Jesus - Yehoshua got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet… [Afterwards, he said,]
“Now that I, your lord and teacher, have washed
your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. – John 13:4-5,14
Humility and serving others were of great
concern to Jesus -Yehoshua. In the above passage, Jesus-Yehoshua
embodies these themes in washing the disciple’s feet. He speaks with
disgust about teachers who “love the place of honor at banquets and the most
important seats in the synagogues” (Matthew 23:6) and adds:
“The greatest among you will be your servant. For
whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be
exalted.” (vs. 11-12).
Honor was vital in the first-century Jewish world, and many
customs differentiated those with lesser status from those with more.
Specifically, students were expected to honor their teachers, and disciples of their rabbis. Disciples were to act as servants to their rabbi, serving his
food and pouring water over his hands for him to wash. Their model was Elisha
who humbly served as Elijah’s ‘mesharet’, meaning “assistant” (2 Kings 3:11).
When Jesus - Yehoshua washed his disciples' feet, he
not only violated the custom that delegated this task to the lowest household
servant but also epitomized humility, as he served those who were supposed to
serve him. His actions were even more poignant in light of the argument the disciples had over who was the greatest (Luke 22:24-27).
Notice a similar scene in Gamaliel’s Life [This
is Gamaliel the Elder, or Rabban Gamaliel who died approximately AD 52]
Interestingly, a similar story is recorded about Gamaliel a few decades later. Gamaliel was the head of the Sanhedrin, the highest office in Israel. At a banquet, he got up and served food and drink to others of lower stature. Some were shocked and rejected his service, just as Peter rejected Jesus’ - Yehoshua’s offer to wash his feet. Honoring a rabbinic scholar was like honoring the Torah!
A debate ensued about whether the great sage could set
aside his own honor to serve others. After considering biblical precedent, the
other rabbis declared that he could:
Is Gamaliel a lowly servant? He serves like a household
servant, but there is one greater than him who serves.
Consider Abraham, who, even though he was the greatest of
his generation, ran to serve what looked like three lowly wanderers (Genesis
18:8).
There is one even greater than Abraham who serves. Consider
the Holy One - Yehovah, blessed be He, who brings forth rain and causes the
earth to bloom and arranges a table before each and every person. (Psalm 78:19)
Interestingly, Gamaliel is on record as acting very
similarly to Jesus by humbly serving others. He is the same Rabbi who educated
Paul and defended the early church in Acts 5:34-40. Could he have been
influenced by Jesus’ teaching? Considering that he was familiar with the famous
rabbi Jesus and his unique movement, it doesn’t seem unlikely.
Paul, a disciple of Gamaliel, beautifully brought all these
ideas about the humility in the person of the Messiah in his letter to the
Philippians 2:5-11:
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours
in the Messiah Jesus, who, though he was in the form of
God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself,
by taking the form of a servant-slave, being born in the likeness
of men. And being found in human form - as a human being, a man, he humbled himself by becoming
obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Therefore, God - Yehovah has highly
exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on
earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus -
Yehoshua the Messiah is lord, to the glory of God - Yehovah the Father.
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