John 13:1-7
Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”
It’s so very easy to get overwhelmed by the miracles and mighty works of Jesus that it’s understandable we often overlook the subtle messages he taught. In matter of fact, Jesus not only taught us what to do, he lived out his instructions. He was the perfect example. Between the miracles and healing, teaching and preaching, he demonstrated how each of us should live and treat one another. But singularly looking at his giftedness (and not his character) will certainly lead us astray. His followers were. The 5000 he miraculously fed were. Peter was. But we’re not going to be anymore. We finally got it.
In reading the account of the life and times of Christ, we are inundated with stories concerning his travels, exploits, friends, followers and foes. But there is one consistent theme throughout: The Love of Christ. John testifies in his 13th chapter that Jesus loved his people to the very end. And please remember that includes Judas who would ultimately cost Jesus his life. And not only did he love them, he acted on that love many times over. But none more demonstrative than washing the feet of his disciples.
In any normal setting, can you imagine a nobleman, senator, president or king stooping so low as to wash the servants feet? Can you imagine yourself washing the feet of the people that serve you? But Jesus did. And I did mention Judas didn’t I? Washing your friends feet is one thing, but your enemy??? An active, present, persistent dangerous enemy! But Jesus did. He washed all their feet irrespective of their motives, agendas, lack of faith or ill will.
If the foot washing incident was a singular act, we could ‘chalk it up’ as a highly emotional moment where Jesus just wasn’t being himself. He was about to die, and maybe he lost it. But reread the account of his life and you will see a clear pattern of unrequited love and selfless affection being expressed throughout his lifetime. His own people rejected him. The religious community scoffed at him. His own men were a bit ambivalent and unsure. Yet Jesus gave his life and served them all. He is still serving us all. His teaching, parables, lessons and extraordinary feats are well documented in our schools of higher learning. They’ve been canonized in the Bible and memorized in our minds. But what about his example of love? Is it possible we’ve focused so much on canonizing him, that we’ve forgotten to act on what he wanted us to do in the first place. Have we focused so much on being right with him, that we’ve ignored being in true fellowship with each other? And if that’s even a little bit true, doesn’t it negate our meager efforts to impress him? Doesn’t it make his foot washing an exercise in futility?
Dearest brothers and sisters, not only do we invite everyone to join us at the Master’s table, but we ready ourselves to serve like Jesus served, loving, friend, foe, family, followers and most of all, YOU!
God Bless
In Case You Missed It. Last Sunday’s Sermon Notes Video: https://youtu.be/t0n6jnOTWIY?si=gcUsn0Bk1CHXkEjM
