others to serve you.
When you are motivated by compassion, you can help others because you are concerned about the suffering and misfortune that people face. According to Matthew 14:14, Jesus had compassion and was moved to act as a result of it. We should imitate Christ and serve others with compassion.
Kindness should also motivate you to help others. Kind people are friendly, generous, and considerate. You should serve others out of the abundance of blessings that God has bestowed upon you. Allow people who are less privileged than you to understand Jesus' kindness through your service to them. Allow yourself to be God's hand in touching people's lives while serving them.
IMITATING JESUS CHRIST IN HUMILITY.
Humility is the attitude or feeling that you have no special importance compared to others, which makes you superior. Humility is the polar opposite of pride; humility is demonstrated more through your actions than your words. What you do to others reveals whether you are a humble or proud man. Jesus was the teacher and Lord, but his actions were those of a humble man, doing what any normal person could do; despite his special status, he was involved in noble actions.
Paul reminds us in Philippians 2:3 that to live a life of humility one needs to avoid to do anything out of self-ambition or vain conceits but rather value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interest but each of you to the interest of the other. The moment you begin to live for others and care for others interest you find that humility as a value begins to develop in you.
Paul shows us that Jesus was rewarded beautifully for being humble. The Bible says that Jesus humbled himself by becoming obedient to death even death on the cross so God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow. This is such encouraging that a life of humility does not go unrewarded, even though all you do is caring for the interest of others at your expense but our God sees and always rewards people who live a life of humility.
Finally, we are called to follow the towel order, to imitate what our Lord and Savior did. I understand it is not easy because living a sacrificial life for others is not always pleasant; it is fraught with pain and difficulties. To live a life of order of towel, remember the following:
First, we can only imitate Christ if we are one with him. Paul reminds us that imitating Christ is easy if we are united with Him. The only way to be united with Christ is to accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.
Second, we should be like-minded with Christ. The best way to align yourself with Christ is to ask yourself, "What would Jesus do in this situation?" When you get the answer, do what Jesus would have done.
Third, Jesus is our role model, and as Christians, we should imitate him alone. Our identities should reflect the identity of Jesus Christ; that is, people should see Jesus Christ in how we serve others and in our humility.
Fourth, Jesus calls us to place an order for towels. Our Lord and Savior commanded us to imitate what he does, so it is our responsibility as obedient disciples to carry out his commands.
