Free to Serve
Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 16-17; John 13; Psalm 133
"Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end... Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper..."
(John 13:1–4)
John 13 is a significant chapter—rightly beloved by Christians. It contains the familiar and moving scene where Jesus washes His disciples’ feet, an act full of gospel truth, divine humility, and practical lessons about love and service. Because that story is so compelling, we often rush to verse 4 and treat the opening verses as mere introduction. But if we do that, we miss a profound truth.
What Jesus did—kneeling with a towel and washing dirty feet—was an act so humbling that none of the disciples dared to do it themselves. Yet Jesus did it freely, with no hint of reluctance, frustration, or bitterness. That freedom of heart raises an important question:
How can someone serve so humbly, so joyfully, without pride or resentment?
The answer lies in what John tells us just before the towel is taken up.
Jesus knew three things:
He knew the Father had given all things into His hands.
He knew He had come from God.
He knew He was going back to God.
In other words, Jesus was secure. He knew who He was. He knew where He came from. He knew where He was going. And with that settled confidence, He could stoop low to serve. He could take the role of a servant without losing Himself in the process—because He was grounded in the Father’s love.
Now, to be clear: we are not Jesus. He is the unique Son of God. But this principle still speaks to us. Jesus served humbly because He was rooted in His identity and secure in His relationship with the Father. Nothing He did—no act of humility—could threaten or lessen that.
We need the same kind of security. Once we know who we are in Christ—once we are assured of our standing before God and our eternal future—we can serve others without hesitation. We can take the low place without fear of being made low. We don’t have to cling to status or protect our pride.
So why are we so often reluctant to serve with humility?
Because we fear it diminishes us. We think humble service makes us look weak or small—especially in the eyes of others. And if our worth is based on how others see us, we will resist anything that lowers our image.
But when our identity is rooted in Christ—when our confidence is grounded in how God sees us—we’re free. Free to serve. Free to love. Free to stoop low, because we know we’ll never fall out of the Father’s hand.
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus..."
(Philippians 2:5)
Thank you for explaining that scripture. I feel like I see it in a different light.