Latest / Reformed Thinking / Christ the Example of Ministers (John 13:15-16) | Jonathan Edwards

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Christ the Example of Ministers (John 13:15-16) | Jonathan Edwards · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to reformed thinking. I have a stack of paper in front
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of me today that feels a little heavier than usual.
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It definitely is, and not just the page count.
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Right, we are looking at a sermon from the man often called
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the theologians theologian, arguably the greatest mind
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America ever produced, Jonathan Edwards.
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It is a weighty text for sure, and for those of you listening
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who might associate Edward solely with sinners in the hands
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of an angry God and all that fear of hell fire, this
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discussion might surprise you. Yeah, this is Edwards in a
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totally different mode. Completely different, tender,
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pastoral, yet incredibly demanding.
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The text we are examining today is titled Christ, the Example of
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Ministers. And just to set the scene for
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you all, this wasn't a lecture given in a classroom.
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This was a sermon preached on a very specific occasion.
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That is correct. It was preached on June 28th,
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1749 up in Portsmouth. The occasion was the ordination
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of a Reverend Mr. Job Strong, right job.
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Strong. Now we need to understand the
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gravity of an ordination in that mid 18th century New England
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context. It wasn't just a basic ceremony
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or, you know, a career milestone.
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Far from it. It was the setting apart of a
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man for the care of immortal souls.
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It was viewed as a matter of life and death, eternal life and
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eternal death. So Edward stands up to give the
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charge to this young minister. And where does he go in the
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Bible? You'd think he'd go somewhere
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aggressive. Exactly.
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I mean, precisely. You think of a reformed preacher
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in the 1700s. You think he's going straight to
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the prophets? Calling down fire.
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Right, Elijah, fire from heaven taking charge.
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But Edwards goes to John chapter 13, verses 15 and 16.
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He goes to the basin in the towel, the moment where Jesus
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washes the disciples feet. The core thesis Edwards draws
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out is brutally simple, but honestly spiritually exhausting
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to contemplate. It really is, he says.
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The servant is not greater than his Lord.
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If Christ the King of Glory abased himself to do that work,
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then his ministers must do the same.
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The mission of this deep dive is to examine what it looks like
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for a minister, and by extension any serious Christian, to model
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their life after the humiliation and labor of Christ.
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This isn't about seeking glory, it's about seeking the spiritual
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cleansing of others. So Edwards starts by zooming in
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on the timing of this event. He calls it the most remarkable
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night that ever was. A striking claim.
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It is, he points out, that this happened on the night of the
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betrayal, the night the Lord's Supper was instituted.
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Edwards argues that everything that happened that evening was
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loaded with symbolism. You have the Passover, you have
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the supper, and then you have this active washing.
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I want to pause on the text selection here for a second
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because the atmosphere in that room must have been so thick.
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Think about it. It's the night before the
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crucifixion. Judas is sitting right there
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about to sell Jesus out. The weight of the world is
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literally descending on that upper room.
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And in that high pressure environment, Jesus doesn't give
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a speech about leadership. He strips off his outer robes.
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He takes the form of a bondservant.
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Edwards makes a huge deal about this being the meanest office.
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And in 18th century language, I mean doesn't mean cruel.
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Right, it means low, common, undignified.
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We really have to get the sanitized Sunday school picture
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out of our heads here. Oh totally. 1st century roads
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were not paved. They were dirt, dust, animal
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waste. Feet were gross.
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Disgusting. So this wasn't just a symbolic
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dab of water from a nice porcelain bowl.
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This was scrubbing muck. It was the job of the lowest
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slave in the pecking order. If you were a guest, the hosts
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lowest attendant did this. And Jesus, the Lord of glory,
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the second person of the Trinity, puts a towel around his
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waist and touches the filth of the men who are about to abandon
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him. Edwards argues that Christ chose
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this specific, humiliating act to represent the ultimate
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humiliation he would endure the very next day.
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This is where it gets fascinating for me because we
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usually hear sermons about foot washing being about doing The
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Dirty work around the church. Right, setting up chairs, taking
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out the trash. But Edwards takes it straight to
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salvation. He connects the washing to the
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atonement. He links it to Paul's letter to
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Titus and to Ephesians 5, giving himself to purify a people.
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He says the physical washing symbolizes a spiritual reality,
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the cleansing of souls from guilt and pollution.
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He connects the water in the basin directly to the blood of
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the cross. The water washes the deer off
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the skin. The blood washes the guilt off
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the sole. So when Peter objects, and we
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all know Peter, he's like, Lord, you are never washing my feet.
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Jesus shuts him down hard. If I wash thee nut thou has no
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part with me. That is a terrifying statement
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if you stop and think about it. Edwards stresses that this
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wasn't about hygiene. No, it was essential
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soteriology, the doctrine of how we are saved.
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If you aren't watched by Christ's humiliation, His blood,
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you have no part in Him. You are not on the team.
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Edwards is saying that the basin isn't a metaphor for being
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polite, it's a metaphor for the atonement itself.
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If you refuse the washing, meaning if you refuse to admit
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you are dirty enough to need the humiliating death of God's Son
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to clean you, then you aren't just rude, you're lost.
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That is heavy and this applies directly to the Minister.
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The minister is not just ACEO or a life coach.
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The minister is someone who carries the basin.
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Their job is to bring the cleansing blood of Christ to
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dirty souls. It is a call to self abasement
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for the sake of another salvation.
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So when Jesus sits down and asks, know ye what I have done
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to. You he isn't asking if they
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noticed he used a towel. He is commanding them to imitate
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the spirit of the ACT. The spirit of the ACT precisely
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It is not about ritually washing feet every Sunday.
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It is about a disposition of the heart.
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It is a willingness to stoop to the lowest point necessary to
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lift someone else up spiritually.
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Which brings us to the character of the Minister, Section 2 of
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the outline. Edwards paints a picture of what
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this universal holiness looks like.
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He lists a lot of traits but the one that stood out to me was the
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lamb like spirit. We often think of Reformed
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preachers as lions roaring the truth from the pulpit.
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But Edwards says they need to be Lambs.
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He is drawing that directly from the character of Christ.
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He lists calmness under reproach, forgiveness of
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injuries and pity for the miserable.
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Think about that. A minister, and really any
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serious Christian listening to this, is called to maintain
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composure when people are attacking them.
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Edwards mentions quietness and meekness specifically.
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It is a total rejection of pride.
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This feels like a direct challenge to the celebrity
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pastor culture we see today. Or even just the strong
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personality types that often end up in church leadership.
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A. Lion roars when it is
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threatened. A lamb remains silent.
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Edwards is saying that when a minister is insulted or when
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people gossip about him, his reaction shouldn't be to fight
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back or defend his honor. His reaction should be the
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reaction of Christ before Pilate.
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Quietness. That is incredibly hard to do.
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And he pairs that with heavenly mindedness.
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He says ministers should have a contempt for the glory, wealth
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and pleasures of the world. Contempt is a strong word there.
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He doesn't mean we should hate God's creation, but we should
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have a very low estimation of worldly status compared to
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eternal realities. OK, but let's be real for a
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second. Edwards talks about having
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contempt for the world's wealth and glory.
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That sounds pious, but is it practical?
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We're talking about a guy preaching in 1749.
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Does he really expect a modern minister or a Christian business
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leader to walk around despising success?
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That feels almost monastic. I think Edwards would push back
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on that. He would say we've confused
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success with comfort. How so?
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He's not saying you can't be effective.
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He's saying you can't be dependent on the world's
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applause. I see.
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If you need the world to like you, you will never be able to
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wash its feet, because washing feet is undignified.
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You have to value the approval of God so much that the
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disapproval of man doesn't crush you.
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Spot on. And he anchors this ability to
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be holy in one specific practice, solitary prayer.
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I noticed that he doesn't just casually mention prayer, he gets
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very specific about how Jesus prayed.
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He points to the accounts in Mark and Luke, Jesus rising a
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great while before day. Jesus retiring to mountains in
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solitary places, praying all night.
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Edwards makes the point that ministers cannot function
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publicly if they do not commune with a father privately.
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I love the image of the mountain.
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Edwards talks about Jesus going away from the noise.
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It creates a necessary rhythm. Public ministry drains you.
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Private prayer fills you. Edwards notes that Jesus spoke
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only what the Father commanded, and that alignment came from
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those hours of secret communion. If Jesus, who was perfect,
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needed to spend entire nights in prayer to stay aligned with the
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Father, how much more do we? It seems like Edwards is saying
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that the public potency of a minister is entirely dependent
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on their private pleading. That is the implication.
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You cannot be a washer of souls if you are not constantly near
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the source of the water. Moving on to the next section,
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Edwards talks about having a heart for souls.
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This isn't just about fulfilling the duties of the job, it is
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about how you feel about the people.
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He uses a very visceral definition of compassion.
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He references the Greek concept behind the phrase moved with
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compassion. It signifies a movement of the
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inmost bowels. Bowels is not a word we use much
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in modern English to describe love.
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We talk about the heart. True, but the ancients
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understood that strong emotion is physical.
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When you are truly devastated or truly in love, you feel it in
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your gut. It's a physical ache.
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Edwards points to Mark 634, where Jesus looks at the
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multitude, a sheep without a shepherd.
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He didn't just intellectually categorize them as lost.
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He felt a physical pang of pity for them and.
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Then he brings up the example of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem.
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This part really stopped me in my tracks.
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Why is that? Because Edwards points out that
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Jesus knew what Jerusalem was about to do to him.
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It is a staggering argument. Jesus is looking at the city.
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He knows that within days these people will revile him, spit on
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him, scourge him and scream for his crucifixion.
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And yet he weeps. But Edwards notes he did not
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weep for his own coming suffering.
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He wept for their coming ruin. That is an astonishing standard
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for a pastor. To look at the people who might
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be causing you trouble, who might even hate you, and to weep
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not because they are hurting you, but because they are
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hurting themselves. It creates a demand for a love
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that is supernatural, Edwards says.
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Ministers must love and pity even those who are injurious and
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vile toward them. It goes right back to that lamb
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like spirit. You cannot hold a grudge against
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the soul you are trying to save. If a doctor is trying to save a
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delirious patient and the patient punches him, the doctor
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doesn't punch back. The doctor feels pity because he
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knows the patient is desperately sick.
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And this compassion fuels intercessory prayer.
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Edwards points out that Christ prayed before every major act of
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ministry. But then he goes to Gethsemane,
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and I want you to walk us through this because Edwards has
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a specific interpretation of the sweat like great drops of blood.
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This is an incredible theological insight.
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Edwards links the bloody sweat in the garden to the sacrificial
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system. In the temple, prayers were
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often offered along with the blood of a sacrifice.
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Edwards argues that in Gethsemane, Christ was acting as
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our high priest. Wait.
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Explain that connection for us. The high priest usually offers a
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lamb. Think about the mechanics of the
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Old Testament temple. You couldn't just offer a
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prayer, you had to offer a life. Blood had to be spilled to open
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the channel between God and man. Edwards looks at Gethsemane and
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sees a high priest who has no lamb to slaughter right there in
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the garden. So he begins to slaughter
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himself. He.
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Presses his own body until the blood comes out, effectively
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saying, Father, here is the sacrifice.
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Now hear the prayer. It reframes the agony in the
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garden from a moment of panic to a deliberate liturgical act of
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intercession. So the agony wasn't just fear of
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physical death. No, Edwards suggests.
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His mind was consumed with the welfare of his disciples and the
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Church. Even in that moment of supreme
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personal horror, the travail of his soul was for the people he
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was saving. And Edwards tells the new
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minister, you must travail in prayer for your people like
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that. You have to be willing to sweat
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for them. So just to recap the profile
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we've built so far. This minister has the humility
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of a lamb. He prays all night like a monk,
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and he weeps over his enemies like a rejected parent.
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That is an exhaustive human being.
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Emotionally, that sounds draining.
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But Edwards is about to make it physically draining, too.
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Because if you care that much, if your bowels are actually
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moved, as he says, you can't just sit still.
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This propels you into the next section, the Labor and doctrine
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of ministry. Edwards describes Jesus as
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someone who went about doing good to the point where his
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friends thought he was crazy. Mark 321 says he is beside
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himself. They didn't even have time to
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eat. Edwards highlights the sheer
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volume of work Christ accomplished.
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He quotes the verse saying that if everything Christ did were
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written down, the world couldn't contain the books.
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So the implication for the minister is do not be lazy.
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To put it mildly, Edwards uses the phrase spend and be spent.
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He brings in the Apostle Paul as a secondary example, someone who
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rejoiced to be poured out like a drink offering.
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But it's not just busy work, it is highly specific work.
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Right, the manner of preaching, he says.
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Ministers shouldn't preach like the scribes.
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We need authority. And, he notes, they need to
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declare the whole council of God.
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And being Edwards, he defines what that includes.
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He explicitly mentions spending much time warning of damnation
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and future misery. But he also insists on internal
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religion. He warns against focusing only
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on outward forms. He wants the minister to press
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for spiritual duties for a change of heart, not just a
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change of clothes. He also mentions wisdom, the
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tongue of the learned. Adapting the discourse to the
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person and the season. It sounds like he's calling for
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a high degree of emotional intelligence alongside the
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theological rigor. Absolutely, it is the ability to
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speak a word in season to the weary.
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To know when to warn and when to comfort.
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And the motivation for all this labor, Edwards insists, cannot
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be mercenary. It cannot be for money or career
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advancement. It must be, because doing God's
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will is the minister's meat and drink, just as it was for Jesus.
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Now we get to what I think is the most mind bending part of
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this sermon. Section 5.
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The high calling. Edward starts talking about
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angels and he flips the hierarchy of the universe on its
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head. This is a classic example of
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Puritan theological synthesis. He starts by establishing the
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dignity of the Master. Christ is Lord of heaven and
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earth, so working for Him is an honor.
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But then he looks at the structure of God's Kingdom.
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Scripture says angels are ministering spirits sent to
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attend to the heirs of salvation.
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So angels labor for Christians. Correct.
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But Edwards takes it a step further.
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He says angels are attendance to faithful ministers.
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That is bold claim. It is derived from the function
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If angels are sent to assist in the work of salvation, and
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ministers are the officers appointed to lead that work on
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earth, then the angels are assisting the ministers.
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But this leads to the big question Edwards asks.
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Why does God use men? Why use feeble, frail, sinful
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worms his words to preach the gospel when he has glorious,
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powerful angels at his disposal? This is where Edwards really
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pushes the boundaries of how we view the cosmos.
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He paints a picture of these glorious, mighty beings, angels
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who have seen the face of God since the dawn of time, standing
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ready. They are the ultimate couriers,
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the ultimate warriors. And yet, when it comes to the
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specific task of telling a Sinner that they can be
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forgiven, God says stand down. Passes the angels.
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You would think an Angel preaching the gospel would be
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way more effective. It would certainly get people's
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attention. Imagine Gabriel showing up in
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the pulpit. You would think, but Edward says
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God delights to use men because men share the nature of Christ.
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Christ became a man, not an Angel.
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There is a kinship between the Redeemer and the human minister
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that doesn't exist with the angels.
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So because we are worms, Because we are weak and need redemption
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ourselves, God gets more glory by using US.
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Precisely, Edwards argues that if an Angel preached to us,
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there would be a disconnect. An Angel has never felt the
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weight of sin. An Angel has never needed a
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savior. Edwards argues that the medium
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is part of the. Message The vessel must be an
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earthen vessel, fragile and formerly broken so.
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That when the treasure of the gospel pours out of it, the
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glory goes entirely to the contents, not the container.
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That puts a different spin on the worm language Edwards is
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famous for. It's not just an insult, it's
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actually the qualification for the job.
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Correct. It is the canvas upon which God
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paints His grace. God perfects praise out of the
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mouths of babes. It is the paradox of the gospel.
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The treasure is in earthen vessels, so that the Excellency
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of the potency may be of God and not of us.
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It is a tremendous dignity bestowed on the minister, but it
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is a dignity rooted in his very weakness and dependence on
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Christ. Let's talk about the payoff.
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Section 6 is about rewards. Edwards says that if ministers
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follow this example, there are specific things they get.
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And the first one isn't a crown, it's communion.
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He says following Christ is the only way to enjoy his sensible
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presence. That is a lovely phrase.
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Sensible presence. If you want to feel Christ near
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you, you must go where He is going.
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And he is going to the broken, to the lost, to the basin in the
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towel. If we stop following, Edwards
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warns, we lose sight of him. He also talks about up victory.
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Yes, Christ triumphed over principalities and powers
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through his obedience and suffering.
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Edwards assures the minister that if he imitates Christ's
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methods, the suffering, labor and prayer, he will also conquer
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Satan's Kingdom. It is a promise of success still
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perhaps not success as the world measures it.
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But he does talk about future glory.
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He quotes Daniel 12, verse 3. They that be wise shall shine as
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the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to
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righteousness as the stars forever and ever.
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Edwards envisions the faithful minister shining in the eternal
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state. And he says their converts will
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be their crown of rejoicing. That's a beautiful image.
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The people you attended to, feet you washed, they are your crown
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in heaven. It connects back to the heart.
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For souls, the people are the prize.
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But Edwards adds A crucial condition here.
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He says ministers must pray for the Spirit.
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Just as Christ obtained the Spirit at his baptism through
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prayer, the minister must have the Spirit dwelling in him to
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shine like. That you cannot shine without
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the oil in the lamp. Now Edwards pivots.
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He turns from the man being ordained to the people sitting
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in the pews. Section 7 is instructions to the
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congregation, and he puts some heavy responsibility on them
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too. He applies the principle of
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reciprocity. He quotes Galatians 414 saying
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that how the people receive the pastor is how they receive
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Christ. If the minister is sent by
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Christ to do Christ's work, then rejecting the minister is
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rejecting the sender. He gets practical too.
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He talks about money. He is very practical here, he
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says. It is the duty of the people to
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support the minister financially.
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But notice his reasoning. It isn't just pay him because he
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has a job. It is pay him so he can imitate
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Christ. Explain that connection for our
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listeners. Edwards argues that if a
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minister is worried about worldly needs, how he's going to
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feed his family or pay for heat, he cannot give himself wholly to
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the work of the ministry. He cannot be beside himself with
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labor for souls if he is distracted by poverty.
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He needs to be free from worldly care so he can focus on heavenly
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care. So he says that if you starve
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the minister, you are actually cheating yourself.
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Yes, he says. You starve your own soul and the
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souls of your children. If you handicap the man and
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responsible for feeding you spiritually, you are the one who
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goes hungry. He links spiritual prosperity to
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honoring the Lord with the first fruits.
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He also talks about spiritual support, praying for the pastor,
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avoiding contention. But then he drops a very
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specific warning against separatists.
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We probably need a little historical context here for
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people who aren't church historians.
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That sounds like a Star Wars faction.
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Yeah, the separatists. This is 1749.
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The Great Awakening had swept through New England in the 1730s
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and 40s. Picture a massive revival,
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thousands of people getting saved.
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It was chaotic and emotional. But then you had people who
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said, well, if I'm really filled with the Spirit, I can't worship
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with those people over there who seem loose, warm.
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They started splitting off, claiming they were the only pure
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ones. And Edwards calls this doing the
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devil's work. He does, And remember, Edwards
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was a huge defender of the Great Awakening.
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He wrote the distinguishing marks of a work of the Spirit of
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God. But he hated the divisive,
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self-righteous spirit that tore churches apart.
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He warns the congregation not to follow those who pretend to be
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holier than everyone else, but whose fruit is division.
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He saw unity as a key mark of Christ's spirit.
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Finally, we get to the farewell Section 8.
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Edwards gets personal here. He notes that this is likely the
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last time he will speak from that pulpit.
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There is a melancholy tone to this part.
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He says he will not see them again until the invisible and
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eternal world. He is looking past the temporary
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gathering to the final judgment. It is a sobering thought that
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every sermon is a step closer to eternity.
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And his final wish is really touching.
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He prays that the new past would be a blessing and that the
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people would be the pastor's crown of rejoicing.
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It is a selfless sign off. He is handing the baton, wanting
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the next runner to succeed where perhaps he had faced
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difficulties. It really circles back to the
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beginning. The servant is not greater than
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his Lord. Edwards isn't looking for
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applause. He's looking for the fruit of
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the gospel. The entire sermon is a
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dismantling of human pride. It takes the highest office in
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the church, the ministry, and defines it by the lowest act of
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an attendant washing feet. So what does this all mean for
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you today, whether you are a pastor, a church leader, or just
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someone sitting in the Pew? I think the challenge is
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universal for the Christian We live in a culture that obsesses
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over platform, influence and leadership.
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We want to be the head, not the tail.
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We want to be the one sitting at the table, not the one holding
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the basin. Edwards forces you to ask, Are
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you following the real Jesus or a version of Jesus that fits
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your ambition? If you are following the Jesus
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of John 13, the path leads down. It leads to The Dirty,
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unglamorous work of dealing with people's mess.
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It leads to weeping over those who might hurt you.
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It leads to a prayer life that costs you sleep.
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But the promise is that this downward path is the only one
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that leads to the real glory. He that humbleth himself shall
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be exalted. That is the economy of the
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Kingdom. The basin is the path to the
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crown. It's a lot to process the idea
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that our true dignity is found in our humiliation.
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Is the paradox of the cross. I want to leave you with one
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final thought to Mull over. We've talked a lot about the
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minister carrying the basin, but consider this sometimes the
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hardest part isn't washing someone else's feet, it's
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letting someone else wash yours. That requires you to admit you
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have dirt on your feet. Exactly.
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I hope this deep dive into the Servant's basin has given you
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something to chew on. It certainly made me rethink my
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own definition of ministry. And I hope it encourages you to
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support those who are laboring for your soul.
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They are feeble worms, as Edward says, but they are God's worms.
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Thanks for listening to Reformed Thinking.
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Until next time.