"And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward." [Gen 40:4]

When Jesus came to earth, though indeed He was “The blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings, and Lord of lords,” [1 Tim 6:15] yet, He did not use that information and status to be served. John reveals to us Jesus’ true nature, which goes far beyond just that of a man. Agreeing with Micah, who said of The Messiah, “whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting,” [Mic 5:2] he says,

“In the beginning was The Word, and The Word was with God, and The Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” [Jn 1:1-3]

Jesus is and was and will ever be the eternal Creator of all things, the “heir of all things…the brightness of [God’s] glory, and the express image of His substance.” [Heb 1:2-3] If there was anyone upon earth in all of its history who deserved to be served, it was Jesus. There have come and gone, like the flower of the field and grass of the plains, many men who saw themselves as great – who have yearned for the honor of men, and who used their authority and status to subject others unto themselves through various means. Yet all of these were frauds; “liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons,” [Tit 1:12] chasing down the appetites of their bellies, who at present, if having remained such heathen rejectors of God to till their death, suffer “everlasting destruction from the presence of The Lord.” [2 Th 1:9] All these men, no matter their greatness, have been thrust down to hell; as The LORD spoke through Jeremiah,

“Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD.” [Jer 49:16]

Ah, so it is with mere men; but it was not so with Christ. The eternal God, the everlasting victor, the chief prince and Son of God, “The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle,” [Psa 24:8] who came down to earth to save men and “destroy the works of the devil;” [1 Jn 3:8] yes, Jesus Christ – though high above all, did not come down and use His position of authority to be served. As Jesus said,

“And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant. Even as The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.” [Mt 20:27-28]

And again,

“For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? Is not he that sitteth at meat? But I am among you as he that serveth.” [Lk 22:27]

Jesus was among us as a servant. Yes, Jesus “emptied Himself, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” [Phil 2:7] He did not think of Himself, but of us. He did not covet the servitude of men, nor of their honor, but in stark contrast to the self-appointed great leaders of earth, Jesus sought to give His life up and serve us, leaving us an example.

There is an edifying comparison for us, if we will take some time to remember Joseph’s life. The brother who was betrayed and sold as a slave, used every opportunity he had to serve others. When arriving at Potiphar’s house, it is written,

“And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had put into his hand.” [Gen 39:4]

And then, after being thrown into prison, falsely accused and arrested, it is recorded,

“And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with [the other prisoners], and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.” [Gen 40:4]

Joseph lays for us an impressive example in his dedicated and diligent service in each place that God put him. Truly, Joseph reminds us that we ought to work for Jesus in all that we do, as Paul said, “whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to The Lord, and not unto men.” [Col 3:23] And further, Joseph found grace and strength from God to serve others, even after being wrongfully accused twice and thrown into prison. However, Joseph’s life in this case, as well as many others, is typological of Christ’s. For just as Joseph was betrayed of his brethren, falsely accused, and thrown into prison, so too Jesus, of whom it is prophesied, “yea, mine own familiar friend…which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.” [Psa 41:9, Jn 13:18] So too Jesus, “was taken by oppression and by judgment,” and, though, “did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth,” yet He was “numbered with the transgressors.” [Isa 53:8, 12, 1 Pe 2:22] And just as Joseph used his position to serve, so too Christ, though in a much greater way. For just as Joseph used his position in slavery and prison to serve others, having little choice of else to do, Christ Jesus, with all the freedom in the world, chose to use His position to serve His disciples. One may be a servant to another easily enough when there is hardly another choice, and when there is little hope for escape, and this is commendable even still, being a worthy and Christian quality; but Jesus demonstrates for us the glorious love and mercy of God in that He served us voluntarily, in a position of leadership, freedom, and authority. For while Joseph was in prison, and in slavery, serving where He went: Jesus was in complete authority, being Creator and Lord over all, free from all men, and yet still serving.

This is most clearly exemplified for us in John, where The Spirit writes through John,

“Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him; Jesus knowing that The Father had given all things into His hands, and that He was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside His garments; and took a towel, and girded Himself. After that He poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded.” [Jn 13:1-5]

Let us notice a few things, which will amplify for us the glory of Christ. First, Jesus “knew that His hour was come.” Second, Jesus “knew…that He should depart out of this world unto The Father.” Third, notice that prior to the washing, “the devil…[had already] put into the heart of Judas Iscariot…to betray [Jesus].” And fourth, Jesus knew “The Father had given all things into His hands, and that He was come from God, and went to God.” Let us briefly look at each point, and see how they do magnify the love and grace of Jesus in His ministering to the disciples.

Firstly, that Jesus “knew that His hour was come,” and, “that He should depart of this world unto The Father.” There is a great temptation in man to grow tired and slack with time, and also to do the same when the end is in sight. But Jesus, though He was nearly finished, though the end was in sight when He would finally be freed from the corruption of the world and once again enjoy the blessedness of heaven, yet even so Jesus, “loved them unto the end.” Jesus faithfully loved His brethren to the very end, even so far as to wash their feet. Our Lord did not look beyond the present circumstances to covet after that forthcoming rest in lieu of ministering to His disciples, but though such glory awaited Him, and though He had endured for such a great while already, still humbled Himself and served those less-worthy that Himself, so that it might also be exemplified that which was typified in Melchizedek and Abraham, of whom it is written, “the less is blessed of the better.” [Heb 7:7] God be praised; for the same love Jesus showed the disciples, He shows us; and the same endurance that He had with them, He has with us too – for, “Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever,” and, “[love] endureth all things.” [Heb 13:8, 1 Cor 13:7] We have a strong consolation; yes, “everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,” [2 Th 2:16] that our Lord will keep us and love us until the very end, not growing tired: for, “He that keepeth thee will not slumber.” [Psa 121:3] And, “[Jesus Christ] shall also guarantee you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” [1 Cor 1:8]

Secondly, though Jesus knew Judas would betray Him, (“for Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray Him.” [Jn 6:64]), and though satan had entered Judas’ heart, possessing him unto the great wickedness of Jesus’ betrayal; yet, even though these things were presently true, Jesus included Judas in the washing of feet. Jesus took seriously all that He spoke, all that He taught. When Jesus said, “but I say unto you, love your enemies,” [Mt 5:44] He truly meant it, and with His behavior here and also through His passion, proves it.

Thirdly and finally, Jesus knew “The Father had given all things into His hands, and that He was come from God, and went to God.” With this truth, we may find much encouragement. Like Jesus, who knew He would be king over all, and who knew He was the Messiah, God’s chosen savior for all men, so too Joseph had a word. For we remember his dream, wherein his brethren and parents bowed to his authority. This was not merely a dreamer’s dream, but a word from God regarding his future, for in Psalms we gain insight and read, “the word of The LORD tried him.” [Psa 105:19] But as it is with men, so it is not with Christ. Though Joseph surely had a dream, yet it can hardly be argued that Joseph knew he would be king of Egypt. What an unlikely and miraculous scenario! As God loves to do time and time again, He exalts the lowly and uses those whom no one else would choose, putting them in positions, wherein no one else would guess. “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise…” [1 Cor 1:27] And so, while Joseph had in mind God’s word, the extent of revelation which He received was no doubt less than Christ’s. For we read that Jesus knew who He was, where He was going, and what would happen. More than once our Lord warned His disciples, prophesying of His soon-coming death and resurrection, revealing to us of His extensive knowledge into God’s plan. And here, we see that Jesus  knew “the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He was come from God, and went to God.” But though Jesus knew His position, knew His destination, and for quite a while knew His approaching death, yet He loved His disciples wholeheartedly and passionately, even to the point of washing their feet just hours before His crucifixion.

Truly, our Lord Jesus far exceeds the example of Joseph in serving His brethren. What a marvelous and loving Savior we have; what a privilege it is to be called His.

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