A Kingdom of Kings

*The Porch will be meeting this Thursday (3/31) in the Guilford College Community Center (MPR) at 7:00. Hope to see you there... with a friend!*

At nearly every wedding I perform, I like to use the example of Jesus washing the disciple's feet to show that in marriage, sacrificial, servant-hearted love is one of the most important characteristics of a healthy marriage. If the couple is willing to put the needs of their spouse before even their own needs, then the trivial problems will be just that... trivial problems. If a marriage becomes one-sided and self-focused, then all sorts of problems can arise. This is an easy trap to fall into because if we're being honest, it's much easier to focus on our own needs than someone else's. It's easy for us to make ourselves king... king of our marriage, king of our spiritual lives, king of our work.

But Jesus shows us that in the kingdom of God, being a king doesn't amount to much. In fact, in the kingdom of God, the king is not the greatest... the king is the greatest servant. When Jesus takes off his robe to wash the disciples feet, he is taking on the task of a slave. It was dirty, it was sacrificial, it was anything but king-like. Jesus washed Peter's feet, who would later deny him. Jesus washed Judas' feet, who would just a few short hours later betray him. Kings punish people for these sorts of things, they don't wash their feet. Yet what he did was one of his greatest expressions of love: he took on the role of a servant to show that God's grace does not pick and choose favorites, it is universally available.

The foot washing is an example that points us forward to the greatest expression of Christ's love which is found on the cross. Jesus didn't come to earth to talk about love. He came to earth to show us what Love looks like in the flesh. "Not to be served, but to serve" (Matthew 20:28). And he tells us to do the same. Kingdom building starts with the acknowledgment that we are not the king, and takes us to place where we realize that the King is in fact the greatest servant of all.