“But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” – Luke 6:35-36
“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” – Philippians 2:6-8
Scripture Reading: John 13:1-17
I’ve never thought of myself as a proud person. I’m always overworked, overcommitted, and overwhelmed, so if anything, I thought I was a doormat. And yet, as I get older, I’m starting to realize just how many of my thoughts and responses are fueled by some form of pride, and frankly, I’m not proud of it.
Too many times, I catch myself being indignant (on the inside) that anyone would have the nerve to expect this from me, or to say that to me, or to assume this about me, or to dump that in my lap. Sound familiar? I hate to break it to you, my friend (and I assure you that we’re in this together), but those are the subtle echoes of pride in our everyday lives, and they really don’t echo the life of Jesus (Proverbs 13:10, 27:15).
In John 13, on the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus shattered any ideas that you and I might have about our own dignity, pride, and position. He did it with a towel, a bowl of water, and a bunch of dirty feet. Verse 1 makes it clear that Jesus’ actions were fueled by love, even though He was fully aware that His disciples would soon scatter in “every man for himself” fashion. Verse 3 makes it clear that He was confident in His position, knowing that His Father had given all things into His hands. And yet, Jesus was about to demonstrate a humility that is almost beyond comprehension (Philippians 2:6-8).
In human terms, He is their leader. In heavenly terms, He is the Son of God. And yet, He takes the role of a servant – not the head servant, but the last and lowliest servant in the pecking order – and with towel in hand, He kneels before each of them and washes their feet.
There was no misunderstanding why He did it, either. In Verses 12-16, He plainly states that it was an “example” for their sakes. It was part and parcel of what they would have to do to be like Him, to please Him, and even to “be happy”.
Really? Happiness is being a doormat? That’s a hard pill to swallow, but let me put it to you this way. As I look at myself, I know that I have no happiness – only gloom, despair, and agony – when I am focused on all that I think I deserve. When I’m trying to prove to others that I deserve better, somehow, I only end up feeling worse. But when I find my security in God’s sovereignty, His peace overshadows my pride. And when I’m trying to be a little more like Jesus and a little less like the world around me, He gives me a wonderfully odd and unnatural contentment – in any circumstance (Philippians 2:3, 4:6-12, Hebrews 13:5). When I trade my pride for His peace, my pride not only hurts a little less, it actually comes out a little less (I Timothy 1:7, 6:6, I Peter 5:6).
But there’s more to this. As I become more Christ-like in my responses, the weird, counter-cultural unnaturalness of it all draws other people to Him (John 3:14-15). That’s a sobering thought. Probably the only thing worse than letting your pride keep you from salvation would be if your pride kept other people from finding salvation. God forbid that my self-serving attitude should ever drive anyone away from His grace. You may not like the idea of being a doormat, but at the very least, make sure you are a welcome mat that brings people to the Door (John 10:9), and the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).
So I guess it all comes down to towels. When it comes to your pride, throw in the towel (I John 2:16). When it comes to others, pick up a towel and start serving (Galatians 6:2). And when you start to think of yourself as a doormat, remember the dirty feet that you came with and the Savior who washes them clean.
YOUR PRESCRIPTION:
Is there a situation right now where your pride is getting in the way? Ask God to help you to respond in a humble way. God will not promote you until you stop promoting yourself. And trust me, His plans and His promotions are better.
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