The Perfect Servant (John 13:4-5; Philippians 2:6-8)

“(1) He riseth from supper, (2) and laid aside his garments, (3) and took a towel, (4) and girded himself. (5) After that he poureth water into a basin, (6) and began to wash his disciples feet, (7) and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded” (John 13:4-5)

“(1) He thought it not robbery to be equal with God: (2) but made himself of no reputation, (3) and took upon him the form of a servant, (4) and was made in the likeness of men: (5) and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, (6) and became obedient unto death, (7) even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8)

We have before us two of the most beautiful passages in Scripture concerning the person of Christ. You will notice that there are seven distinct phrases concerning our Lord’s humility in each of these passages. Together, these fourteen phrases form seven lovely sequential pairs, with each successive phrase from John 13 painting a beautiful picture of its corresponding phrase in Philippians 2.

(1) “He riseth from supper…” The Lord had every right to remain seated after the supper and wait for one of the others to serve Him, but, in grace and humility, He arose from His place of rest at the table to fill the lowly place that none other would take.

How great was His grace in the upper room! But this pales in comparison to the ‘moment’ in eternity when He arose from His throne in Heaven and came into this sinful world. Though He had every right to remain seated in glory, rejoicing in His rest as the beloved Son of a delighted Father, yet “he thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” And in wondrous grace, He arose from this place of honour to come into our world.

(2) “He laid aside his garments…” If the Queen of England were to remove her royal garments and dress as a peasant, it would not alter the fact that she was the queen. Likewise, when our Lord laid aside his garments in the upper room, though His outward appearance was altered, He was still the same person that He ever was – their Lord and Master.

This is a wonderful picture of what happened when our Lord “made himself of no reputation.” You ask what garments He laid aside? Consider the words of the psalmist, “O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty, who coverest thyself with light as with a garment…” (Psalm 19:1-2).

The garments of our Lord in eternity are honour and majesty. His clothing is an unapproachable light. It was a mere glimpse of this glory that the disciples saw on the mount when “his raiment was white as the light” (Matthew 17:2), “glistering” (Luke 9:29), and “shining” (Mark 9:3). But in the incarnation He laid aside those garments. The outward manifestation of his glory was veiled when He “made himself of no reputation.” Again we clearly insist that this did not change who He was, for clothed in the garb of a humble, Jewish carpenter was the very Son of God.

(3) “and took a towel… (4) and girded himself…” A towel is the tool of a servant. When our Lord “took a towel” and “girded himself with it”, He was announcing to all His intention to serve. This pictures for us the day when our Lord “took upon him the form of a servant” and girded himself with “the likeness of men.” He came to earth in humility as a man that he might glorify God with His perfect service.

(5) “after that he poureth water into a basin…” When we think of water being poured forth, it reminds us of some of the frailties and limitations connected with human life. Remember the words of the wise woman: “We must needs die and are as water spilt on the ground” (2 Samuel 14:14).

When we think of our Lord “pouring water into a basin,” we are reminded of the depth of His stoop in becoming a man. What did it mean for the Son of God to grow weary, to hunger, to thirst, to weep, to be alone? These are things that our Lord could only experience because He became a man. But there is something else that He must become a man in order to experience – and that is death on our behalf. THiw is what he did when “he humbled himself!”

(6) “and began to wash his disciples’ feet…” Having risen from supper and taken the place of the servant, our Lord now “began to wash his disciples’ feet”. We have no way of knowing how dirty their feet were, but I’m sure that the Lord Jesus was thorough in His service. He would not have rushed to complete the task as quickly as possible, but rather would’ve ensured that not a spot of dirt or defilement remained when He was done.

Nothing less could be said about our Lord’s work at Calvary. When He “became obedient unto death,” He provided a means by which all who trust in Him are made “clean every whit” (John 13:10). His work was a finished work, complete in every way. All who trust in Him are completely clean from all of their sin.

(7) “and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded…” If our Lord had not used the towel, droplets of water would’ve remained on the feet of the disciples. These drops would be evidence that their feet had once been defiled and dirty, and had required foot washing to be clean. But once he had “wiped them with the towel wherewith he was girded”, all the drops of water would be gone and their feet would appear as though they had never needed to be washed.

This portrays the truth of our Lord’s death as “the death of the cross.” The cross does for me spiritually what the towel did for the disciples physically. It breaks every connection between me and my shameful, sinful past. It removes all spiritual evidence of past defilement. It does away with the old man and his ways. It causes me to rejoice, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:20)