John 13:1-17
“Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that His hour had come to leave this world and return to His Father. He had loved His disciples during His ministry on earth, and now He loved them to the very end. Jesus knew that the Father had given Him authority over everything and that He had come from God and would return to God. So He got up from the table, took off His robe, wrapped a towel around His waist, and poured water into a basin. Then He began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel He had around Him.”
This week we’ll be taking a look at Jesus’ last day on earth, as told in the book of John. Instead of just reading the story this week, enter into it! We’ll focus in on how Jesus chose to spend His last day before He was crucified, noticing common themes along the way. John chapter 13 begins the telling of that story with Jesus in an upper room of a house with His disciples. Notice two things in these verses: Jesus knew what lay ahead of Him and He chose to begin His last day with His beloved disciples by performing a menial and humbling act of service.
Respond in Prayer
Take a minute to put yourself in this room with Jesus and the disciples, imagining what might have been going on in their minds and hearts. Thank Jesus that He knowingly chose the humiliation and agony that lay ahead of Him. Ask Him to fill you with this same selfless, perfect love that He had for others. Ask Him to bring to mind anyone today that you can serve in the same manner Jesus did, thinking of them as better than yourself.
For Families with Kids at Home
How can you all follow Jesus’ example and serve others together this week? Spend some time today brainstorming as a family some ways you can serve one another and the people God has placed around you.
Here are some ideas to get started: make breakfast together, write encouraging notes to each other, write an encouraging note to everyone on your street and leave it on their doorstep, walk your neighborhood together and pray for each house as you walk by, create chalk art on the sidewalks with encouraging messages. Get creative! Serve together.