The Hands and Feet of Christ

“He wanted to see who Jesus was. There were many others who wanted to see Jesus too. Zacchaeus was too short to see above the people. So he ran to a place where he knew Jesus would come. Then he climbed a sycamore tree so he could see him.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭19:3-4‬ ‭ERV‬‬

Good grief I love this story! Zacchaeus could have made up lots of excuses that he could not see Jesus. His was a legitimate excuse. He was too short. He did not have a lot of friends because he was a tax collector. But he “ran to a place where he knew he could find Jesus and then climbed a tree so he could see him.”

A lot of people have excuses that they cannot be more Christlike. They don’t say it like that. They use other words like, “I am too busy or I will one day when I retire or if my children are older or if I was married or if I was richer or etc.”

I met this guy named Jesse. When my dad passed away on two years ago, this guy was one of the many people that were the hands and feet of Christ. He was a busy guy who worked at least two jobs. He was a person of another race. He was not married. However, he had no excuses to come and serve my mom who was a complete stranger to him.

He brought a pecan pie, chicken wings, cornbread, macaroni and cheese, greens(that’s a Mississippi thing and you would not understand), bucket of fried chicken, sweet potatoes, and carton of eggs. But this did not compare to what he did for Mimi. He had the biggest hug for her. He kept encouraging her that she would be okay. In a state that is plagued with racial issues, he never saw her color. He never thought that her house was nicer than his. He just wanted to be like Christ.

Somewhere along the way in Jesse’ s life, he decided that he would not use any excuses to “see Jesus.” He would do whatever it took to find him. And he found him.

Don't Feel Like Serving Today, Huh?

“When Jesus finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and went back to the table. He asked, “Do you understand what I did for you?”
John 13:12 ERV

“Be willing to serve each other out of respect for Christ.”
Ephesians 5:21 ERV

i was thinking this morning about why I was struggling to be a servant. I just did not feel like serving anybody. It occurred to me that I was looking at the wrong person as an example of servant hood. I was watching other people and they were disappointing me. They were fragile and selfish just like me!

If if I really want to learn how to serve, the example is Christ. I am not sure how he felt when he put a towel around his waist and with a basin of water in his arms, he began washing feet...dirty, nasty feet. The disciples were unworthy. Jesus was the one who was worthy, not them.

It wasn't like his turn today, their turn tomorrow. He didn't keep a mental checklist like I do. It won't come easy. I don't think that there is a person who has "servant hood" for a spritual gift. But there are people who want to be more Christlike and that means washing feet whenever the opportunity presents itself. I'm pretty sure that I will get that opportunity today.