Follow Me

The loving teacher smiled at her young students and exclaimed, “Follow the leader!” Eager to please their teacher, they quickly lined up with bubbles in their mouths, hands behind their backs and marched out the door into the hallway.

How many times did you hear those same words as a child in school? How often do we follow the leaders in our lives without question? Nowadays, I would caution us all, when we hear those three words, to pay attention to who the leader is and to ask ourselves what that leader believes. There is only one leader we should follow without questioning his beliefs, and that is Jesus.

Set the Stage

You hear laughter before being escorted to the dining room. Scanning the room, your eyes sparkle with joy as you spot your best friend. You quicken your step only to find she did not save you a seat. You quickly grab the open seat at the table beside her.

In your haste to find a seat and avoid the embarrassment of not having one, you end up sitting next to the one person who despises you.

Have you had dinner with your enemies or in the presence of your enemies?

Jesus did, and He took it a step further. Not only did He break bread with the enemy, but He invited him to eat with Him.

Passover Meal

The table was set, His friends eagerly waiting to partake of the Passover Festival. I can only imagine the camaraderie and laughter shared among this close-knit group of Jesus’s followers. The solemn moment when they remembered the faithfulness of God and how He brought their ancestors out of Egypt. Followed by the excitement of what Jesus was doing in their lives.

The mood changes when Jesus suddenly stands up, grabs a towel, wraps it around Himself, pours water into a pan and begins to wash his disciples’ feet. Jesus’s faithful love begins long before what we can comprehend, but let’s start before His crucifixion and see how Jesus sets an example of showing love to others.

Servant Leaders Lead by Example

In a true act of humility, Jesus shows his disciples what a servant leader looks like. He set aside his feelings, knowing He was about to be betrayed, denied, beat, and hung on the cross and He washed the feet of His friends and enemy.

At that moment, there were only two people in the room who knew that Jesus was about to be betrayed. Did Judas have a smug look on his face, or was he humiliated by Jesus’s act of humility?

Did Judas have a smug look on his face, or was he humiliated by Jesus’s act of humility?

• Smug look
• Humiliated

The significance of washing their feet was not lost on the disciples, but Jesus, being the good teacher, wanted to make sure they understood how He wanted them to treat one another.

“Do you know what I have done for you? You call me Teacher and Lord-and you are speaking rightly, since that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you.” John 13:12-15 (ESV)

He led by example. He did not just tell them they were not better than anyone else. He showed them that even the Son of God was not above washing the feet of those who would be considered less than Himself. Jesus went on to tell them that servants are not greater than their master and a messenger (disciples) are not better than the one who sends them.

Are we leading with humility? Let's check our hearts.

Check Our Hearts

We can check our hearts with the following questions:

·         Do I put my needs before others?

·         Am I harboring any anger, bitterness, or jealousy towards others?

·         Am I holding anything back from God?

Being a leader comes with great responsibility. The type of leader we choose to be affects those around us and their productivity. May others say about us, “Follow the leader,” because we encourage, support and build on the strengths of those we work with.