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About-Him.Com Devotional 01-28-2006
Http://About-Him.Com/ My Thoughts on the Life of Christ, from His Baptism to His Ascension. 208: Washing the Disciple’s Feet John. 13:1-17 John 13:3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; 4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. 5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. John 13:13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. 16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. 17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. It is difficult to harmonize the sequence of all the events of the Passover and Last Supper of our Lord. Scholars have argued over the accounts of the three synoptic gospels and the gospel of John for centuries, so it would be a bit presumptuous of me to declare any absolutes in this regard. My feeling is that Jesus and His disciples first celebrated the Passover meal after which Jesus instituted the practice of communion as a Christian sacrament to be observed until we eat the marriage supper of the Lamb in heaven. I shall proceed on this assumption. Jesus had announced that His time was at hand. The disciples knew that this meant the kingdom would be established. As we stated last week, they began to quibble and strive for rank in the new kingdom. They were so taken with this kind of thinking that they ignored a basis custom of courtesy practiced by the Jews of that day. It was customary for a host to see that the feet of any invited guests were washed upon their entering the house. This rather humble job was usually assigned to a slave. Perhaps Peter or John thought, "Well, if I’m going to have a high rank in the new kingdom, how can I assume the role of a slave in front of these other eleven with whom I’m competing? Not me, let someone else do that!" I’ve heard it expressed that the disciples had proud hearts and dirty feet. Jesus knew their hearts and issued a stinging rebuke; not by words but by example. He arose from supper, girded Himself with a towel and began to wash and dry the feet of all the twelve. It was repugnant to Peter to see his Master in such a humble position. He refused to have his feet washed. Jesus simply stated that if He didn’t wash Peter’s feet, Peter would have no further part with Him. At this Peter, was just as adamant in the other direction, “Lord, wash all of me.” After Jesus finished He asked, “Do you know the significance of what I have done to you?” "No you don’t know now, but you will. I am your Lord and Master , but I have given you an example. The servant is not greater than his Lord. If I, the greater have washed the feet of you the lesser, than the least you can do is to wash the feet of one another. If you do so, you will be happy. Conclusion and Application: What a vivid teaching by example. Jesuswas and is the living word of God, or God incarnate (John 1:1,14). He did not cling to His prerogatives as God but assumed the nature of man and entered this world as a servant of all mankind ( Philippians 2:6-7). He was the Almighty God clothed in the flesh of His earthy mother Mary (Galatians 4:4), seeking the lost (Luke 19:10) and reconciling men to Himself (II Corinthians 5:19). He was destined to die on Calvary to redeem us (Mark 10:45). It would have simply been easier and more convenient to eliminate us, but He didn’t (Matthew 26:53). He humbled Himself and became obedient to the death of the cross because He loved us. He did a lot more for us than to wash our dirty feet. He died for us and washed our dirty souls. Do we really understand all that He has done for us? The practice of foot washing is hardly practiced in our modern churches. That does not take away from it’s validity. However, There are other ways to practice foot washing in a spiritual sense i.e. simply being a servant. How about putting the Sermon on the Mount into effect and doing such things as going the second mile, giving to him who would borrow of us, etc? 209: The Traitor Designated Mt. 26:21-25; Mk. 14:18-21; Lu 22:21–23; Jn. 13:21-30 Judas had already dealt with the High Priest concerning a betrayal and now Satan entered his heart completely and there was no turning back for Judas. I wonder what he thought as Jesus washed his feet. Jesus announced that one of the present group was a traitor. They all began to ask, "Lord is it I." Part of the Passover meal involved the eating of a "sop" which was simply a piece of lamb, wrapped in bread and dipped in a sauce of bitter herbs. A person would assemble this, dip in in the sauce as pass it to a friend to eat. As Judas asked, "Is it I?" Jesus passed the sop to Judas. As John 13:11 stated, "He loved His friends until the end." Even Judas! Surely He loves us just as much. At the urging of Jesus, Judas left the supper room and went about the business of the betrayal. In About-Him
I've written a new song which I hope you enjoy.
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I had been teaching my three-year-old daughter, Caitlin, the Lord's Prayer. For
several evenings at bedtime, she would repeat after me the lines from the prayer.
Finally, she decided to go solo. I listened with pride as she carefully enunciated each word, right up to the end of the prayer: 'Lead us not into temptation,' she prayed, 'But deliver us some e-mail.' Amen. Somebody Has Said
There are two kinds of people in the world: givers and getters. If you choose to be a
getter, get all you can because that is all you are going to get.
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