Slave

…He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

John 13:4 & 5

That word, slave, is such a negative and provocative term. With it comes a reminder of the loss of basic freedoms, dignity and humanity.

God never created slavery, and for anyone to accuse Him of such an evil, human construct proves they do not know Him.

But on the other hand, there is a slavery or a servitude that must be accepted by every believer.

That servitude is to Christ Jesus.

The more I have come to understand what it means for me to be the slave of Jesus, the more I welcome every aspect of that position.

Keep reading. You will soon understand.

Did you know that when Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, the night before His crucifixion, He put on a slave’s garment, or the garment of a Doulos? According to Bible scholars the Doulos was the lowliest slave in a household.

Go back to the key verse. Every action in this passage is so intentional by Jesus, and by God the Father. Why? Keep reading. The answer is coming, but I know it will dawn on you before you get to the end.

Jesus willingly humbled Himself in front of His disciples,
He disrobed.
He put on the Doulos’ garment.
He performed the menial task of collecting and pouring water into a basin.
The Son of God knelt before each disciple.
Twelve times, one by one, He took their grimy, filth crusted feet into His hands.
He plunged them into the basin where dirt and grime became putrid mud.
He washed those feet, clean.
Then He dried them.
He moved to the next disciple.
And He did not leave Judas out.

My Savior, whose own feet should have been lovingly washed by the disciples, became the servant of all. And He would have done it for you.

By doing this, Jesus taught those men how to serve. He taught them that in order to be His slave—His child, they must humble themselves to tell everyone the Good News. Everyone. The lowliest, meanest, most immoral, most dishonest, most murderous, most deviant of mankind. No one could be exempt from the Gospel.

Long before this event, the Savior walked among all kinds of people. They all came from different backgrounds. The least likely people to meet Jesus were the ones who came to love Him and chose to serve Him as a bondservant. A slave.

There was no hesitation among those who had faith to believe. They never quibbled over the term, slave.

But before the crucifixion, Jesus knew that even His own family did not automatically inherit eternal life. His crucifixion would be for their sins, too.

For not even his brothers believed in him

John 7:5 (ESV)

When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.

Mark 3:21 (ESV)

Did you know that two of Jesus half-brothers have authored letters in God’s Book?

James and Jude each participated in the growth of the Church after Christs’ ascension. But unless you did a little studying, you would not know this by reading the books of James and Jude. Why?

Look how they introduced themselves to us.

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:

Jude 1:1 (ESV)