You cannot imitate what you do not know. Any parrot
who learns to swear does not reveal its own character, but
rather that of its owner and example. To copy or imitate by
definition implies an original to go by. It is the original that
determines the nature of the copy. This concept is not
limited to paper, metal and material objects. It applies to
human lives as well. Practically all of life is an imitation of
one philosophy or another, one principle or another, one
person or another.
We are not living totally unique and original lives, for
we are all following patterns that existed before, and they
were lived by millions before we were born. The better we
are acquainted with the pattern the more we conform to it as
a copy. This, of course, explains why Christians can often be
so unlike Christ, and so much like the world. They are so
much more acquainted with the world. The example of the
world is constantly before them, and they begin to imitate
that pattern. The example of Christ is one to which they are
so seldom exposed that there is little chance for imitation.
The painter who would imitate Rembrandt, or the
musician who would like to be a copy of Beethoven must
immerse themselves in the works of these men. They will
succeed only to the degree that they know the original they
seek to imitate. It is obvious that this holds true for the
Christian life as well. How can we be Christ like if we do not
know what He was like, and how He lived, and what He
taught?
Every experience that life brings is an opportunity to
imitate Christ, but how can we do so if we do not know how
He would respond? He had a home, He played, He worked,
He went to school, He had joys and blessings, He faced
embarrassment and trials, and He had social pressures. He
had to take a stand on social and political issues. He lived a
genuine involved and complicated human life filled with
decisions, and it is worth all of the effort needed to become
acquainted with His life.
Before we launch out into this sea of living water we
need to chart our way so as to stir clear of the island of
liberalism that attracts so many as a landing spot, and from
which they do not depart again. What I am referring to is
the fact that the liberal element as far back as the 18th
century has made much of Christ as an example. They
cannot be surpassed in their stress on Jesus being the
supreme example of humanity. It was a very attractive
religion, but unfortunately, even though it was Christ
centered, it was not Christianity. It was because the Christ
it exalted was divorced from His deity. His example and
teaching was isolated from His atonement, and this left Him
as an example period, and not the Savior and Lord.
Understandably, the Evangelicals opposed this diluted
theology, and stressed the atonement. When ever the life of
Christ was mentioned they would say, “Yes, but His death
was more important.” The result of this emphasis was a
neglect of the lessons we are to learn from our Lord’s life.
James Stalker, the evangelical author of Christ Our
Example, said, “It is time to object to these divisions. Both
halves of the truth are ours, and we claim the whole of it.”
Why should we be robbed of any of God’s precious truth in
Christ just because it can be perverted and abused? To let
error have the monopoly on any truth is an evil, and a
departure from God’s will.
We cannot rightly ignore any part of inspired
revelation. It leads to the philosophy that says, “Ignorance
is the mother of devotion.” Certain truths are confusing to
the people, and so the way to keep peace in the church is to
keep people ignorant. Such was the thinking of many in the
past, and it worked. There was only one casualty and that
was the truth. The result was a loss of true Christianity. No
amount of peace is worth that price. As evangelicals we dare
not yield to the temptation of ignoring and hiding any part
of God’s Word just because it can be perverted. Even the
deity of Christ was once so exalted for the purpose of
denying the reality of Christ’s humanity. In fact, this was
the first heresy in the early church. No one could be so
foolish as to ignore the deity of Christ just because it can be
abused. We are to hold forth all of God’s truth.
This long introduction is to clarify what we are doing.
We want it clear that what we will be studying is vital and
important, and it is given by God for our instruction, but in
itself it is an inadequate Christianity because Christ as our
example will not save us. We must know Christ as Lord,
and we must yield our lives to Him as our Redeemer, for it is
only from within the family of God that He is our example.
Once we become a child of God by accepting Christ as
Savior there is no higher goal in life than to be like Him.
This is the witness of the whole New Testament. “Learn
of me,” “Follow me,” said Jesus. “Let this mind be in you
which was also in Christ.” “Walk in love, as Christ also has
loved us.” Jesus said, “This is my commandment that you
love one another as I have loved you.” All we do is to be a
pattern of what Christ did. Rom. 15:2 says, “Let everyone
please his neighbor for his good to edification, for even
Christ pleased not himself.” Col. 3:13 says, “Forbearing one
another, and forgiving one another, even as Christ forgave
you, so also do ye.” When we can appeal to the example of
Christ for any attitude or conduct we stand on solid rock, for
what is Christ like is eternal.
And now to our text and to a specific case in which Jesus
is our example. This passage is a logical place to begin since
no one can miss it. Jesus states plainly in verse 15 that the
purpose of His action was to give His disciples an example to
follow. We have here one of the most basic passages in the
Word of God, for Jesus goes to special lengths to become an
example of humility. It doesn’t sound like such a big issue, but
John tells us if all was written that might be about
Christ, the world could not contain the books. If half a
chapter of his 21 can be devoted to this lesson on humility,
that means it is certainly a major issue from God’s point of
view.
Humility seems like such a dull virtue because of our
misconceptions. Like the Greeks and Romans, we don’t
have much time for self-depreciation. Like them we equate
humility with weakness, cowardice and inferiority, and none
of these are attractive. All of these false concepts are shed
quickly, however, when we look to Christ our example.
Humility is not stepping on yourself, or degrading yourself.
Jesus never did either of these things. It is a surrendering of
yourself to be most useful. Humility means availability. The
humble man is not so wrapped up in himself that he is never
available for the needs of others. Proud people are too busy
with their own agenda, but humble people will take time out
of their own pursuits to meet the needs of others. They are
the volunteers who do not have to do it, but they do because
it needs to be done.
Did humility in Christ mean a low self-estimate? Was
Jesus like the Carthusian monk who was describing his little
known order to a stranger saying, “As for learning, we are
not to be compared to the Jesuits, when it comes to good
works, we don’t match the Franciscans, as to preaching we
are not in a class with the Dominicans, but when it comes to
humility we are tops.” Such a concept of humility is
naturally laughable, for it means to specialize in inferiority. If
this was true humility, it would be an easy virtue to attain,
for the only requirement would be to do nothing. He who
can most magnify his inability becomes the most humble.
This foolishness has no part in the humility of Christ. No
one has ever had such a high estimate of himself. Jesus said,
“A greater than Solomon is here.” He said, “I am the light
of the world.” He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life,
no one comes to the Father but by Me.”
Look at our text where Jesus is emphasizing His
humility. Does He lower His self-estimate? Not at all. In
verse 13 He says that my calling me Lord and Master you
are right. That is just what made His act the highest
example of humility. It was His superiority which made His
act of washing their feet a great example of humility. It is
not humility for a servant to do so, but it is for a master to
do so. He did not hold on to His superiority and fear to
stoop lest He lose it. True humility is to use all of your
ability to serve. It is false humility to say you cannot serve
when you really are able. True humility is to say I will stoop
to do the job.
Humility is being strong and using that strength to lift
the weak. It is to wise and intelligent and using your gifts to
teach the less fortunate that they might share the values of
your advantage. True humility does not say I am nothing,
but it says I am something by the grace of God, and I can be
used of God to help others be something as well. Humility
puts the best of men into the service of the rest of us that we
all might be lifted to higher ground. The disciples needed
this virtue because they had the typical attitude that to be
special and superior should put you in a privileged position
of being served. They wanted to reign and not serve, but
Jesus made it clear that privilege and special ability is only
of value when it is used to serve.
Jesus is the greatest possible example of true humility.
He did not grasp at equality with God, but as Phil. 2:7-8
says, “But made of himself of no reputation and took upon
Him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of
men....He humbles himself and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross.” The greatest act of service in
history was by the King of Kings when He died for the sins
of the world. Albert Schweitzer said, “Example is not the
main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.” Jesus
laid down His life as an example of just how much He loves
us, and there is no greater example of love than this in the
universe. He is our excelling example.
Someone has said that a good way to gain humility is to
read the help wanted ads. You will be surprised how many
positions there are which you are too ignorant, too
unattractive, or to old to fill. This is the false and negative
kind of humility. We look to Christ as our example, and He
teaches us a positive type of humility that says I have ability
and blessings which I will use, not for self-glorification, but
for the edification of others. Christ like humility is a virtue
of power and strength and not the popular concept of
anemic withdrawal.
A Christ like definition of humility is, the willingness to
give one’s self and any superiority he may have to the service
of others. The highest profession on earth, from God’s point
of view, is to be a servant. We haven’t begun to expound the
text, but have just seen the over all purpose of it. We want
to look at one detail lest we have a misconception. There are
Christians who take this message literally in terms of the
example Jesus used to teach His lesson. They continue to
wash one another’s feet in obedience to His words in verse
14. It is certainly not wrong to do so, but it severely limits
the application when the context makes it clear that the act
was filled with a non-literal spiritual significance.
In verse 7 Jesus shows that His act is symbolic of a
higher spiritual significance beyond the literal act of
washing. The question of verse 12 asks if they know what
He has done. Certainly they knew what He had done, but
the meaning was what was important. The washing of feet
was just a method of demonstrating the principle of
humility, and of the superior serving the lesser. They could
continue to use feel washing as a method of service because it
was a real necessity and a part of their daily lives. To
continue it in our culture is not really a service, for we don’t
need our feet washed when we are invited to eat with
someone. We do not wear sandals, nor do we set low on
couches with our feet near our food and another. It becomes
a mere ceremony as an end in itself, and it can lead to the
false view that one has fulfilled his obligation to be humble
by doing so. Jesus certainty did not take up such a large
portion of revelation to teach us to wash one another’s feet.
He is teaching us to follow His example as a total way of life
by giving ourselves to the service of others. This is Christ
like humility, and He is our excelling example.
