“I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.” (John 13:15,17, NLT)
In a very poignant moment, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. He did this as a sign of humility and service. He did this as “an example to follow” according to John 13:15. Jesus, the Son of God, was not above doing the work of a servant. He did not see work for others, even mundane work, as a degrading action. He elevated the service of others to a new level of faithfulness.
Some people in our world see manual labor, acts of humility, and service to others as “beneath” them. They see it as embarrassing or degrading or even unholy work. In the 1980’s, when the AIDS epidemic was just beginning, a man called the office in my church to speak to the pastor. When I got on the phone, he asked to visit with me. When I asked why he wanted to talk about, he said he had been diagnosed with AIDS and just needed someone to “open up to” about it. I asked if he was a member of a church. He said he was not. Then, he revealed to me this part of his situation, “Pastor, I’m dying. I just want to talk to someone who knows God. I was brought up a Christian. I gave it up. Now, I just need to reconnect with God somehow. I’ve called fourteen churches so far and nobody will meet with me. Could we just talk, please?” We talked. He opened his heart. He shed many tears. We prayed together. He left. I never saw him again. Chances are, he didn’t live much longer after we met.
What bothered me the most about caring for this man was that he couldn’t find another pastor to speak with him. His soul was crying out for a reconnection with God but because of his past situation and his present illness, he was seen as an outsider and ignored. I’m sure not all pastors would have ignored him. However, in our small town, I know he tried to meet with at least a quarter of them but could not for various reasons. Sadly, I’m afraid that one of the reasons pastors would not meet with him was because his disease had social stigmas attached to it. Some pastors were afraid of AIDS. Some just didn’t want to be seen with a man who was diagnosed with the “shameful disease”, as some called it.
Jesus met with sinners, people with diseases, people with spiritual issues. He even touched people with leprosy. Jesus met at the homes of tax collectors. He associated with a woman at the well who had quite the reputation. Jesus also washed His own disciples’ feet. Jesus was the perfect example of love and humility. He also expected the faithful to “follow” in His footsteps, humbly reaching out to others. That is made crystal clear in John 13:15.
Today’s scriptures also contain a little word, “do”. Jesus said, “Do as I have done to you.” Again, Jesus was giving an example. However, His words go beyond a simple command to be an example. Jesus expected His followers to “do” something with their faith. It wasn’t enough for them just to hear the gospel in worship or say the right words when repeating the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus expected His true followers to “do” the work, “do” what is needed to be righteous, “do” mission work for the poor and needy, “do” the work of a disciple and apostle. It wasn’t enough for Jesus to just “say” He would like to wash the feet of the disciples. He set an example. He did it. He didn’t talk about it. He did it.
Have you ever met a person who was “all talk and no do”? That was an old saying decades and even centuries old that described a person who was known to talk a lot about an issue but never got around to doing anything about what was needed. So too, there are a lot of “armchair quarterbacks” who love to yell at their TV while watching an American football team. They question the decisions of the coach or challenge the skill of the players. All the while they are making a fuss about the game, they aren’t playing the game. They aren’t coaches. They aren’t professional football players. They can talk up a storm. But, in the end, they are all talk. People who are “all talk and no do” love to make opinion statements or complain about something but they never end up making a difference or help fix a problem.
Among many Christians, there is the tendency to be “all talk and no do”. They might be heard complaining about the work of the pastor but do not offer to help the pastor get the needed work done.
They are more than ready to gossip about others in the church while never doing much more than gossiping. Some people are content to sit at a committee meeting and discuss an issue in the church never to really “do anything” about the issue.
At a pastor’s gathering, I had the chance to talk to a Baptist pastor from Tennessee. I asked him how things were going in his church. He had this sad look on his face, then remarked, “We are stuck in the mud in our church. There is a big need for a safe and faith-based daycare in the community. We have the facilities. We even have several members who would gladly bring their children to the daycare. Yet, for three years all we have done is talk about it in committee. Nobody wants to lead the project. The committee is even afraid of bringing to the congregation the information that we will need $140,000 to upgrade our security systems, fire suppression systems, and add other building code requirements to make it happen. So, all we do is talk about the need. With this issue, we are just stuck in the mud and going nowhere.” How many times have Christians seen a need but never reached out, talked about a faith issue but never solved anything, or heard of a hungry family but never brought food? It happens far too often.
Jesus set us an example to follow. He was willing to get on His knees and do the work of washing the disciples’ feet. Is there some work in your life, in your family, in your church, or in your community that needs completion? What must you “do” to make needed changes in your own life? Is the time for talking done, and the time for action upon you? Let the Holy Spirit be your guide to what needs to be done in your world. What can’t wait for more discussion and needs to be helped right now?
Some people in our world see manual labor, acts of humility, and service to others as “beneath” them. They see it as embarrassing or degrading or even unholy work. In the 1980’s, when the AIDS epidemic was just beginning, a man called the office in my church to speak to the pastor. When I got on the phone, he asked to visit with me. When I asked why he wanted to talk about, he said he had been diagnosed with AIDS and just needed someone to “open up to” about it. I asked if he was a member of a church. He said he was not. Then, he revealed to me this part of his situation, “Pastor, I’m dying. I just want to talk to someone who knows God. I was brought up a Christian. I gave it up. Now, I just need to reconnect with God somehow. I’ve called fourteen churches so far and nobody will meet with me. Could we just talk, please?” We talked. He opened his heart. He shed many tears. We prayed together. He left. I never saw him again. Chances are, he didn’t live much longer after we met.
What bothered me the most about caring for this man was that he couldn’t find another pastor to speak with him. His soul was crying out for a reconnection with God but because of his past situation and his present illness, he was seen as an outsider and ignored. I’m sure not all pastors would have ignored him. However, in our small town, I know he tried to meet with at least a quarter of them but could not for various reasons. Sadly, I’m afraid that one of the reasons pastors would not meet with him was because his disease had social stigmas attached to it. Some pastors were afraid of AIDS. Some just didn’t want to be seen with a man who was diagnosed with the “shameful disease”, as some called it.
Jesus met with sinners, people with diseases, people with spiritual issues. He even touched people with leprosy. Jesus met at the homes of tax collectors. He associated with a woman at the well who had quite the reputation. Jesus also washed His own disciples’ feet. Jesus was the perfect example of love and humility. He also expected the faithful to “follow” in His footsteps, humbly reaching out to others. That is made crystal clear in John 13:15.
Today’s scriptures also contain a little word, “do”. Jesus said, “Do as I have done to you.” Again, Jesus was giving an example. However, His words go beyond a simple command to be an example. Jesus expected His followers to “do” something with their faith. It wasn’t enough for them just to hear the gospel in worship or say the right words when repeating the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus expected His true followers to “do” the work, “do” what is needed to be righteous, “do” mission work for the poor and needy, “do” the work of a disciple and apostle. It wasn’t enough for Jesus to just “say” He would like to wash the feet of the disciples. He set an example. He did it. He didn’t talk about it. He did it.
Have you ever met a person who was “all talk and no do”? That was an old saying decades and even centuries old that described a person who was known to talk a lot about an issue but never got around to doing anything about what was needed. So too, there are a lot of “armchair quarterbacks” who love to yell at their TV while watching an American football team. They question the decisions of the coach or challenge the skill of the players. All the while they are making a fuss about the game, they aren’t playing the game. They aren’t coaches. They aren’t professional football players. They can talk up a storm. But, in the end, they are all talk. People who are “all talk and no do” love to make opinion statements or complain about something but they never end up making a difference or help fix a problem.
Among many Christians, there is the tendency to be “all talk and no do”. They might be heard complaining about the work of the pastor but do not offer to help the pastor get the needed work done.
They are more than ready to gossip about others in the church while never doing much more than gossiping. Some people are content to sit at a committee meeting and discuss an issue in the church never to really “do anything” about the issue.
At a pastor’s gathering, I had the chance to talk to a Baptist pastor from Tennessee. I asked him how things were going in his church. He had this sad look on his face, then remarked, “We are stuck in the mud in our church. There is a big need for a safe and faith-based daycare in the community. We have the facilities. We even have several members who would gladly bring their children to the daycare. Yet, for three years all we have done is talk about it in committee. Nobody wants to lead the project. The committee is even afraid of bringing to the congregation the information that we will need $140,000 to upgrade our security systems, fire suppression systems, and add other building code requirements to make it happen. So, all we do is talk about the need. With this issue, we are just stuck in the mud and going nowhere.” How many times have Christians seen a need but never reached out, talked about a faith issue but never solved anything, or heard of a hungry family but never brought food? It happens far too often.
Jesus set us an example to follow. He was willing to get on His knees and do the work of washing the disciples’ feet. Is there some work in your life, in your family, in your church, or in your community that needs completion? What must you “do” to make needed changes in your own life? Is the time for talking done, and the time for action upon you? Let the Holy Spirit be your guide to what needs to be done in your world. What can’t wait for more discussion and needs to be helped right now?
The Uplifting video for today is one man's recollection about putting faith in action..click below to view it!