Missed Opportunity

Art Linkletter missed out on a chance to get in on helping finance Disney World, and a financier overlooked the opportunity to sell the world Velcro. Both of these proved to be incredible missed opportunities. Unless we are focused, we will regularly miss crucial opportunities to minister to people. Jesus’ disciples missed an opportunity to minister to their Lord on the night of the Last Supper (John 13:1-14).

They all came into the room where they saw the water and the towel, but no servants to wash their feet, so they moved on to the table. When Jesus came in, he gave no orders to anyone to wash everyone’s feet, nor did he rebuke them for not taking care of this task, but he did prepare to do it himself. He took off his mantel and wrapped the towel around his waist. Then one by one he washed each disciple’s feet. Peter was reluctant to have Jesus wash his feet, but Jesus would have none of his resistance. When Jesus finished, he asked his disciples if they comprehended what he had just done. He said to them: "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet” (John 13:13-14). That really caught the disciples by surprise because I think they were expecting him to say that he wanted his feet washed, but he didn’t say that. If you notice, Jesus’ feet never get washed—it was a missed opportunity. Any one of them, if they had grabbed the water and towel, could have washed Jesus’ feet in the beginning, but not now.

Jesus used this moment to help them to learn to focus on others. They had focused on themselves and had missed an opportunity to minister to Jesus. If, however, they watched what he did and learned to take his attitude, they could minister to people the way he did.

This is what Paul said to the Philippians:

Philippians 2:5-11

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

7 but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

8 And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to death —

even death on a cross!

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.