Welcome to the daily disciple podcast where we seek daily to be with and to become like Jesus our teacher Good morning friends and welcome to the together on mission podcast where every day We're just doing what friends that our friends of Jesus do and we're gonna start doing that in John chapter 13 this morning So you can turn there at the gospel of John chapter 13 and we will be there in just a moment But the title of the podcast this morning is that mundane task Mundane task and so the question is when a mundane task, you know a serving opportunity just kind of arises At work at home at church, whatever this menial kind of lowly mundane task just rises up Are you the one that other people would expect to get up and take care of it? You gotta be honest When one of those tasks arises are you one that other people that know you well would expect you to hop up and get your hands dirty And handle it because there really are two kinds of people right someone say well Yeah, I do I get up someone's got to do it So I just you know I get up and do it and people know that I get up and do it and then others would say no If I'm being honest I kind of sit there because I know someone else is gonna do it Or I kind of sit there until someone else does it and this podcast is dedicated to those of us that would say no I'm not really known as the person that would get up and do that mundane task that kind of lowly tasks So just to be to be blunt if you would say no I don't really get up right wait for someone else to get up to do it Then you probably hate manual labor You probably hate those mundane tasks like you know diapers or or dishes or opening the door for someone or seeing that Something's heavy and going over and carrying that thing for that someone and you know You might even think if we're really honest well Yeah, cuz doing that's a little bit below me, you know or or we have all kinds of other Justifications for why we don't do those kinds of things and unfortunately you've probably developed a reputation for not doing those kinds of things And I guess here's the news flash. I don't want to say this you don't want to hear this I don't want to hear this but the reasons that we have for explaining why we don't do those mundane tasks that seem to crop up You know all the time is actually very different from the reasons that other people actually have as to why we don't do those tasks We're not gonna talk about that anymore, but that's true And you know we're about to look at famous famous one of the most famous stories about Jesus watching his disciples feet and honestly Well, let me just read it John chapter 13 beginning in verse 3 Jesus knew that the father had put all things under his power And they did come from God He was returning to God So he got up from the meal took off his outer clothes wrapped a towel around his waist After that he poured water into a basin begin to wash his disciples feet drying them with the towel that he wrapped around him He's washing their feet and him and Peter then have this dialogue I'm not gonna read that part first 12 when he had finished washing their feet He put on his clothes. He returned to the table.
Do you understand what I've done for you? He asked them and then Jesus says you call me teacher and Lord and rightly so that's what I am now that I you're Lord And your teacher have washed your feet. You also should wash one another's feet I have set an example that you should go and do as I have done for you And then verse 17 now that you know these things you will be blessed if you actually do them And again one of the most famous stories in the entire you know scripture And this story and setting the context of the stories is about the task that nobody would have wanted to do Right. I mean in the first century.
This is the washing of people's feet before dinner Sandals or you know being barefoot was prevalent in the ancient world and there weren't roads and so there was dirt and feces It was nasty and people to come inside and you know This was the boring task worse than that. It's the common task. It's the nasty task It's the mundane of all mundane tasks is the lowly tasks is the person that was lowest on the org chart or the totem pole Would have done like in a cast society in the first century is what the servant would do and that is actually the point and the problem is we've over Spiritualized this story But it's not a story that is supposed to be spiritualized. It's not a parable.
It's not an analogy. It's an action. It's a model You know, you know, I don't know about you, but I like to say maybe we like to say well I teach you know, I sing I lead I you know, I discipline I provide, you know, whatever I cook I shop, you know And I serve in those ways But this story is making a different point, you know, Jesus could have said, you know I teach and I heal and I multiply loaves and I provide and I I serve in that way But this was making a different point you see this that the point is that no task was below Jesus not even the mundane tasks of diapers and dishes of lifting things of of carrying things for other people it's it's serving and And guys I might get in trouble for saying this but guys. Let's carry stuff for girls Our spouses our daughters those that we work with those that we don't even know our neighbors strangers, you know, honestly I'm very happy for the feminist movement and I think it's covered much needed ground But I think we're in danger as we you know, shed chauvinism, which needs to be shed of losing chivalry Right, we can't throw the baby out with the bath water, you know chauvinism's dehumanizing, but chivalry's honoring so guys Let's let's carry.
Let's help. Let's open doors for girls that are made in the image of God And that's all girls, but see this is a story about serving You know serving those that we love serving those around us serving our neighbors serving our enemies Jesus got up he took off his outer garments He wrapped a towel around his waist he poured water into a basin he began to wash his disciples feet This story is about the task that you just don't want to do the task that seems to pop up at any moment, right? And you kind of hope maybe that you're not there when that task pops up I mean think about marriage or family or neighborhood or work or whatever You're kind of hoping that you're not there when that mundane task pops up because then you're gonna feel like well Maybe I should do it, but Jesus says when that task does pop up with that task comes around go and do likewise Do exactly what I just did it's that task and when Jesus says, you know, I'm your I'm your teacher. I'm your Lord Rightly so for that's what I am and now I want you to go do what I have done There's no question that Jesus is redefining leadership He's redefining leadership around the center of serving other people and And again, I think this is one of the things that we do We can make an argument.
I mean let me see how I want to say this You know, maybe serving is Sacrificing what you want to do to do something that you don't want to do You know, many of the things that we call serving are probably more with the New Testament calls giftings Right serving is what John 13 is all about that which you don't want to do or maybe not doing what you do You want to do what you don't want to do serving is what we don't want to do But we do it because we love other people and the other people know that we don't want to do it But we're doing it because we love them and that's why it is so powerful And so don't confuse serving with operating and you're gifting at home or at work or at church because we might actually miss serving all together If we do that so Jesus is go and do likewise. It's not a parable. It's not an analogy It's an action and then the story closes in verse 17 now that you know these things you will be blessed your relationships Will be blessed your marriages will be blessed your families will be blessed your work places will be blessed When you actually actually do them now quick quick note remember for those of you that would say yeah I do get up You know, I don't want to but someone's got to do it So I always get up it's just a just a quick note for you if you do those tasks And because you do them all the time nobody else gets up to do them, right? You may want to think about staying seated longer Even if it's hard and letting somebody else, you know a spouse or a child or a friend or a co-worker actually grow By needing to get up and do that task because you didn't immediately get up and do it And of course the ironic thing is you will grow as you stay in your seat just a little bit longer because that's actually a hard thing for you To do so anyway go and do likewise So what is that task who will we call to do it for?
So let's grab the towel and grab the basin and go for it I guarantee because this is what Jesus is saying. It will change you it will change them. It will change the world So today let's serve as we walk and as we talk with Jesus and we'll talk tomorrow Thanks for listening to the daily disciple podcast We truly hope that you were encouraged by it today now if you would like to support or if you had any questions about the daily disciple podcast Feel free to contact us through our inland vineyard church app It will give you information on our ministries and our Sunday services and you can find us in the apple and who will play app stores And we also have our social media pages Which you can find with the tag at inland vineyard to see what's going on with our community our church events and our other ministries As well as our revival youth loop and our children's ministry or you can just check us out on our website at inland vineyard.org