Knowing Who We Are: A Prerequisite to Noble Actions

Two weeks ago I wrote about the story we read in John 13—the one in which Jesus washes the feet of his disciples. I contended that by washing his disciples’ feet, Jesus showed them “the full extent of his love.” In other words, he showed them the depths to which he was willing to stoop for the uplifting of humanity.

But there’s a nuance in that story that I didn’t have time to explore two weeks ago. So I’m going to do it now. And it has to do with each of us knowing who we are. When we don’t have a clear picture of who we are, it’s almost impossible to go against tradition, march to the beat of a different drum, swim against the current, take a principled stand even though we know it may meet with the disapproval of many and may even trigger a strongly negative reaction. But people who truly know who they are can do it simply because it’s the right thing to do. And seeking to always do the right thing is a major part of their innate identity.

Note the context of what takes place in John 13:3-5. Let’s first look at just verse 3: “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.” In short, Jesus knew who he was. 

He knew he was God’s son. He knew he was succeeding in what he’d come to earth to accomplish. He knew that his mission would soon be complete and that he would return to heaven to be with God. Knowing the rock-solid relationship he had with his Father gave him the courage and the confidence to do and say important things that were contrary to the values and traditions of those to whom he’d come to minister.   

And why do I feel free to infer all this from Jesus’ words? Because the sentence that begins in verse 3 doesn’t end with a period; it ends with a semicolon. The sentence continues right on into verse 4. And the first word in verse 4 is “so.” And why is that important?

Whenever the word “so”—or “thus” or “therefore” or any other equivalent word—is used as a connector between what has already been said and what is about to be said, it sets up a cause-and-effect relationship. It says that the first part of the sentence explains why the second part of the sentence happens as it does. It provides context and rationale. So with that explanation, let’s now look at John 13:3-5 in full.

“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; SO [emphasis mine] he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”

What Jesus does in this story definitely isn’t what his onlookers expect. In that society, there were lords and masters, and there were servants. And lords and masters didn’t do the work of servants. Washing dirty, sweaty, stinky feet was far beneath their dignity. But because Jesus knew who he was—specifically because he knew that his mission to this earth was to be a servant to all—he could ignore any stares or murmurs or outrage that his unorthodox behavior might elicit. He knew who he was. He knew what his mission was. And he knew what life lessons his disciples most needed to learn at that moment. 

When Jesus said that “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32), might he have been referring primarily to knowing the truth about who we are—our identity. That we are loved by God. That we are forgiven by God. That God views us as  “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession,” who have been “called . . . out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).

The same type of comment is made in 1 John 3:1: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 

It was because Jesus had no question as to who he was that he could willingly and lovingly engage in tasks that his disciples—who weren’t really sure about who they were—simply wouldn’t risk stooping to engage in because it might diminish their image.

Truly knowing who we are is a prerequisite to engaging in the truly noble and selfless actions that are the mainstay of the mission to which we’re called as followers of Christ. 

Jesus demonstrated his mission beautifully in the story we read in John 13. Now the responsibility for demonstrating that mission falls squarely on us as his followers.