Serving
Study Notes on Serving
w/c 9th October
John 13: 1 – 17
Prepared by Jane Hiley LLM (Warden of Licensed Lay Ministers)
We continue this re-launch of our church’s mission strategy which consists of the four components, CONNECTING-GATHERING-GROWING-SERVING.
Today we are discussing SERVING. We look at the examples of service which Jesus taught his disciples and learn how we can follow these examples in our daily lives.
If you are a group which likes to sing you might like to sing the Graham Kendrick song “The Servant King” as an introduction or at the end of the session.
(You may wish to read the whole bible passage and then go back to discuss the verses in more detail)
John 13 Verses 1
What do you know about the Passover feast?
How did Jesus know that he was about to leave this world?
Why is this showing the full extent of his love?
Is this an example of love that we can follow?
Verses 2 - 4
How did the devil prompt Judas to betray Jesus?
What and how did Jesus know about coming from God and returning to Him?
What do you think the disciples did when Jesus put the towel around his waist?
What would you think if someone got up from your table and went to do the washing up?
Verses 5 – 9
Do you think that their feet had already been washed by a servant?
If there was no servant, then who should/could have done this job?
How would you feel if your host came to wash your feet?
Why does Peter react like this?
Do we react to Jesus’ requests in the same way?
Verses 10 – 11
“A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet” – What does Jesus mean by this?
He says that not every one of them is clean – How do you think they would have reacted to this comment?
John writes this after the event – do you think he knew at the time what it meant?
Are we clean? Should we consider how to get cleaner?
Verses 12 – 14
Do you understand what Jesus did by washing their feet?
This is the key part of the passage – feet washing was a servant’s job – are you willing to be a servant of others?
Should we wash each other’s feet? Is there a modern equivalent action?
Verses 15 – 17
No servant is greater than his master – what are the modern equivalents?
Is Jesus telling us all to accept lower status than we deserve?
Is this about turning the managing director into the window cleaner?
Is there some deeper meaning about cleaning – not just the body but the soul?
Is this actually about foot washing or does it have a wider meaning to include other acts of service?
IN CONCLUSION
Think through the concepts of serving in the light of the passage we have studied. Do you think that this is a deliberate choice which Jesus made to show by his actions the way he wanted his disciples to behave?
In our culture how would this translate? Washing our feet is not as necessary since we usually have our feet covered and so they do not get dirty in the same way as they would if we walked through deserts wearing only sandals. Also, we are gifted the privilege of running water and washrooms where we can get clean.
We are called not only to do the lowly jobs but to do them with joy and pleasure knowing that we have been given a great example to follow. We are members of the same family loved by God and valued by all and we must treat everyone else in the same way. This may be costly – remember Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice – but the benefits are wonderful as we become children of the same heavenly father.
Prayer.
Pray that as a church we may become more servant-hearted. Willing to see the needs of others and prepared to set aside our own pride and status in order to serve them.
Pray that we will learn to be willing and loving servants of God SERVING others daily as a natural part of our lives. This pathway to God gives us wonderful opportunities to become more like Christ – pray that we will see the great value in service and teach others to do the same.
Pray that as housegroups we will find practical avenues for service to others – like taking part in a BESOM project – to help us understand the true value of this Pathway to God.
The following notes are primarily for housegroup leaders but are available to all.
I am writing these notes on the day after we heard about the sad death of our Queen Elizabeth II. She, in my mind was the embodiment of Christian example of service. Although she held High Office of state, she taught people by her demeanor and attitudes to everyone, the Christ-like example of humble service. She chose quite deliberately to follow the way Jesus taught and to give of herself tirelessly to everyone. She also, along with Price Philip, brought up her family to show loving respect to one another and to everyone.
Verses 1- 3
Jesus in this passage of scripture is coming towards the end of his life on earth and has made arrangements to hold a last Passover meal with his inner circle – his disciples. There are some who are uncertain if this is the actual last supper meal as indicated in the other gospels but it is clear that it was a significant meal recognised by all.
The Passover was a very significant Jewish festival reminding them of how, centuries before, the angel of death had passed over the homes of those jews, living as slaves in Egypt. They were the ones who had heard the message from God and had slaughtered a lamb and put some of the blood on the doorposts of their houses. Death had then passed over them, but it had killed the firstborn of every other person and creature in the land. The Jews still celebrate this festival today.
God was rescuing his people from slavery and bringing them to the promised land. Jesus uses this same festival to bring out his most important message. He is the Passover Lamb and will be sacrificed, so that by his blood all those who believe can be saved and enter the promised land.
This is how he is going to show them the full extent of his love – he is willing to die for them. He will do this even though he knows that Judas will betray him as well as many other people down the centuries who do not accept what He has done. His ultimate sacrifice is done to bring us all back to God.
John is at pains to point out that Jesus did all this knowingly. He is and was the Son of God and he was willing to obey his Father even unto death on a cross. Jesus is in control of the situation and is fulfilling God’s plan at great cost to himself.
Verses 4 – 8
The meal had already begun, and no one had offered to perform the lowly task of foot washing. This was clearly done to prove a point, a lesson in humility. But is also showed the principle of selfless service which Jesus would show ultimately on the cross.
John is the only one to record this incident but Luke in chapter 22 records a dispute among them about who was the greatest. Perhaps this foot washing was a clear response to that argument. Jesus is among us as one who serves.
Peter then characteristically objects though apparently no one else did. He was a mixture of humility (he did not want Jesus to perform such a lowly task for him) and pride (he tried to dictate to Jesus telling him what to do)
Perhaps we are like this too. Jesus can do his work on our terms instead of the reverse! Are we too selfish and proud to see the need for service to others?
The washing is a picture of cleansing from sin which is something we all need from time to time. We should be willing to do the most menial of tasks and not look to get glory for doing them. This is not to show how marvelous we are but how we are trying to follow Christ’s example of humility and service.
Some people feel that the ceremony of foot washing should be performed publicly to remind us of this event, and we have done this in our own church. How does this impact on what you feel about foot washing?
Verses 9 - 15
Here Jesus explains to Peter in particular, but also to everyone else, what he has done and what he is about to do. He is their teacher and their Lord, and he acknowledges both titles – not with great pride – but with an air of understanding that they are correct. He is both teacher and Lord and yet he is willing and able to serve them by washing their feet.
The servant is not greater than the master, however the master is glad of the servants work and support. Many masters would find it very hard indeed to carry out their demanding work if there were no servants willing and able to support them. Remember this is the role of a servant – not a slave forced into service due to the threats and intimidation of his master – but someone chosen for a task and given the skills to perform it.
Verse 16
Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
We have all heard this story many times, but do we respond to it appropriately? Jesus showed by his example of humble service that he expects his followers to do the same. Perhaps we are still too arrogant and proud to see that even today we are being asked again. Humble yourself and pray, serve one another with brotherly and sisterly love. Do not look to be held in high esteem but take the lowly place. Be willing to go unrecognised and allow others the high positions if by so doing you can bring glory to God.
What practical steps can we take?
There are many needs in our local community. Some are easier to spot than others. Where the community meets, the pubs, the open spaces, the Peace Memorial Hall, the station, the shops, the churches, these are places where we are likely to see other people. You can see them, but can you have your eyes open to see where there are opportunities for service? We used to teach boy scouts and girl guides to help old ladies across the road. It sounds corny now, but the principle was a good one – “think of others before yourself and do a good turn every day.”
Choosing to do some act of kindness by working charitably is a really good way for Christians to follow Christ. Don’t walk by on the other side, go to the support of the weak and the vulnerable and we will be blessed.
Jane Hiley
Study notes on CONNECTING
John 4 verses 1-30
Prepared by The Revd Malcolm Raby
WELCOME to a new year of housegroup studies!
We begin by re-launching our church’s mission strategy which supports our updated ministry plan for the next 3-5 years. Our strategy is entitled PATHWAYS and consists of four components:
CONNECTING – GATHERING – GROWING – SERVING
We begin with CONNECTING as we look at the way Jesus connected with a Samaritan woman – and a challenge to us as to how well we connect with people in our own community.
VERSES 1-4
Why did Jesus decide to go back to Galilee?
Did Jesus himself baptize people? (cf 3.22)
Why did Jesus “need” to go through Samaria?
Are there people in our community who “need” to hear the gospel message? How might we go about connecting with such people?
VERSES 5-9
Sychar was the ancient city of Shechem and the capital city of Samaria. What do we know about Shechem from the Old Testament? (Gen 12.6-8; Gen 33.18-20; Gen 48.22; Joshua 24)
If Jesus is God, why was he weary?
The woman came to the well alone at an unusual hour. Why do you think she did this?
What was unusual about a Jew speaking to a woman in public? And to ask a favour from a Samaritan?
How is the connection between Jesus and the woman developing?
In what ways do your non-Christian friends try to satisfy their inner thirst?
VERSES 10-15
How did Jesus carefully draw the woman into conversation, thus making the connection stronger?
Do you think the woman’s question – Are you greater than our father Jacob? - was sincere, or was she being cynical?
What difference would the “living water” Jesus offered make to the woman? And to us?
VERSES 16-19
How did Jesus know about the woman’s past life? How might the woman – or you – have responded at this point? What was her conclusion at the end of this brief conversation?
VERSES 20-26
Was the woman’s next response a way of ending the discussion about her past life, or was it a genuine stumbling block to her faith?
Summarise Jesus’ response. What does this say about the importance – and place – of worship in our lives?
VERSES 27-30
The disciples were surprised to find Jesus talking to a Samaritan woman, but why did they not question this?
Is the fact that she left her water jar at the well significant in any way?
What do we learn about the woman when she went back home?
IN CONCLUSION
Work through the different steps used by Jesus as he connected with this woman. What does this teach us about the way we should try to connect with others as we seek to share our faith?
PRAYER
Pray that our witness as a church might be effective. We often hope that people will come to us – should we be looking for opportunities to go out to them?
Pray for your own witness as you live your life day by day. How might you CONNECT with those who have no Christian faith?
Pray for Nico and his family as he moves to Howell Hill – and for the future of the ministry in our own church.
The following notes are primarily for housegroup leaders, but are available to all
Verses 1-4
Jesus was becoming increasingly popular, but he knew this would inevitably lead to confrontation with the religious establishment, including the Pharisees. However Jesus felt that this was not the right time to face such a confrontation.
It does seem that Jesus wanted to reaffirm the work of John the Baptist, who saw baptism as a mark of repentance and cleansing, in preparation for the coming Messiah. “By baptizing, Jesus attested the unity of his work with that of the forerunner (i.e. John the Baptist). By not himself baptizing, Jesus made the superiority of his position above that of John the Baptist to be felt.”
The shortest route from Jerusalem to Galilee was through Samaria but many Jews (especially the very orthodox) had a deep mistrust and dislike of Samaritans, and so took the longer route through the region beyond the Jordan. Jesus’ NEED was not because of travel arrangements, not because he wanted to get to Galilee as soon as possible and not because of practical needs – the NEED was because there were people there (even though not generally accepted as true Jews) who needed to hear his message.
BACKGROUND – when the Babylonians conquered Judah they took most of the population into exile, leaving only the lowest classes and the very elderly. In time these people intermarried with other non-Jewish people who themselves had been exiled from their own countries, and so emerged an ethnic and religious group, the Samaritans.
Their faith was a mixture of the Law of Moses plus other practices and superstitions from those they married, thus creating what true Jews saw as an “eclectic, mongrel faith”. They built their own temple to Yahweh on Mount Gerizim but this was destroyed by the Jews c128 BC – only adding to the hostility between Jews and Samaritan.
Verses 5-9
John wants to make it clear that Jesus is God, but he was not superman and submitted himself to human limitations. It would have been noon, during the heat of the day, so Jesus, being hot and weary, would have welcomed a drink. (Some scholars have argued that the time was actually 6 p.m. and that explains why Jesus was tired after a full day of walking)
Women normally came to draw water in groups and early in the day when it was not so hot. Was this woman regarded as a social outcast because of her lifestyle?
Traditionally a rabbi would not speak to a woman in public – not even to his own wife, daughter or sister! And it would have been very unusual to ask a favour of a hated Samaritan (4.27). Some Pharisees gained the name “the bruised and bleeding Pharisees” because they shut their eyes when they saw a woman outside – and walked into obstacles!
The woman seems to have been impressed by Jesus’ friendliness and this deepened the connection between them. No-one was excluded by Jesus – Nicodemus (John 3) from the religious establishment to this woman, despised by the religious establishment.
Note the paradoxes:
· The one who gives rest is also weary
· The one who is Israel’s Messiah speaks to a Samaritan woman
· The one with the gift of living water asks for a drink
Verses 10-15
The woman became curious in a number of ways:
· Curious about the things of God
· Curious as to who Jesus was
· Curious about what he was offering
In ancient times spring water was seen as LIVING WATER, so the woman quite naturally thought Jesus was referring to another active spring. We know that he was referring to spiritual water which gives life in all its fulness.
“Are you greater than our father Jacob?” It would help if we knew the tone of voice she used! However she did come to a living faith so maybe this was an honest question.
Only what Jesus can offer will truly satisfy our deepest needs. “Drinking is an action, but an action of receiving – like faith, it is doing something, but it is not a merit-earning work in itself.” And we need not just a sip, but to drink day by day.
The initial response from the woman was logical rather than spiritual – if you can make my life easier then I’m with you – where can I get this water?
Verses 16-19
Under normal circumstances it would have been more appropriate for the woman’s husband to be present. We can only assume that Jesus knew about the woman supernaturally. There seems no way he knew anything about her in advance.
Jesus connects to the woman through her conscience. It was an embarrassing question – and the woman could have just walked away – but Jesus knew her sinful life had to be confronted. Who did she really love more?
The woman’s conclusion was that Jesus must be a prophet – what else could she conclude after Jesus explained such deep knowledge about her life?
Verses 20-26
Jesus did not try to argue about places of worship – he was more interested in bringing her to a real faith. Samaritans believed that Moses commissioned an altar on Mount Gerizim, ands this was their justification for worshipping there. They only accepted the first five books of the Hebrew Scripture and paid no attention to the rest.
For Jesus, worship would no longer by focused on places – so why do we have buildings that cost us huge sums of money to maintain!! True worship is found “in spirit and in truth”. It can be found in buildings, but not exclusively.
And now time for Jesus to make the final connection – I am the Messiah. Jesus revealed his true identity to someone who acknowledged that she was a sinner.
Verses 27-30
Perhaps by this time the disciples had come to appreciate that Jesus did not always respect the traditions and conventions of the rabbis. They accepted that Jesus acted in this way for a reason – even if they did not know what the reason was.
It is interesting to read that the woman left her water jar. A small, somewhat insignificant point that suggests the presence of an eye witness.
Up to now the woman seems to have avoided contact with others – now she actively seeks them out for she has good news to share.
Jesus showed love and offered the woman security – in no way did she feel judged or rejected by Jesus, and she was confident that Jesus would not expose to others her past sins. An important lesson for us to take on board.
And her invitation was effective. She simply explained who Jesus was and how he had impacted her life.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
This story can teach a lot about making connections with people:
1 The story is told in terms that the woman could understand. Even when taking her beyond present experience by talking about eternal life, his teaching is shaped by her experience (i.e. living water) – a handle for her to grasp.
2 Despite the social barriers and disparate lifestyles, Jesus is at ease with the woman. He treats her as an equal.
3 What Jesus offers is no “easy faith”. To accept what was on offer would profoundly change her life. We must not fall into the trap of offering a watered down faith.
4 Jesus confronts the moral issues and the need for repentance, but it is done in a positive and winsome way.
5 The woman tries to deflect Jesus with her questions, but he refuses to allow himself to be sidetracked.
6 Throughout the whole conversation Jesus deals with the woman as a person in her own right. Her personal dignity is maintained as she realizes that Jesus genuinely cares about her and her situation. People want to know that we care before they care about what we know.