Episode 483

TODAY’S READING

It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean.

12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

John 13:1-17

 

It was a long passage. But it is something that I wanted us to read as we prepared for Holy Week because this was one of the last interactions that he has with the disciples before he rides into Jerusalem. And so, there were eight things that I took away. The first is that Jesus knew the hour had come. He was all-knowing and, to this day, is all-knowing. The second thing I noticed is it says Having loved His own who were in the world. That is very clear and the way it was outlined. It doesn’t say Having loved His own who were a part of this world over who had come from this world. It says who was in the world. And that is you and I. It’s a reminder for us as we face worldly challenges. 

 

We are not of this world but in it, and sometimes that is enough of a reminder to remember that we are divine. We have the Divine Father within us, and we are living; we are spiritual beings living a human experience. And so we also will get to live in eternity with Jesus and our Father. And we are not of this world, but we are in this world. Now the second, the third thing that I noticed is he knew who he was. He knew where he came from and where he was returning. It was very clear that he understood that he was from God and was returning to God. The fourth point is that I think that that wasn’t an indication for us to see how holy he truly was. Yet he still proceeded to wash the feet of his disciples. The fifth thing that I noticed was that he still washed Judas’ feet, knowing that he was unclean. And I think that that’s an example for us as we interact with people in our lives, those that we don’t necessarily agree with or people who maybe don’t like us or treat us with the respect. The sixth thing is that he sets the example in every situation, but in this one, we are instructed to wash the feet of those around us, and that really just means that we are instructed to serve them even those that we know to not have our best interests in mind. 

 

The seventh thing is a no servant is greater than their master. We are all equal. We are all to serve one another. It doesn’t matter if you’re the business owner or the employee. We are equal in the eyes of God, and we each have a part to play; we each have people that we get to impact and serve on a daily basis. And now, the eighth thing is that blessing follows application. Knowledge alone does not cut it. You have to apply the word, and that is in regard to verse 17. It says now that you know these things, you will be blessed. Not because you know them, but you will be blessed if you do them. And so blessing follows application. And so I know it was a long verse, but there was so much to learn from just a couple of verses. And I hope that you go back and read it again, and they’ll digest it. 

 

Prayer

Father God, we love you so much, and we are so thankful for your word for it. Every day we learn something new, we get to lean into something a little bit deeper, and we get a new revelation of who you are, your character, how we can become better, and how we can become more like you. We are excited to continue to grow deeper in our relationship with you. We thank you for chasing us in our darkest days. We thank you for giving us joy in our lives of days. We asked you to bless this beautiful one ahead of us, and it is in your son’s holy name that we pray. Amen