“Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” (John 13:16-17).

There once was a Church that met in a very old building.  One year, heavy rains damaged part of the building, and temporary hoses were installed outside to help properly manage the plumbing while permanent repairs could be made.  One cold winter morning, a member of the congregation discovered these temporary hoses tended to freeze.  When the hoses froze, the plumbing would back up, and potentially overflow into the building.  And yes, I’m talking about “that” kind of plumbing.

This guy would have to go out behind the building to shake and jiggle the flexible, frozen hose to move things along so the plumbing wouldn’t back up.  And yes, I’m talking about “those” kinds of things.  It’s hard to think about a lowlier and more demeaning task than having to go out and shake that hose. 

I hope this true story is giving you a particular reaction. It might be like the reaction the disciples had to seeing Jesus wrap himself in a towel and ask to wash their feet.  This is a man they have been calling “Lord” and “Teacher”, and they obviously feel such a service is beneath him, or even themselves.  But once again, Jesus turns conventional thought upside down.   Jesus is showing them that the path to greatness is not filled with fame, money, riches, or power.  It’s filled with humility, love, and acts of service.  It’s an example to the disciples as well as us that the path Jesus is laying out for us is to be a servant who brings Jesus’s goodness into the world by living as he taught us.

And here’s the punchline to my story above.  This all happened on a Sunday morning. After he finished his work with the hose, the first thing he did was wash up.  The second thing he did was step in front of the congregation to preach a sermon.  His actions were an echo of Jesus’s teaching to his disciples.  He wasn’t content to just know the teachings of Jesus.  He sought to live by them.   

Jesus isn’t acting here to merely be thought provoking or controversial.  He’s not giving the disciples one last lesson to just ponder.  He’s commanding them to go out and serve per his example.  It’s not enough to “KNOW” about Jesus.  We must follow his example to act on the opportunities for us to “DO” that are all around us.

As we wrap up the Shift series, we’ve spent a lot of time talking about experiences of others, both in the Bible and in our congregation. Now that you “Know” more about what it means to Shift, zero in on the spot in your life where you can “Do,” and shift yourself closer in your relationship with Jesus.