John 13:1-15. It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” 10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
Jesus led not just with divine authority, but with personal example. His entire life on earth was a living message. He didn’t simply tell people about the gospel—He embodied it. He showed us how to introduce others to the good news by the way He lived, loved, and served. Though He was the eternal Son of God, He did not come with pomp, prestige, or worldly power. Instead, He “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Philippians 2:7).
In everything He did, Jesus showed us the heart of the Father: healing the sick, welcoming the outcast, forgiving sinners, and dining with the broken. His evangelism was not a formula but a lifestyle. He met people where they were—with gentleness, not judgment; with humility, not superiority. When leading someone to Christ, we should imitate our Lord—not by demanding change, but by serving quietly, walking with them, and demonstrating God’s love through our actions.
The greatest act of love Jesus displayed was His sacrifice on the cross. Human thinking would assume that if someone dies, their mission ends. But Jesus reversed that logic. He taught a kingdom truth: “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (John 12:24). His death brought life to all who would believe. Through His sacrifice, the power of Satan, sin, and death was broken, and the door to eternal life was opened wide.
The power of the gospel is often revealed not in comfort but in costly obedience. Look at Stephen, the first martyr of the church. As he preached Christ boldly before the Sanhedrin, he was stoned to death (Acts 7). Yet even as he died, he prayed for the forgiveness of his killers, echoing the prayer of Jesus on the cross. From Stephen’s death came an unexpected surge of the gospel movement. The persecution scattered believers—and with them, the gospel spread throughout Judea and Samaria. One of the onlookers, Saul of Tarsus, would soon encounter Jesus himself and become the apostle Paul, a key figure in God’s redemptive plan.
We must adopt this attitude: willing to serve sacrificially, even when unrecognized; willing to lose for Christ’s sake, even when it appears nothing comes from it. When we serve those God has placed in our lives—family, friends, co-workers, students—we must do so with the humility and persistence of Christ. Evangelism is not about gaining results, but about planting seeds of truth, nurturing them with love, and entrusting the harvest to God.
The gospel advances not through human effort but through hearts surrendered to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We may never fully see the impact of our obedience in our lifetime, but God promises that our labor in the Lord is never in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).
So do not grow weary in quietly serving (Galatians 6:9). Do not underestimate the power of simple, Spirit-filled obedience. Just as one seed produces a harvest when it dies, your hidden acts of love and faithfulness shown through the proclamation of the gospel may be the beginning of changing someone’s eternal destiny.
Prayer. Lord Jesus, I thank You for giving up Your glory and making Yourself nothing, taking the humble position of a servant to be with me. You appeared in human form, humbled Yourself in perfect obedience, and died on the cross for my sins. You rose again, triumphing over the power of death, curses, and Satan. So now I lift up Your name—the name above every name—and bow before You in worship. I confess that You are my Lord and Savior, to the glory of God the Father. Shape my heart to reflect Your humility, that I may serve others as You have served. In Your precious name I pray, Amen.