Disciple Foot Washing
Esther brings out an element of how to fight with honour and skill and John reveals the power of servant leadership.
I normally would not try to extrapolate a story from the Old Testament and make it meaningful in the New, but will make an exception here because it involves spiritual warfare.
In Esther’s story the enemy were those who hated the Jews and their weapons were physical. The king’s decree gave them four things.
Saying that the king allowed the Jews who were in every city to gather and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, children and women included, and to plunder their goods. – Esther 8:11 ESV
Those four things were the right to assemble, the right to defend themselves, the right to use deadly force and the right to take possessions from their enemies.
When I consider that my war is a spiritual one and not physical, I try and bring meaning of this passage to my life today. My enemy is Satan and his demonic forces, my weapons are spiritual, Jesus’ decree give me three things – His authority, His power and Himself.
So John explains what kind of leadership model Jesus used to guide us through this warfare. Jesus taught servant leadership and His dialogue on that matter is found in John 13:1-20. In this case, disciple means servant.
The picture of Jesus washing the disciples feet describes how disciples serve disciples. Is this not in line with the new commandment.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. – John 13:34 ESV
I am challenged in my desire to be a disciple today because it means that I need to serve like Him. It is about going low to serve other disciples even when it is inconvenient to myself or even when it is contrary to what any one is expecting. Therefore, in my disciple making mode I am making servants who love one another.
Disciple 