The God Who Serves

"Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner." [John 5:19]

This is brilliant. Jesus just gave us a truth here that opens the door to so much needed revelation in the world today. Jesus only did what He saw Father doing. If Jesus did it, Father did it first. If Jesus did not do it, it was because God did not. Thus Jesus is the perfect, unadulterated display of God’s nature. If you want to know something about the Father, look at Jesus.

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." [Mark 10:45]

How is God’s nature revealed in this passage? Jesus did not come to be served. What does this say about the Father? Jesus did come to serve and give His life as a ransom. What does this say about the Father? This is one of those “Selah” passages. If you just sit there and think about what God the Father actually did, it will revolutionize your life. God Himself came to serve humanity and give Himself as a ransom for us. He did this though we are dust. This will take me more than a lifetime to grasp. If this is not enough to wreck you, read the following passage.

"So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”
[John 13:12-17]

So we have established that Jesus did only what He saw the Father doing. Imagine Jesus getting onto His knees and washing your feet. Now imagine God Himself getting on His knees to wash your feet. Jesus only washed their feet because He saw the Father doing it. I hope the disciples appreciate what they got to experience. I appreciate the Holy Spirit putting this in scripture. What does this mean for me?

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children..." [Ephesians 5:1]

God has given us the same responsibility to do what Jesus did. Jesus imitated God. Jesus was a perfect reflection of God’s nature. God would not put an exhortation in scripture without giving us the grace to act on it. Therefore we have been enabled by God to imitate God in the same manner Jesus did. We must do what we see the Father doing. So what is God doing? I do not have a comprehensive answer. What I do know is this: Jesus perfectly displayed the Father’s nature. So we look at Jesus. How did He relate to people? How did He relate to the world? As I read the scriptures, I cannot help but notice that the heathen were attracted to Him and most of the religious leaders were enraged by Him. My point is not that we should enrage religious leaders purposely but that there should be something about us that makes the world come alive when we enter the scene.

When Jesus came to serve humanity, He not only revealed God’s nature, but He also revealed the nature of life as a citizen of His Kingdom. What does being a citizen of His Kingdom mean for us? It means we imitate God’s nature, to serve humanity.