The Children's Chapel Award-winning site, featuring Bible stories from a variety of authors, excellent Christian resources for children, and over 140 links to other Christian and family-friendly sites for kids. ~ A Ministry of The Missing Link, Inc. ~ The Fruit of the Spirit Is Humility - Meekness [Picture of a peach] Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet Text Version by Sophia Prinsloo "I have pushed you far enough, it's my turn now!" Quintin complained to his older brother who was sitting in the go-cart, turning the steering wheel to make wide turns in the yard. [Picture of cherries] "Only a little further, Quintin! I am older and deserve to be pushed further!" replied Terrence. "Mom, Mother, Mo-o-o-om!" yelled Quintin. Their mother anxiously looked through the window to see what the racket was all about. "Mom, Terrence doesn't want to give me a chance on the go-cart! It's not fair, because I must push him the whole time!" [Picture of fruit divider] There was great excitement in Jerusalem because of the Passover Feast and the dusty roads were full of people coming from far and near for the celebration. Jesus and his disciples were there, too, and after a long day. They sat down tired and hungry at the supper table in the upper room. Jesus knew He would soon be crucified, but He was determined to do the will of his heavenly Father. His heavenly Father had entrusted Jesus with the salvation of all humanity, because Jesus dearly loved his people. He loved them so much that He would give his life for them. [Picture of host providing bowl of water] Their host provided a bowl of water Their host had provided a bowl of water and a towel for the group of tired men so that they could wash their dirty feet after taking off their sandals. However, there was no servant, as the custom was, to wash their feet. [Picture of peach] While they were sitting at the supper table, Jesus got up, took off his outer garments, picked up the towel and fastened it around his waist, just like servants did in those times. [Picture of pear] "What is the Master doing now?" the disciples wondered silently. "He never does something without reason." [Picture of Jesus washing the disciples feet] Jesus kneeled down in front of each disciple Jesus kneeled down in front of each disciple and, like a servant, washed their feet and dried them with the towel that hung around Him. Some of the disciples got all teary-eyed, while others were speechless. When it was Judas' turn, a tear rolled over Jesus' cheek, because He knew Judas would betray Him. Yet He washed his feet too. When Jesus reached Peter to wash his feet, Peter could not contain himself any longer. "How could the Master humble Himself to do a servant's job?" he thought to himself. "Lord," he asked, "are You going to wash MY feet?" Jesus replied, "What I am doing, you don't understand now, but after this you will understand." [Picture of Peter] Peter did not want to allow Jesus to humble Himself Peter did not want to allow Jesus to humble Himself in front of the likes of him, a lowly fisherman, so he told Jesus, "You shall never wash MY feet!" Jesus answered, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." [Picture of apple] That frightened Peter because he so dearly wanted to have a part with Jesus. He quickly replied, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" Jesus knew that Peter had a good heart and answered him, "He who has already bathed needs only to wash his feet to be completely clean, and you are clean, but not all of you." He said not all of them were clean, because Judas' heart was not clean. Jesus knew Judas had already schemed with the Pharisees to betray Him. [Picture of Jesus sitting at the table with the disciples] When Jesus was finished He sat down at the table with them When Jesus was finished, He put on his garments, sat down at the table with them and asked them, "Do you understand what I have done to you? You call Me Master and Lord, and you are right, for I am that. 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 should do as I have done to you. Even though I have washed your feet, you are not more important than Me. Now that you know how to follow My example, God will bless you if you serve one another in love." [Picture of fruit divider] REMEMBER: It doesn't matter how important you think you are. You are never too important to do something good for somebody else. [Picture of apple] THINK! 1. Did Terrence behave right? Why or why not? 2. Did Quintin respond the right way? Why or why not? 3. What do you think their mother said to them? 4. How can Quintin and Terrence follow Jesus' example in this story? A VERSE TO LEARN "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23). [Picture of grapes] ALTERNATE VERSES TO LEARN "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5). "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29 NKJV). PRACTICAL APPLICATION Can you name a few chores you feel aren't worth your time and wish you could pay someone else to do? What about cleaning your room, the playroom or the bathroom? Or how about taking out the garbage or cleaning up after your pet? These chores don't seem very glamorous, do they? But do you think they are important? How come? One day, on the way to someone's house, Jesus' disciples were arguing back and forth, trying to decide which one would be greatest. Once inside the house, knowing what they had been arguing about, Jesus asked the disciples to sit down with him. He said anyone who desired to be first must be last and servant to all. Then He reached down and lifted a little child into his arms. With all eyes on the child, Jesus said, "Anyone who welcomes one little child like this for my name sake, is welcoming Me, and the person who welcomes Me is welcoming not only Me but the One who sent Me." Jesus taught the best lesson of all, when He knelt down as a servant and washed his disciples' feet. Just as kids did the lowly chores in Jesus' time, Jesus was willing to humble Himself as a servant to his disciples. He humbled Himself even further by going to the cross and dying for our sins so we could be saved. So how about you? Are you willing to do humble tasks with a joyful heart knowing you are doing them for Jesus? You can top that by going even further, stopping to encourage someone you see doing a lowly job. For example, next time when you pass a cleaning lady sweeping floors, encourage her by thanking her for the important job she's doing in the eyes of the Lord. LET'S PRAY [Picture of Dog and boy praying] **************************************************** Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus as an example of how we must live. Help us to be humble and meek like Him and serve others in love. In your Name I pray. Amen. **************************************************** CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE? John 13:1-17 Galatians 5:19-26 [Picture of peach] STORIES IN THIS SERIES: The Fruit of the Spirit Love Joy Peace Longsuffering Gentleness Goodness Faith Meekness Temperance [Picture of fruit divider] [Picture of crayons] The Pool of Bethesda pdf (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader ) The Lord Heals the Man at the Pool of Bethesda pdf (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader ) Jesus at the Pool of Bethesda [Picture of pear] Fruit Basket God Wants Us to Bear Good Fruit Fruit of the Spirit Tree Fruit Fruit of the Spirit [Picture of child reading a story] Lucy Mouse Discovers A Fruit of the Spirit, Patience The Apple Tree - A Short Story About Patience Jesus at the Pool of Bethesda Healing at the Pool of Bethesda Bible Time For Kids pdf (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader ) The Man at the Pool [Picture of cherries] Fruit of the Spirit Stories For Young Children The Fruit of the Spirit [Picture of puzzle activity] Healing at the Pool of Bethesda Fill in the Blanks Break the Code Word Search [Picture of peach] Fruit of the Spirit Online Game Online Word Search Fruit of the Spirit Online Jigsaw Puzzle [Picture of musical notes] Healing at Bethesda Have Patience (Herbert the Snail) [Picture of grapes] Fruit of the Spirit (sheet music/MIDI) I Want To Be Like Jesus (sheet music/MIDI) Fruit of the Spirit (mp3) The Fruit of The Spirit Song/MIDI/CHORDS Fruit of the Spirit Cadence [Picture of CDs and DVDs] Sunday School Songs (Cedarmont Kids) Shop Now Music Machine Shop Now [Picture of crafts] Pool of Bethesda Shoebox Diorama pdf (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader ) [Picture of apple] Fruit Printing Fruit Basket pdf (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader ) Fruit of the Spirit Crafts *RESOURCES FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS* Patience Please - Activity Kids Of Integrity - Patience Home Life Ministries The Pool of Bethesda - Lesson Plan pdf (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader ) Crippled Man Healed Near the Pool of Bethesda pdf (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader ) Dramatization of the Lord Healing the Man By the Pool of Bethesda pdf (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader ) Lesson Ideas pdf (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader ) Stirring the Water - Story and Project pdf (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader ) [Picture of pear] Fruit of the Spirit Collage < http://www.squidoo.com/biblecraftsforkids#module9109173> Fruit of the Spirit Story Idea Experience the Fruits of the Spirit Fruit of the Spirit Characters Fruits of the Spirit and How We Can Show Them to Others Fruit of the Spirit The Fruit of the Spirit Lesson Plan Fruit of the Spirit Anagrams Fruit of the Spirit Name Tags Fruit of the Spirit Puppet/Skits Scripts Apple Snacks Chocolate Covered Strawberries Fruit Kabobs Fruit of the Spirit Pizza Fruit of the Spirit Game Please Pass The Fruit (Game) Fruit of the Spirit Necklace (Memory Tool) Fruit of the Spirit: a Childrens Bible Study of Galatians 5:22 Shop Now Kids Travel Guide Fruit Of The Spirit Shop Now Fruit Of The Spirit Bookmark Shop Now Fruit Of The Spirit Bulletin Shop Now Fruit Of The Spirit Laminated Chart Shop Now Fruitz Of The Spirit Game (2-10 Players, Ages 7+) Shop Now Little Angels & Fruit Of The Spirit Game (2-4 Players. Ages 3+) Shop Now Poster Set-Fruit Of The Spirit & Armor Of God Shop Now [Picture of fruit divider] BIBLE STORY ARCHIVE http://childrenschapel.org/bibstory2.html Add/update a Bible story resource The Children\'s Chapel - Award-winning site, featuring Bible stories from a variety of authors, excellent Christian resources for children, and over 140 links to other Christian and family-friendly sites for kids Copyright (c) 2017-2022 by Sophia Prinsloo You may NOT re-post this Bible story. However, you may freely link to it, provided visitors can see our web address when they click on the link. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Free Bible Stories! To receive a new Bible story each week, enter your e-mail address under "Subscribe..." at tscpulpitseries.cis.to/mailman/listinfo/stories You will be sent a message requesting confirmation of your subscription request. IMPORTANT! YOU MUST REPLY to this confirmation request to activate your subscription to this list. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright (c) 2017-2022 - The Lorain County Free-Net Chapel North Central Ohio, U.S.A. TOP OF THE PAGE Webmaster Last updated November 15, 2022 Welcome! http://childrenschapel.org/welcome.html What's Here http://misslink.org/childin.html Bible Stories http://childrenschapel.org/bibstory2.html E-Mail Us online@misslink.org Around the Piano http://childrenschapel.org/pianokid.html 4 Things http://childrenschapel.org/fourkid.html Events http://childrenschapel.org/kidevent.html Children's Chapel http://childrenschapel.org Adult Chapel http://misslink.org/chapel2.html Missing Link http://misslink.org/index.html Links http://childrenschapel.org/kidlink.html Resources http://childrenschapel.org/resource.html