Jesus Christ is without a doubt the most compassionate person who ever walked the face of our planet. Even those people who deny His deity acknowledge that He was a great man and a wonderful moral teacher. But the thing that makes Jesus so unique and wonderfully special can be summed up in the following quote by D. A. Carson: “Jesus is hungry but feeds others; He grows weary but offers others rest; He is the King Messiah but pays tribute; He is called the devil but casts out demons; He dies the death of a sinner but comes to save His people from their sins; He is sold for thirty pieces of silver but gives His life a ransom for many; He will not turn stones to bread for Himself but gives His own body as bread for people.”1
Imagine the Creator and King of the universe can be seen washing His disciples feet (John 13). As I re-read (John 13) today I began to realize that if Jesus could humble Himself to be such a servant, how can I not do likewise. I love what we read in (John 13:14-15): “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”
Jesus is clearly our Lord and Teacher and He is constantly demonstrating for us through (John 13) and the examples given in the D. A. Carson quote above, that we should do likewise and become humble servants manifesting this amazing love to all we come in contact with. Yes, it is often humbling to be a servant but if Jesus, the sovereign Lord of the universe, lived a life of servanthood, how can we not follow Him example.
And while it is true that the miracles that Jesus performed arrested people’s attention to listen to His message, I believe, His great compassion, and humble Spirit, was what made Him so attractive to many. You see not only did Jesus preach doing good but He demonstrated it through His actions. His examples of compassion were not just to help others but to teach us that we must do likewise if we claim to be ambassadors for Christ. And as ambassadors for Christ we can only prove the goodness of Jesus if we, who represent Him, follow in His footsteps.
My friends if you want to go deeper on your walk with the Lord may I challenge you to re-read Jesus’ greatest sermon – the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). In this incredible portion of Scripture, our Lord gives us many examples of how to live out our Christianity in such a way that we truly become faithful stewards of the Word and servants of the King!
1 Jesus is hungry but feeds others; He grows weary but offers others rest; He is the King Messiah but pays tribute; He is called the devil but casts out demons; He dies the death of a sinner but comes to save His people from their sins; He is sold for thirty pieces of silver but gives His life a ransom for many; He will not turn stones to bread for Himself but gives His own body as bread for people. – Grace Quotes