Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada and welcome to Joni and Friends.
John the Baptist once said that someone very important would follow him, someone who would be far more powerful, someone whose sandals he was not even fit to carry. He was talking about Jesus, and it was no mistake that John the Baptist brought up the subject of sandals.
Because in the days of John the Baptist, everybody knew that the rich households employed all sorts of different servants for different responsibilities around the home. There was even a slave who had the lackluster job of untying a guest’s sandals, taking them off the feet, and placing them aside.
I suppose that when John the Baptist said that he was unworthy to carry the Lord’s sandals, he was placing himself on the lowest rung of the servant’s scale. He did not fashion himself as just any old servant around the house, no, but as the lowliest servant. In fact, one of the most humble servants around the house, the servant who would untie the sandals of a guest.
When it comes to humility, I like the way Jesus always stoops a little lower. And he did it that night in the upper room when he untied the sandals of his disciples, placed them to the side – now get this – and then went one step further and washed their dirty feet. Now that was the responsibility of the very lowest servant on the household totem pole.
And that’s what makes it so ironic that John the Baptist talked about the power of the Lord, saying that his Savior was one far more important and powerful than he. But, oh, how like Jesus to divest himself of that power in order to wipe clean the filthy feet of common men. And when Jesus did that – when he washed the feet of the disciples like a lowly household slave – he showed us what power there is in humble service.
A job description for lowly servants, the kind that are on the bottom rung of the ladder, the kind that are at the base of the totem pole… a slave’s job description is found in Philippians 2:3‑4, because there it says: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but the interest of others.”
Sure, you have dirty feet. You make contact with the world. You pick up the dust of earthly problems along the way. Your feet need to be cleaned. What slave does not have dirty feet? But your job description tells you today to consider others – look out for the interests of them. Look to see that there are others around you who have dirtier feet that need to be washed. These people need to be cared for. They need someone who will help wipe away the dust of their earthly problems; they need a servant‑friend who will help them and touch them and reach out to them. They need a friend who will humble himself to meet their need.
How about it, servant? Could that friend be you? I sure hope so. I hope you’ve been inspired and refreshed by our time together today. I just want you to know that I treasure these few minutes that we have together. And I’d like to hear from you; I’d like to hear your story, hear what you’re learning from God’s Word. So write me today, would you? At P.O. Box 3333, Agoura Hills, CA 91376.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 93176
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