The Leadership Lesson Most Christians Miss
On the night before the cross, Jesus didn’t take a throne. He picked up a towel. Here’s why that changes everything.
Hi, I’m Chris McKinney. I write for the Faith Unplugged community where we talk honestly about following Jesus in real life. If this article encouraged you or helped you see your faith in a fresh way, would you consider supporting the work? A paid subscription or a small one-time gift helps keep these reflections coming and allows this community to keep growing.
Some of the most important lessons about leadership don’t happen on a stage. One of mine happened when I was a teenager.
It wasn’t during a sermon.
It wasn’t a big spiritual moment at the altar.
It was something much quieter.
I was a teenager in our church, and there was a Pastor there who seemed to always be around. Not just on Sundays. Everywhere.
One week you’d hear he was visiting someone in the hospital.
Another week he was helping a family move across town.
After church events he was the guy stacking chairs when everyone else had gone home.
I remember seeing him in the hallway once, praying with someone who looked like they had been crying for a while.
Nobody had asked him to perform.
Nobody was applauding.
He was just… serving.
At the time I didn’t have words for what I was watching. I was just a teenager trying to figure out life and faith like everyone else.
But I remember a quiet thought forming in my mind.
This is what shepherding looks like.
Not loud.
Not flashy.
Just faithful.
Looking back now, I realize something I couldn’t see then.
What I was watching in that church hallway was the same spirit Jesus showed His disciples the night before the cross.
The night He picked up a towel.
The Night Everything Slowed Down
John 13 opens with a quiet but powerful scene.
Jesus and His disciples are gathered together for dinner.
But this wasn’t just any dinner. Scripture tells us something important right at the beginning:
“Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”
— John 13:1
Jesus knew what was coming.
He knew the cross was hours away.
He knew betrayal was already in motion.
He knew the weight of the world’s sin was about to fall on Him.
And yet in that moment, He chose to do something unexpected.
The room was set for the meal.
The basin was there.
The towel was there.
In that culture, when people walked into a home after traveling dusty roads in sandals, the lowest servant would wash their feet.
But that night there was no servant.
The disciples were there.
The towel was there.
But no one moved.
Then Jesus stood up.
He wrapped a towel around His waist.
He poured water into a basin.
And the Son of God began washing the disciples’ feet.
Even the feet of Judas.
Let that sink in for a moment.
The King of Heaven knelt on the floor and washed the feet of the man who would betray Him.
This Is How the Kingdom Works
Jesus wasn’t just performing an act of kindness.
He was revealing something about the Kingdom of God.
After He finished, He asked them a simple question:
“Do you understand what I have done to you?”
— John 13:12
In other words,
Do you see what this means?
Jesus continued:
“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”
— John 13:14
Jesus had every right to be served.
But He chose to serve.
That’s the upside-down nature of the Kingdom.
The world tells us leadership is about power, influence, and recognition.
Jesus shows us leadership is about humility, love, and service.
He said it clearly in Mark 10:45:
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The towel in that upper room wasn’t just a moment.
It was a model.
The Part We Often Miss
Sometimes when we read this story, we assume it’s only about pastors or leaders.
But that’s not what Jesus was saying.
He wasn’t telling the disciples to admire the moment.
He was inviting them to imitate it.
Paul later described the church this way:
“…the whole body, joined and held together… when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
— Ephesians 4:16
Every believer has a role in the body of Christ.
Some preach.
Some lead.
Some teach.
Some serve quietly behind the scenes.
But when everyone participates, something beautiful happens.
The church grows.
People encounter Jesus.
The mission multiplies.
The Real Evidence of a Disciple
Jesus ended that evening with a statement that still challenges us today.
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
— John 13:35
Notice what He didn’t say.
He didn’t say the world would recognize the church by its buildings.
Or its programs.
Or even its preaching.
He said the defining mark would be love.
And most of the time, love looks like service.
Quiet service.
Faithful service.
Unnoticed service.
The kind of service that reflects the heart of Christ.
The Towel Is Still on the Table
I think about that Pastor I watched when I was younger sometimes.
At the time I thought I was watching someone help people.
What I was really watching was someone picking up the towel.
And the truth is, that invitation didn’t end in the upper room.
It still stands today.
Jesus said:
“Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
— John 13:17
Not just if you understand them.
If you live them.
A Question for You
Where might Jesus be inviting you to pick up the towel?
Maybe it’s serving someone quietly.
Maybe it’s stepping into a role you’ve avoided.
Maybe it’s loving people in ways that cost you something.
The Kingdom still moves forward the same way it did that night in the upper room.
Through ordinary people who are willing to kneel.
Through hearts that say,
“Lord, use me.”
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Oh my goodness, this is so beautiful. I, too, experienced this when I was a teenager with my own pastor. This is such a humbling message today to ponder and meditate on.
I forgot to restack with note. Thank you Chris, we need to imitate Him always.