Tehillah Generation Chapel
Daily Manna | Tuesday, April 3, 2018 | Reading: Exodus 33:1-11, Exodus 4, Gen 3:1-21
Topic: The Tabernacle of God 398
Scripture: But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say not of this building. (Heb 9:11)
Note: Matt 16:18, “And I say also to you, You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” The Church was bequeathed with an inescapable, threefold divine mandate by Christ. It’s the kind of mandate that could only be successfully carried through with the help of responsible and exemplary leadership beginning from the head of the Church. Jesus made it easier for foundational leaders of the Church by teaching, demonstrating and walking the talk regarding these mandates.
The demonstrated example of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples as found in (John 13:1–17) occurred in the upper room, just prior to the Last Supper and has significance in three ways. All Church leaders, Ministers, Preachers or anyone in the service of the Lord must have the heart of the lowliest servant, ready to serve in that capacity. Christ taught the Church a principle of humility that requires having a heart anchored upon servanthood as the key qualification for service in the Kingdom.
Jesus revealed in Matthew 20:28, that “the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” The depth and power of humility demonstrated by His act with a towel and a basin, was a foreshadow of His ultimate act of sacrifice in humility and love on the cross. Jesus had the power to have freed Himself, using legions of angels at His disposal for intervention. The willingness of Christ to make shipwreck of His own defence before Pilate with His rather loud, unprecedented and unparalleled silence, capitulating to the death sentence in an uncomfortably meek manner, revealed a man who was willing to empty Himself for the sake of humanity.
Jesus’ attitude of servanthood was in direct contrast to that of the disciples and a huge disappointment to their political aspirations. They had until then been arguing and disputing among themselves as to which of them was the greatest (Luke 22:24). Since there was no acknowledged servant present to wash their feet, it never occurred to them to wash one another’s feet. The presence of Jesus among them didn’t serve as sufficient deterrence to the disciples from nursing misplaced, carnal ambitions of who should be recognised as the greatest among them. They had already started searching for the highest seats, titles, respect and positions.
Food for thought: The attractive appeal of earthly glory, authority and power exercised by the rulers of the earth, is still serving as the enchantment derailing Christian leaders from their core mandate given to them by the Master.
Declaration: But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. Luke 22:26
©Author: Rev Fred Aboe
