Pick Up the Towel: Servanthood Over Ambition

Jul 12, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Greatness Means Holding a Towel, Not a Throne

James and John’s bold request for seats of honor collides with Jesus’ quiet revolution. True greatness isn’t seized through status but discovered in postures of service. Jesus doesn’t shame their ambition but redefines it: to lead is to kneel. The kingdom’s economy elevates those who stoop low, trading titles for towels. This inversion dismantles cultural hierarchies, inviting us to measure success by how many feet we wash rather than how many accolades we collect. [56:04]

“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43-45, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you conflated influence with importance? What mundane act of service could quietly realign your heart with Jesus’ definition of greatness?

Day 2: Foot Washing as World-Overturning Love

Dirty feet, a basin, and a towel become Jesus’ tools for dismantling power. The God who shaped galaxies scrubs calluses, modeling that no task is beneath love’s dignity. This isn’t metaphor but messy reality: service means touching what others ignore. When Jesus kneels before Judas—knowing betrayal lurks—he reveals a love that serves even the undeserving. Our calling isn’t to admire this scene but to replicate its radical humility. [58:46]

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” (John 13:14-15, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life feels “beneath” your attention? How might serving them without explanation disrupt your hidden hierarchies?

Day 3: Downward Mobility in a Climb-Or-Die World

Henry Nouwen’s shift from Ivy League prestige to L’Arche mirrors Jesus’ descent from heaven to stable. Downward mobility isn’t failure but freedom—releasing résumés to grasp human hands. When applause fades, service becomes its own reward. The kingdom honors those who choose back rooms over boardrooms, finding Christ in the unimpressed faces of those who need presence more than performance. [01:04:52]

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant.” (Philippians 2:5-7, ESV)

Reflection: What credentials or achievements do you clutch as identity? What might you gain by letting them collect dust?

Day 4: Serving Without Sucking the Chocolate Off

The peanut story’s punchline exposes our tendency to serve for hidden rewards. True service gives the whole gift—no strings, no secret hopes for reciprocation. Jesus washes feet knowing Peter will deny him and Judas will betray him. The towel holds no transactional expectations; it simply absorbs the grime of others’ needs. Our challenge is to serve not for spiritual brownie points but for love’s bare-knuckled sake. [01:01:34]

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” (Galatians 5:13, ESV)

Reflection: When did you last serve someone who couldn’t repay or applaud you? What motives surfaced?

Day 5: Your Towel Awaits in the Unremarkable Now

Jesus’ question—“Do you know what I’ve done for you?”—lingers. The towel isn’t a prop for dramatic moments but a daily tool. It’s found in nursing home visits, diaper changes, and listening when you’d rather speak. No ceremony, no audience—just love made tangible. Your towel waits where routine and sacrifice intersect, asking not for grandeur but faithfulness. [01:07:19]

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10, ESV)

Reflection: What ordinary “towel” have you been avoiding? Name one concrete way you’ll pick it up this week.

Sermon Summary

James and John come to Jesus with a bold, audacious request: “Teacher, do for us whatever we ask of you.” Their desire is very human. They want the good seats, the places of honor, one at the right hand and one at the left when Jesus comes into glory. Their request sounds a little like a kid asking a parent to agree before hearing the question, and yet Jesus answers with remarkable patience.

Jesus does not shame James and John. Jesus does not crush their ambition. Jesus redirects it. Greatness is not thrown away, but it is turned upside down. “Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant,” and whoever wants to be first must become slave of all. The Son of Man does not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

The Jesus worldview keeps asking whose lens is shaping the way a person sees. The world asks, how high can a person climb? Jesus asks, how low is a person willing to go? The kingdom does not measure greatness by proximity to the throne, impressive titles, degrees, robes, trophies, or thank you notes. The kingdom measures greatness by the towel.

Jesus later enters the upper room knowing exactly what is coming. Judas will betray him. Peter will deny him. The others will scatter. Jesus gets up from the table, takes off his robe, wraps a towel around his waist, pours water into a basin, kneels down, and washes their feet. The foot washing is not sentimental ceremony. The foot washing is the work of the lowest servant, and Jesus takes that place on the worst night of his life for people who will let him down.

Jesus then asks, “Do you know what I have done for you?” That question lingers. Service can become leftover peanuts with the chocolate sucked off, an offering that looks generous but is really what remains after self has taken the best. Service can also become a transaction, a way to earn recognition, gratitude, or some sense of place at the table. Jesus asks for something cleaner and harder: service with no agenda at all.

Father Henri Nouwen’s move from Harvard to L’Arche gives flesh to this upside down way. Upward mobility had dried out his soul, but downward mobility made him spiritually alive. Jesus’ way ends at the cross, not the corner office. Greatness looks like getting up when a person does not have to, taking off the robe that has been earned, and kneeling before someone who may never be able to return the favor.

Key Takeaways

1. Greatness is redirected, not rejected. Jesus does not rebuke ambition simply because it wants to become great. Jesus takes that desire and turns it away from status toward service. The kingdom does not ask whether a person wants a meaningful life, but whether that meaning can be found kneeling rather than climbing. Holy ambition learns to trade the seat of honor for the towel. [55:44]
2. The towel reveals kingdom power. Jesus makes the towel the sign of greatness, not the throne, title, or robe. The towel exposes the difference between wanting to help and wanting to be admired for helping. A disciple can look useful while still demanding recognition, but the towel asks for hidden love. Greatness becomes visible when service stops needing an audience. [56:19]
3. Jesus kneels before betrayers. Jesus washes the feet of Judas, Peter, and the rest while knowing their failures in advance. The basin therefore reveals a love that is not naive, not transactional, and not dependent on future loyalty. Christ’s service is given on the worst night, to people who cannot protect him from pain. Such love strips service of every agenda except mercy. [58:16]
4. Leftover service is not surrender. The peanut story presses on the strange ways service can look generous while offering only what self no longer wants. God is not honored by the appearance of sacrifice when the best has already been kept back. Service becomes spiritually dangerous when it is used to purchase gratitude, importance, or a secure place at the table. True surrender gives without sucking the chocolate off first. [60:26]
5. Downward mobility leads to life. Henri Nouwen’s move from Harvard to L’Arche shows the scandal of Jesus’ upside down way. The world calls success upward mobility, but the way of Christ moves downward toward the cross. Credentials can become heavy when they train the soul to need applause. Downward mobility can become freedom when love matters more than being impressive.

## [64:37]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[50:39] - A Young Man Learns Service
[51:24] - The Jesus Worldview So Far
[52:31] - James and John Ask for Honor
[54:54] - Serving God in Advisory Capacity
[55:44] - Greatness Means Becoming a Servant
[57:21] - How Low Are You Willing to Go
[58:16] - Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
[59:56] - Do You Know What I Have Done
[61:06] - Serving With No Agenda
[62:15] - Henri Nouwen and Downward Mobility
[65:06] - The Towel Instead of the Ladder
[66:32] - Where Is Your Towel

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Mark 10:35-45 (ESV)
And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” [...] And Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

John 13:12-15 (ESV)
When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.”

Observation Questions

What specific request did James and John make to Jesus, and how did Jesus respond to their desire for honor? ([53:31])
What practical act did Jesus perform in the upper room to model true greatness, and who was included in this act despite their impending failures? ([58:16])
How does the “peanut story” illustrate the difference between leftover service and wholehearted surrender? ([01:00:26])

Interpretation Questions

Why might Jesus have chosen the towel (foot washing) as the symbol of kingdom greatness instead of a throne or title? How does this contrast with cultural definitions of success?
Jesus washed the feet of Judas, knowing he would betray Him. What does this reveal about the nature of service that is “not transactional” or dependent on others’ loyalty?
Henri Nouwen’s move from Harvard to L’Arche is called “downward mobility.” How does this story challenge common assumptions about where purpose and spiritual vitality are found?

Application Questions

Reflect on a time when you pursued recognition or a “seat of honor” (e.g., at work, in relationships, or ministry). How might Jesus redirect that ambition toward hidden, towel-like service today?
What is one act of service you could do this week that no one would notice or praise you for? How would this align with Jesus’ example of washing feet?
Think of someone in your life who has let you down or might not “return the favor.” What would it look like to serve them without expecting gratitude or loyalty?
The sermon warns against “leftover service” (like the peanuts after the chocolate is sucked off). What areas of your life (time, resources, energy) do you tend to offer God last instead of first?
Henri Nouwen found freedom in downward mobility. What credentials, titles, or achievements do you cling to that might be weighing down your soul? How could you practice “kneeling” instead of climbing this month?

Sermon Clips

74s

#WhereIsYourTowel

“``And Jesus said, I get it. I appreciate your ambition, but here's what greatness looks like. It looks like getting up from a table when you don't have to. It looks like taking off the robe that you've earned. It looks like kneeling on the floor for someone who can't offer anything in return, on the worst night of your life, for people who are going to let you down. Most Christians want to serve God, but only in an advisory capacity. Jesus wants more than advice, wants followers willing to pick up a towel. So I'll leave you with this question this week. Where is your towel? Who is the person, who are the people in your circle that needs you to kneel down and serve them this week? Not that they're going to notice, not that you're going to get a thank you note or some kind of credit or recognition, simply, where is your towel?”

70s

#LiveTheJesusWay

“Nobody could tell him what a good job he was doing, and this this is what the Jesus world view looks like when it stops being a theory and starts being our very lives. James and John, of the seats of honor, first and second in the kingdom, And Jesus said, I get it. I appreciate your ambition, but here's what greatness looks like. It looks like getting up from a table when you don't have to. It looks like taking off the robe that you've earned. It looks like kneeling on the floor for someone who can't offer anything in return, on the worst night of your life, for people who are going to let you down. Most Christians want to serve God, but only in an advisory capacity. Jesus wants more than advice, wants followers willing to pick up a towel. So I'll leave you with this question this week. Where is your towel?”

52s

#PickUpTheTowel

“Most Christians want to serve God, but only in an advisory capacity. Jesus wants more than advice, wants followers willing to pick up a towel. So I'll leave you with this question this week. Where is your towel? Who is the person, who are the people in your circle that needs you to kneel down and serve them this week? Not that they're going to notice, not that you're going to get a thank you note or some kind of credit or recognition, simply, where is your towel? May you pick it up, and may you figure out how to use it this week.”

50s

#BeLikeJesus

“Jesus wants more than advice, wants followers willing to pick up a towel. So I'll leave you with this question this week. Where is your towel? Who is the person, who are the people in your circle that needs you to kneel down and serve them this week? Not that they're going to notice, not that you're going to get a thank you note or some kind of credit or recognition, simply, where is your towel? May you pick it up, and may you figure out how to use it this week. In this life, may we be like Jesus.”

56s

#ServeWithoutAgenda

“Now, this disgusting little story is a bit of an object lesson. Sometimes, like to give God our leftovers instead of our best, don't we? Or sometimes we offer our service hoping we get something in return, recognition or gratitude or a thank you note, or some warm feeling, a sense of earning, our place at the table, something. We want something in return for our service, and our Jesus worldview asks us gently, persistently, can you wash feet with no agenda at all? Do you know what I've done for you? Asked Jesus. Can you serve without a single hope of return?”

56s

#ServantAmbition

“Jesus didn't say, don't aspire for greatness. Jesus doesn't dismantle their ambition, he simply redirects it. It's wonderful that they want to be great, but it looks way different than in their imagination. And so Jesus says, you want to be great? Awesome. Here's how you do it. You serve. You want to be great in my kingdom? You pick up a towel. And so in this Jesus worldview series, we've been asking, whose lens is it we've been looking through? Is it the lens of faith or is it the lens of our culture and, maybe our family of origin, the lens that we've sort of acquired living in the twenty first century America? Right?”

71s

#TowelOverTitles

“But instead, Jesus picked up a towel, cleaned the feet of his disciples. Now, one followed to a place that nobody had ever heard of his books, cared about his education, his credentials met nothing at that community. Nobody could tell him what a good job he was doing, and this this is what the Jesus world view looks like when it stops being a theory and starts being our very lives. James and John, of the seats of honor, first and second in the kingdom, And Jesus said, I get it. I appreciate your ambition, but here's what greatness looks like. It looks like getting up from a table when you don't have to. It looks like taking off the robe that you've earned. It looks like kneeling on the floor for someone who can't offer anything in return, on the worst night of your life, for people who are going to let you down.”

50s

#ChooseDownwardMobility

“You see, upward mobility is the organizing principle of the rest of the world. Climb that ladder, get that promotion, make your way to the corner office, sit at the right hand of Jesus. But instead, Jesus picked up a towel, cleaned the feet of his disciples. Now, one followed to a place that nobody had ever heard of his books, cared about his education, his credentials met nothing at that community. Nobody could tell him what a good job he was doing, and this this is what the Jesus world view looks like when it stops being a theory and starts being our very lives.”

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Pick Up the Towel: Servanthood Over Ambition

Devotional

Day 1: When Greatness Means Holding a Towel, Not a Throne

Day 2: Foot Washing as World-Overturning Love

Day 3: Downward Mobility in a Climb-Or-Die World

Day 4: Serving Without Sucking the Chocolate Off

Day 5: Your Towel Awaits in the Unremarkable Now

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Pick Up the Towel: Servanthood Over Ambition

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