Absolutely No Idea

Posted on by korgrocker

“When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, “Hurry and do what you’re going to do.” None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant. Since Judas was their treasurer, some thought Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money to the poor. So Judas left at once, going out into the night.”
John 13:27-30 NLT

By this time, the disciples must have been reeling from events that were totally unexpected. First of all, Jesus warned them of His impending death, and the way it would be carried out. Matthew 26:2, “As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” The Passover meal that Jesus ate with His disciples two days later included the event of the bread and wine, as recorded in the other Gospels. Matthew 26:26-28, “As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many”. During the meal, Jesus also said, “ … I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me” (Matthew 26:21b). And then, after the meal, we have the account of Jesus washing their feet. Then, events moving on quickly – Jesus told Judas to, “Hurry and do what you’re going to do”. It seemed that the disciples had absolutely no idea about what was happening, but they would understand much later.

Having been around Jesus for three years or so must have been a roller coaster of experiences. The disciples must have lived in a world punctuated with the unexpected. They never knew what Jesus was going to do next. But of course each and every event that occurred was entirely in the will of Jesus’ Father in Heaven. In John 6:38 Jesus said, “For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will”. That was the focus in Jesus’ ministry and the disciples had first hand experience of what that meant. They truly had an education in the “University of Life” that no-one else has had. It was a life lived in the Kingdom of God, and one where for a brief period Heaven touched earth. 

What do we pilgrims expect in our lives as believers in Jesus? I am writing this on a Sunday, a day when I attend a church service. A day when I look forward to the time of worship, hearing the sermon, joining in the prayers. But do I expect the unexpected? What will the Holy Spirit do through my brothers and sisters today? Am I tuned into a limitless God who delights to bless His people? Will something unexpected happen? And not just on a Sunday – what about Monday morning in the office, the supermarket, the queue at the bus stop? God desires to use men and women, even young people, to further His purposes here in this world. Are we willing to step out in faith, believing that the God who walked the highways and byways of Israel is still walking today through the Holy Spirit within us.

We have no idea what will happen in our worlds today. But we do know the Creator of our worlds. And trusting in Him takes away the anxieties and stress that blights the lives of so many.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Your many spiritual blessings, available to us by Your Spirit. In You we put our trust, our lives in Your hands. Amen.

How Did Jesus Know?

Posted on by korgrocker

“So that disciple leaned over to Jesus and asked, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus responded, “It is the one to whom I give the bread I dip in the bowl.” And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, “Hurry and do what you’re going to do.””
John 13:25-27 NLT

Jesus was, and still is, the Son of God, divine and human. Two thousand years ago He was sent to Israel with a plan for the redemption of mankind, following through every requirement to bring it into fruition, a successful conclusion. Jesus knew that His death and resurrection were the final part of the plan, and He spoke several times about it – Mark 8:31, “Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead“. But how much of the detail beforehand did Jesus know? Father God could of course see the end from the beginning, every twist and turn, every event, because He lives in eternity, a place without time. Imagine something like the Bayeux Tapestry, laid out before Him, but with every event portrayed in its minutest detail. Because of His humanity, Jesus would not have had such a view, and He regularly communicated with His father in prayer to obtain the guidance He needed, to make sure He stayed on track. Through the third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, He retained that divine communication.

But Jesus was also human. We see from John 4:6 that He got tired, “Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime.” About Jesus, Paul wrote, “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. … ” (Philippians 2:6-7a). So Jesus needed to eat and drink, sleep, and use the bathroom. Even as early as the age of twelve, Jesus had a sense of His mission, as we read from the account of Jesus in the Temple, “So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”” (Luke 2:48-49). 

So, did Jesus know beforehand about the woman at the Samaritan well? Or the fact that there would be five thousand men and their families to be fed? What about the other miraculous occasions? Did Jesus know about all these in advance? I don’t think He did, but He did know about the power through the Holy Spirit that He had within Him, and He was close enough in tune with His mission and His Father’s will to know what to do at the time. So, how did Jesus know it was Judas who would betray Him? In fact, how did He know that He would be betrayed at all? Judas was a pivotal factor in God’s redemptive plan, to the extent that he was prophesised about in Psalm 41:9, “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me“. At first sight, it would seem strange that Jesus gave a piece of bread soaked in the vinegary dip common at the Passover meal, to expose the man who would betray Him. But that was a very real part of the Psalm 41 prophecy. 

Jesus did know what was going to happen because He knew the Scriptures. Today, there are many problems both inside and outside the church caused by a lack of Bible knowledge and, consequently, a failure to put God’s commands into practice. But at a personal level, we find most of what we need to live in the Bible. It is a unique book. There in none other like it. As Peter said in John 6:68, “Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life“. There is nowhere else where we can find the words we need. Of course we pray to our Father in Heaven and trust in the Holy Spirit for power and guidance, but through the Word of God we have a foundation that underpins our lives on this planet and leads us to a life with God for ever.

Dear Father God. We thank You for Your Word, and the guidance it provides for our lives. Amen.

Does God Have Favourites?

Posted on by korgrocker

“Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!” The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he could mean. The disciple Jesus loved was sitting next to Jesus at the table. Simon Peter motioned to him to ask, “Who’s he talking about?” So that disciple leaned over to Jesus and asked, “Lord, who is it?””
John 13:21-25 NLT

The Gospel of John records that Jesus loved one of His disciples, who was assumed to be John, and the writer of the Gospel we are following. But does that mean that He showed John special favour? There was also the time when Jesus took three disciples with Him up the “high mountain” (assumed to be Mount Tabor), where He met with Moses and Elijah. We can read the account in Matthew 17:1-3, “Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus”. Was Jesus closer to these three disciples than He was to the rest? John was with Jesus on the visit to what we call the Mount of Transfiguration so why didn’t he include a mention in his Gospel, although it was included in the other three? 

We know that at a basic level, every child of God is His favourite. He does not provide special favour to one person and refuse to grant it to another. But the reality in practice is that God chooses certain men and women for special assignments. This does not mean favouring one person over another. We can’t all be Peters. Or Johns. Closer to home and our own age we can’t all be pastors, or missionaries to foreign lands. We also know that many who God has seemingly favoured over others end up in a difficult place, persecuted and suffering. We look at the life of the Apostle Paul and wonder about the hardships he suffered – we can find out what he recorded in 2 Corinthians 11. Perhaps being in a favoured place like Paul is to be avoided!

But we pilgrims have a special and favoured relationship with God. He is our Heavenly Father and we are His children. His love for us is limitless and one day we will be with Him in Heaven. That surely is favour enough.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Your grace and favour, Your love and kindness. We worship You today. Amen.

Betrayal

Posted on by korgrocker

“Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!” The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he could mean.”
John 13:21-22 NLT

In most ways, it is a relief to us that we don’t know what the future holds. Imagine if we knew when we would die and how the death would happen? Wouldn’t we do our utmost to avoid it? Or imagine if we knew how a job or a marriage would work out? Wouldn’t we try to make changes to avoid unpleasant or unwanted consequences? Such thoughts make it all the more amazing that Jesus, knowing what was going to happen to Him over the next day or so, still carried on, His mission to Planet Earth being more important than any personal considerations. In fact, Jesus even seemed to put Himself in a position where He was, ever closer, aligned with the culmination of His mission. 

But occasionally we see Jesus’ humanity appear, and in our verses today we see that He was deeply troubled. Other versions add “in His Spirit”. In Mark 3 we read how Jesus selected His twelve disciples, “Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones he wanted to go with him. And they came to him. Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles. They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach, … Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him)” (Mark 3:13-14, 19). Even at the beginning of His ministry, Jesus knew all about Judas Iscariot and what he would later do, but He still chose Him. But that didn’t stop Jesus being upset that Judas, one of His disciples, was going to betray Him to the Jewish authorities. Judas had been on mission with Jesus for about three years, and he would have seen the miracles, heard the teaching, and even gone out himself, healing the sick and casting our demons. Having observed Jesus do so much for so many people, why would he want to betray Him? Unfortunately, Judas never explained his actions, and, apart from his moment of remorse where he returned the thirty pieces of silver saying that he had betrayed an innocent man, we will never know what his motivation was. The devil though appeared to have a hand in Judas’ actions, as we read in John 13:27, “When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, “Hurry and do what you’re going to do.”

It is a painful event, being betrayed by a trusted friend or colleague. A relationship will turn sour. Sometimes our behaviour will repel a loved one. Many people, after a painful relational breakdown, will build walls of protection around themselves and will never allow anyone to get close to them ever again, and in the process become emotionally poorer. But Jesus gave us a commandment, to love one another. John 13:34-35, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples“. We must be committed to our friendships to be obedient to Jesus’ command, as we remember what Paul wrote in Colossians 3:13, “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others”. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 4:8, “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins“.

It’s ok to be upset if a relationship goes wrong – after all, Jesus was – but if it can’t be mended then we move on, always looking for an opportunity to put things right. Paul wrote, “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honouring each other” (Romans 12:9-10). Wise words from Paul, indeed.

Dear Father God. In Your Kingdom we have many brothers and sisters. Please help us to love those around us with a true love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Scripture Fulfilled

Posted on by korgrocker

“I am not saying these things to all of you; I know the ones I have chosen. But this fulfils the Scripture that says, ‘The one who eats my food has turned against me.’ I tell you this beforehand, so that when it happens you will believe that I Am the Messiah. I tell you the truth, anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me.”
John 13:18-20 NLT

In these verses today, Jesus quoted part of a verse from Psalm 41:9, “Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me.” This was a psalm written by David at a chaotic time in his realm, during his son Absolom’s rebellion. David seemed to have an illness, and there was much plotting going on, even by his trusted friend and advisor Ahithophel – the account is in 2 Samuel 16. But Jesus also saw this scripture as a prophesy of His betrayal by Judas. Jesus told His disciples about this so that they would be forewarned when it happened. And He adds the assurance that this is one more occasion underpinning His claim to be the Messiah.

There were many Scriptures in the Old Testament that foretold the coming of the Messiah, Scriptures that were interwoven within the warp and weft of Jewish religious society. The problem for them was that there were two types of prophesy, some about Jesus’ first coming and others about His second, so from the two the preferred picture emerged of a victorious King vanquishing the enemies of Israel and forming an eternal and autonomous Kingdom where the Jews would live in peace. The Jews looked for a natural physical Kingdom, but Jesus came to establish a spiritual Kingdom where people would live free of sin and wickedness. 

We pilgrims are Christ’s messengers, carrying the Gospel’s torch wherever we go. And by so doing we fulfil the Scripture left us in Matthew’s account of the Great Commission – “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”” There are those, of course, who try to wriggle out of their obligation to make disciples because they claim that this was aimed at the first disciples, those who became the Apostles. But they all died in spite of Jesus saying that He would be with them until “the end of the age”. That phrase in itself implies that the work of making disciples continues from one generation to the next, while we indeed wait for the current age to come to an end. We live in a season of God’s grace, but it won’t last forever.

Dear God. We willingly look for opportunities to share Your Good News of the Kingdom with those who You have chosen. Please help us as we fulfil Your commands in our generation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now You Know

Posted on by korgrocker

“And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.”
John 13:14-17 NLT

When Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, He took on one of the lowliest jobs that could have been performed in that culture. It was a task usually undertaken by the servant who was lowest in the household pecking order, or, in some parts of the world at that time, by a slave. By doing such a thing, Jesus was aligning Himself with the lowest in society, doing the lowest of duties. And we mustn’t forget that this was God we are talking about. Jesus pointed out to His disciples that He, their Lord and Teacher, the “slave” or “messenger”, was prepared to do anything for others, no matter how lowly a task it seemed to be.

The disciples lived the rest of their lives with Jesus’ actions hanging before them. They were never going to forget that supper they shared, the one where Jesus washed their feet. But as we fast forward to the 21st Century, the same picture graces our faith. We still have a worldly culture, a pecking order with those who have the most materialistic wealth, or those with the best jobs,  enjoying a lifestyle with no room for a foot washing mindset. Company bosses order their subordinates to do the more menial of tasks. An aristocratic collection of landowners still expect the forelock-tugging action and attitude of the farm labourers. And in our churches, the religious leaders sometimes have the same mindset, forgetting the example of our Lord as they go about their liturgies, proud of their status and forgetting the reality of washing feet. 

Before God all men are equal. As is often said, there is level ground before the Cross of Christ. No task in God’s Kingdom is too lowly for His people to do. Jesus pointed out that those who do the modern equivalent of foot washing will be truly blessed. I know a man who pastored a church in Scotland for several years. The building was old and needed a lot of attention, but without complaining or making a fuss, he quietly did what was necessary, ensuring that the building was fit for Sunday worship and the other meetings that took place. Most people were not aware of his dedication and commitment in doing the lowliest of tasks, but God did and I’m sure he will be richly blessed. Men and women like him are the bedrock of our faith and they understood what Jesus did that day long ago in that upper room, understanding His example and doing what He said. 

We pilgrims understand too what Jesus has done for us, and we too look out for menial and lowly jobs that will bless others around us. Jobs that others baulk at doing. We join the church cleaning rota. We volunteer to help our elderly neighbours. We pick up the litter that blights our streets. We are the salt and light that savours our communities. We wash their “feet” at every opportunity.

Dear Father God. You called us to a life of service and we do Your will gladly in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do You Understand?

Posted on by korgrocker

“After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”
John 13:12-15 NLT

As we have read, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. In our society, people sit at tables and feet are not on display.  But in Jesus’ days, a meal was eaten at low tables, where the diners reclined. So feet would have been everywhere. The famous picture of da Vinci’s the Last Supper was not in fact how the meal was shared, and even in that picture, feet are discretely tucked away almost out of sight. Regarding the Passover meal, and according to Luke 22:8, “Jesus sent Peter and John ahead and said, “Go and prepare the Passover meal, so we can eat it together””. But there was no servant organised and present who would wash their feet. It must have crossed the disciples’ minds, but none of them volunteered for the task. So they ate the meal accompanied by a display of unwashed feet.

Jesus pointed out to His disciples that He was their Teacher and Lord, and He turned this common practice of foot washing into a learning opportunity, saying “I have given you an example to follow”. If Jesus had taught His disciples about the importance of serving one another, using words alone, then it is unlikely that they would have remembered for long, and in any case, how would they have applied His instructions in practice? But the practical demonstration of foot washing from the Man they revered and followed would have stuck in their minds for the rest of their lives. Jesus didn’t have to resort to a long teaching session backed by Scriptures, as we might expect from today’s pulpits. Instead He just acted it out and then asked the question, “Do you understand what I was doing?” And as the penny dropped in the disciples’ minds, He finished the occasion by saying, “Do as I have done to you.”

We pilgrims are servants to our fellow believers, and even beyond into our communities. We can talk forever about what should be done, but Jesus’ example was a practical demonstration that cut across many words. On another occasion, Jesus taught about servanthood. “But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world Lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many”” (Matthew 20:25-28). In our societies, we recognise the world Jesus described, with the rulers lording their authority over their citizens. But Jesus came to promote His counter-cultural Kingdom, a Kingdom that to the world appeared upside down. We pilgrims are part of that upside-down world, a world that our secular fellow citizens don’t recognise. They scratch their heads in puzzlement and consign us to the looney fringe, along with the flat earthies and Covid deniers. But we know differently, and have experienced life in the Kingdom of God. It’s a wonderful place.

Dear Father God. Thank You that You have made Your Kingdom available to all who believe in Your Son, Jesus. Amen.

‭‭

Entirely Clean

Posted on by korgrocker

“Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!” Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.””
John 13:9-11 NLT

Sandals were common footwear in those days, and inevitably a person’s feet became dirty and grimy after walking anywhere. In that dry and hot climate, roads and paths would have been very dusty, and of course the proliferation of livestock would have introduced more unpleasant factors. So Jesus spoke the obvious when He said that a person who had just bathed would have been clean, except for his feet. But Jesus introduced a spiritual hint into the conversation when He said that not all the disciples were “clean”. 

Spiritual cleanliness was very much sought after in Jewish life. This had roots in the idea that touching certain animals, for example, would make a person ceremonially “unclean”. Leviticus 5:2, “Or suppose you unknowingly touch something that is ceremonially unclean, such as the carcass of an unclean animal. When you realize what you have done, you must admit your defilement and your guilt. This is true whether it is a wild animal, a domestic animal, or an animal that scurries along the ground”. A skin disease such as leprosy could also be considered to make a person “unclean”. Leviticus 13:3, “The priest will examine the affected area of the skin. If the hair in the affected area has turned white and the problem appears to be more than skin-deep, it is a serious skin disease, and the priest who examines it must pronounce the person ceremonially unclean.” Jesus was scathing about the cleansing rituals undertaken by the Pharisees – Luke 11:38-39, “His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom. Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and wickedness!” Of course God’s original intention was to relate holiness to a person’s spiritual condition through everyday objects and customs. Leviticus 10:10, “You must distinguish between what is sacred and what is common, between what is ceremonially unclean and what is clean.”

Thankfully, we pilgrims are not subject to all the Jewish rules and regulations that refer to ceremonial cleansing. We know that our state of physical cleanliness is not related to our spiritual state. Through Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins by the shedding of His blood at Calvary we are made “clean” spiritually, and attain the holiness that God demands. Ephesians 4:24, “Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” David wrote in his 24th Psalm, “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully” (Psalm 24:3-4). At the moment of salvation, we are made completely clean and righteous before God and only then can we share in His godliness.

Dear Holy God. We too need to be holy to come into Your presence, our hands clean and hearts pure. Thank You for Jesus, who made it all happen. Amen.

Not Just My Feet

Posted on by korgrocker

“When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.” “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!””
John 13:6-9 NLT

The thought of Jesus washing his feet was too much for Peter. He wanted to opt out of the experience, probably feeling embarrassed that his Lord and Master could even consider doing such a thing. We remember what Peter said in reply to Jesus’ question about who He was. Matthew 16:13-16, “When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”” So it was no wonder that Peter was experiencing a plethora of internal feelings; after all, how could His Messiah be allowed to wash his feet? John the Baptist had a similar experience when Jesus came to him for baptism. We read in Matthew 3:13-14, “Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”” Both men were very much in awe that God was present with them, God Incarnate, God in human flesh. And I am sure that we pilgrims would be feeling much the same, were we standing in their sandals at that time. 

In Peter’s case, Jesus soon made him change his mind. I can imagine the gentle reproach from Jesus’ lips sinking into Peter’s mind, as he grappled with the dilemma before him. However, he blurted out, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!” Peter was sold out for his friend and Lord. His response came from a heart that was not interested in anything else, other than to serve and follow his dear Lord Jesus. His love for Jesus was far greater than his embarrassment. 

An interesting story, faithfully recorded by John. He wrote this Gospel some time after this event but it was still vividly stored away in his mind. And we are very grateful to John, because the humility of Jesus has served as an example to generations of Christians ever since. 

But regarding a practical application, what do we pilgrims make of it? Are we like Peter, embarrassed by the very thought that someone, one of our peers or even someone we look up to, would get on their knees before us with a towel and basin of water to wash our feet? More, would we ourselves be prepared to be the foot washers? We pilgrims are called to serve our fellow human beings, believers or not. It will not necessarily mean literally washing our neighbours’ feet, but it will mean devoting our time and energy for the good of those around us, serving them to the exclusion of our own feelings. 

Dear Foot-washing God, we worship and praise You today. Amen.

Understanding the Master

Posted on by korgrocker

“So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.””
John 13:4-7 NLT

A group of perplexed disciples. One by one Jesus had gently lifted their feet and immersed them in water, washing away the dirt and detritus, and then He dried them with the towel around His waist. And a sobering and life changing thought emerges in our minds – if we had been there as well, Jesus would have washed our feet. Was that just a one off teaching opportunity used by Jesus for His Twelve, or are there eternal lessons for everyone, past, present and future? If only we could get across to our generation the reality that the God and Creator of this Universe was prepared to be a lowly servant, doing the most menial of tasks, and who is still prepared to serve us in the same way two thousand years later. The same God and Creator who just a few hours after this event, died in agony taking on Himself the punishment for all the sins ever committed by mankind. 

Paul wrote the following, “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8). Everything Jesus did in His ministry years was focussed on the coming Cross. His teaching, His miracles, His love; it all established a legacy that has been life changing for all who have ever believed in Him. Paul went on to write, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11). There will come a day when everyone, believers or not, will have to bow before Jesus and declare that the humble servant who washed His disciples feet is in fact the Lord of all. 

It was too much for Peter to experience his Lord and Master humbling Himself to wash his feet. A natural human reaction perhaps, because here was Someone, who Peter had on a pedestal, kneeling before him reaching out to lift his first foot. Surely He couldn’t do this, Peter was thinking, and the impulsive Peter blurted out, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Peter had already watched as Jesus worked His way around the group. There would have been a silence, embarrassment and puzzlement hanging in the air. Thoughts including “Why is Jesus doing this?” troubling their minds. You see, to the Jewish people, the rabbis and Jewish leaders were looked up to and, if necessary, the ordinary people would have bowed before them with a servile attitude. It was unthinkable that one of them would stoop so low as to wash their feet. So why was Someone, so much greater than the Jewish leaders, doing this? Was it then, soon afterwards, or much later, that the penny dropped in the group-think of these young men? Jesus only said to Peter, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.” 

Jesus taught a lesson that day that has impacted not only our faith but our behaviour. We pilgrims are foot washers, serving our friends, families and communities, in every way possible, no matter how menial the task.

Dear Father God. You, the Creator of this Universe, loved mankind so much that You found a way to connect with them, and assure them of eternal life. Truly a plan from the Master! Amen.