It is clear, not just in this reading, but in all of the Gospels, that Jesus self-identified with the suffering servant written about in Isaiah's prophetic work. In these versed from John's Gospel, the world "servant" occurs only once, but the theme permeates the entire event and its depiction.
Jesus not only taught something strikingly new about God. He acted it out—and not just here. In the Old Testament God is portrayed as merciful, but for the most part God waits for people to approach Him or Her. "Seek the Lord while the Lord may be found. Call upon the Lord while the Lord is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous ones their thoughts. Let them return to the Lord, to God; for God will have mercy and abundantly pardon."
Jesus extends God's mercy, and teaches that God not only forgives when people turn Godward. God seeks out the wandering ones, the rebellious ones, the indifferent ones. The three parables in Luke's fifteenth chapter show us a sheep herder going out to find the one that strayed away; a householder who actively searches for the coin that got away from her; a parent who runs to hug a son who had rebelled, and goes out of the house to affirm a son who had a problem with self-righteousness.
The Pharisees and other religious leader were scandalized. "This man welcomes sinners and even eats with them," they murmured. Jesus reached out to people who did not reach out to him first. More than that, he washed the feet of his friends without their asking for cleansing. He took the initiative, and they were surprised.
He went after people then, and he still seeks out people to love. He seek us out, and that is good news.
Paul puts the events of tonight through Sunday in perspective when he writes, "God was in Christ reconciling the world to the very heart of God."
Let us re-enact the scandalous love of God.