Serving

Serving sometimes gets a bad rap. It’s tempting to think that servants are somehow lower than the people they serve. It’s just not so.

Today millions of Christians remember Maundy Thursday to commemorate the Last Supper Jesus ate with his closest followers. They ate the Passover meal, a festival celebrated by Jews all over the world this week.

Even those who don’t believe in Jesus’ deity respect him as a prophet or outstanding human being.

It was at the Last Supper that Jesus did something really shocking. He washed the feet of his friends.

Consider a little context. There were no paved roads in that day; just a few stone highways constructed by Roman occupiers (though I never saw any in Israel). People wore sandals. Their feet got really nasty. Yet Jesus insisted on washing those disgusting feet.

The irony is that, undoubtedly, one of the most powerful and respected people to walk the earth took the role of a servant and did something so humble.

My online students have been studying various leadership styles. Even though they’ve examined multiple academic and business models, most have concluded that the best is the Jesus model. True leadership (and friendship) is one of servanthood.

As you think about your day and your various roles, how might you implement the Jesus model?

“The greatest among you will be your servant.” – Jesus quoted in Matthew 23:11