Never was the greatest of all greater than when He put about Him the
badge of the servant. His example has made the towel, the apron, the
badge of true honour. Nothing could have surprised those men who were
quarrelling over their precedence more than that their great Master
should stoop to perform this menial service of washing their feet.
Like many who call themselves His to-day they strove over chief seats,
honours, titles, and dignities. They were seeking the chief places and
by their strife showing themselves fit only for the lowest. Nowhere is
the sense of honour more easily slain than in the search for honours.
The only dignity that really adorns a man is that which comes without
his demanding it. How often have the servants of the meek and lowly
Jesus turned the world away from Him by their examples of vanity,
greed, lust for power, their pomp and pride of self-glory. They who
were sent to be the shepherds of men have fleeced the flock for their
own adorning and then fought amongst themselves to see who should wear
the choicest robes. History has shown that they were wrong and their
Master was right. The greater their greedy ambition the greater their
shame; the higher the place they have claimed the lower has been that
which the voice of humanity has awarded them.
On the other hand there shine forth those who have followed Him in
lowly service; theirs is the honour to-day. Because He took upon Him
the form of a servant then now is the kingdom and the power and the
glory His.
So it has always been, sovereignty comes by way of service; heaven and
earth unite in honouring those who have not scorned the humble place of
helpfulness. John says that it was because Jesus was conscious of His
divine origin and His glorious destiny that He took the towel and did
the work of the slave. Only those who realize their true greatness can
ignore the littleness of man's petty dignities, can lose all sense of
stooping, of condescension when they serve others, and so can be of
service to mankind. A man proves that he is the son of a heavenly
Father by his service for his least brother. When that dignity, heaven
born, is in a man's heart there is nothing in the dirt he may touch by
deeds of kindness that can defile him; contact does not contaminate.
Love never thinks of any of its services as loathsome. That from which
a superficial dignity would revolt love does with rejoicing. It thinks
nothing of the honour or the dishonour, but only of the helpfulness it
may render. It is not asking whether men are approving or whether
promotion is coming. It needs no promotion or approval; the work
itself is the highest reward; the service elevates to the loftiest of
all positions.
The world's sovereigns are its servants. He makes an alliance with God
who helps a fellow man. Work is that by which the Creator has lifted
man above the creatures of the field, and the work that sacrifices that
it may serve is that by which God lifts man to Himself. The heavenly
gate may be shut to robes and miters, epaulettes and crowns; but it
shall be open wide to that great throng who bear the stains of toil,
who have served their fellows, who wear the apron of sacrificing
service; and the Son of the carpenter shall lead them in.
This is a working world; its Maker is pictured as a worker; there is no
better evidence of religion than willingness to serve. Work determines
a man's worth to the world. And religion must be known by the things
it does, and not, as many have fondly supposed, by the dreams it has.