The Royalty of Service is Breaking the Hierarchy
(In a missionary perspective)
Text: John: 13:1-17
There are many missionaries who planted a fame and name by their hard and solid efforts in means of propagating Gospel. But it is not the same in all cases. It is anomaly thought of a Christian missionary to think about the welfare and development of a believer. Consciously or unconsciously Christian missionaries have a pride and self identity in means of mission that is gaining the souls in Christ Jesus. There are missionaries really doing their ministry without any pride and self-centered. They renounced all their benefits and profits. Above all they are keeping on maintaining their blameless life before others which is really a tough task. Blameless life does not connote the isolation or the separation from the people or the world, but it is a collaboration with them and being one among people in order to save them through Christ. Especially, they are proving the equality that our Lord Jesus Christ showed. The mission work is not a static but it is dynamic, which flows and spreads ceaselessly. Therefore the missionaries should have such flow to reach people not just up to the level of conversion but the scope of betterments of their welfare. The missionaries’ part is not ended or stopped at the level of introducing Christ to them, but it has a lot of responsibilities to equip them to live a better life in their struggles. The development of the respected place where a missionary posted is not based on the work of a particular missionary how superior he/she is, but on the outcome or the result of the missionary work how long it has reached the people. In fact, that work should equip the people to stand on their own legs. How long people should depend the missionaries for their betterments? How long they expect the missionaries to meet their needs? These questions came to my mind after my experience in the DMPB mission field.
I was posted as a missionary in the Kalvarayan Hills. The mission work started here before merely more than 50 years. Even though, DMPB have done many works, they have raised only few missionaries as local missionaries. The local missionaries are the original people of the particular land, and they are forbidden by the DMPB mission board not to take any post as leaders of the mission. Though a local missionary has a complete quality for leadership, it has been forbidden by the DMPB missionaries. This shows that, we are failing to follow the models of Jesus in the ministry.
1) Humility: a tool to break the hierarchy
Here, in this pericope (Jn: 13:1- 17) Jesus exhibits the humility which is a model for all of us. Feet - washing would be understood as a traditional act of love in one sense in the Old Testament, and also feet-washing will be done when one entered one’s house, not during the course of a meal. The Passover ritual prescribed a washing of hands after the second cup, but there is no evidence that Jesus’ action was a variant upon that custom. Feet –washing is explained here as being a lesson in humility and Jesus illustrated, by his action this essential feature of his mission and he bids his disciples to follow his example.
The fourth Gospel writer John is very keen in chronology of every event. He pointed out that this feet- washing had taken place before the feast that is Nisan the Passover. John emphasizes his chronology, which differs from that suggested by the synoptists. Moreover, according to John this act of feet-washing had taken time after the meal, exactly at the end of eating. Jesus “got up from the table”. Therefore it is clear that this act is not a matter of purification, or a preparatory act for a meal. It is an act of practical or object-lesson to the Disciples to instruct the Humility. Further, Jesus girded Himself with a towel, as a slave would do, and poured water upon their feet. This act showed us how Jesus the Master served his disciples with humility. John tells us that He not only spoke, but acted what He said. As a rebuke to their worldly strivings, He, their Lord and Master, showed them what dignity is in the Kingdom of God by rendering to them the most menial service that could be asked of a slave. The divine humility shows itself in rendering service. He who is entitled to claim the service of all his creatures chooses first to give his service to them. “The son of man came not to receive service but to give it” (Mk: 10:45). This kind of attitude should be there in a missionary.
The self- identity of a missionary should be vanished through the projection of Christ Jesus. But, still missionaries are holding such dignity and status in order to explicit them as a leader for mission. The action of Jesus broke the hierarchy between master and disciples, the superior and inferior. Some of our Christian missionaries do not want such mentality to be humble and treat other as their equals. They want others to remain in the same state where they are, is that the fundamental level of their spiritual entity. Missionaries’ need should be there always to help them by the domination. People always remain dependents. As a famous saying “a good leader does not make any disciples, but rather leaders”, Jesus proved it by both words and deeds. This is not an event that Jesus demonstrated such humility, which limited with itself alone but, a solid teaching which condemns the pride and superior hearts. The Lukcan Gospel clearly records the dispute about the greatness, among the disciples, followed by the institution of the Lord’s supper. It gives the conclusion of that dispute as follows; Jesus told them, “in this world the kings and greater man order their slaves around, and the slaves have no choice but to like it”. But among you, the one severs you best will be your leader. Therefore, the greatness is not based on the sophisticated life of a person but it is on humility and in respecting others. The demonstration of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet is a centre core of mission, which is recalling us to partake in such service. Let us find out the way to reach people with humility and meekness.
2) Recognition: a tool to break the hierarchy
The great attitude of a person is to consider others with their qualities. Respecting others and their talents are needed in God’s mission. For most forms of ministry some understanding of people is necessary. There are people those with multiple talents and gifts which are still not recognized in this world. The Christian mission is a platform for this kind of persons, and the hidden persons should reveal out to the light, since our Lord and savior is metaphorically considered as Light of the world. The recognition is also one way to equality. Jesus in his object- lesson taught to disciples the equality by recognizing them even though the disciples did not know about themselves and their talents. For example: while Jesus washing his disciples’ feet, Peter denied such act of his Lord, that master comes and doing the menial service is somehow humiliation to the master. But, Jesus’ intention is not like the way Peter thinks. It is more than that, Peter said “Lord are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand”. Here Jesus knew that Peter would go to do many things to the world after his ascension, but Peter did not know that at the movement. Jesus’ recognition is so revealed in this verse even though Peter did not know it. Further, Peter said again “you will never wash my feet”, Jesus answered, “But if I don’t you can’t be my partner”. This is a clear cut statement of Jesus that if Peter does not take part in washing then he will lose the equal partnership with his master. What does the partnership denote here? This might be our question further dealing with this perecope. The partnership is an involvement in God’s mission that Jesus was doing along with his disciples. Jesus identified himself as a servant of God, by doing God’s mission and his open call to everyone to partake in it too. The “part” with Jesus is a sign of accomplishment of God’s mission and importantly the deeper meaning of it is “heritage with Jesus”. The word “heritage” in verse 8 is significant. The Greek expression echein meros can mean simply “to share with; be a partner with”, and this is mean the “more than fellowship”, the word Meros is used in LXX to translate Hebrew Heleq, the word that describes the God-given heritage of Israel. Peter did not understand that at the time but, as per Jesus said he became a great leader later after, Jesus’ ascension. This is what really needed to a Christian missionary, in order to recognize people and respect them with their qualities and uniqueness.
It is a major question to us that “why there is no recognition given to deserving persons by the Christian missionaries?” it is a sensitive question because people are really not achieving their destination according to their abilities. The reason behind that disregard is if a person is given such privilege then he might perhaps become stronger and superior to a missionary or a Christian leader. In order not to equip the lay people, missionaries do not encourage them up to such leadership levels. In fact those particular missionaries who think like that are not right in sense, but, they are deceiving themselves, moreover they do still know not the self recognition that they are chosen for God’s mission. Nevertheless, the missionaries those who have such mentality, do not recognize their own efforts and motivations that they put in to people’s lives. If the equipped person comes forward up to the leadership state, the inferiority complex of the particular missionary pulls him/her down. Jesus did not have such thought in his mission, but he gave the recognition and authority to his disciples to go to the world and make all people as disciple of him.
Dear partners, as so far we have seen the lack which is existing in the mission field and has to be restored with good qualities that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ had done. Our great mission is not to project our own Identity where we are doing ministry but we should follow the steps that Jesus demonstrated at the upper room. The mission of Jesus not ended by His resurrection and ascension but it is been continuing still through us. He sent us the Holy Spirit to strengthen us to accomplish the mission with humility and equality. There is a good deal ahead of us to succeed that, therefore, my partners let us take part in God’s mission without our Ego and selfishness and let’s start recognizing others who are also partners of God’s mission. Why Because, Jesus had given us an example to follow: “Do as I have done to you” let us do the same. Amen.
