March 15, 2024
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in our Lenten readings from “The Life of Jesus”? Here’s today’s reading:
Day 26 in the Book: “The Life of Jesus“
The Week Jesus Dies
Read Sections 5.24 through 5.26 (pages 157-159)
This book is an account of Jesus’ life and teachings told through in chronological order from the four Gospels to create one continuous story.
*If you do not have a copy of the book please contact the church at (401)667-0775 and we can get you a copy.
Follow Jesus’ example of service. Washing the feet of his disciples we see no job is too small but rather caring for each other is an honor when we do it for God’s glory. Cleaning the toilets to teaching a Bible study all is service to God when done with the right heart! We also follow His example of love to others, as He was surely heartbroken to know Judas was the one who would betray Him, He still loved Him and did not try to change his mind or become angry with him. He simply shared a meal and showed him love….so gracious and so merciful! Don’t know that I would have behaved the same way in that situation and so I pray that I can better understand that kind of love for others.
”You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.“
John 13:13-17 NKJV
Jesus washes the disciples feet although He is Lord of all. He tells them/us that the servant is not greater than the One who sent them.
I think of this when someone praises or thanks us for some “service” like leading Bible study or doing foster care. It’s hard to know how to respond.
”So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ ”“
Luke 17:10 NKJV
We are just unworthy servants.
I guess being thanked by others is the “blessed are you if you do them” part of the equation!
6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”
7 ¶ Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”
8 ¶ Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
9 ¶ Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”
Peter cracks me up.
5.24 Jesus and the Followers at the Supper (Luke 22:15-18) Again telling His disciples that He is going to die.
5.25 Jesus Washes His Followers’ Feet (John 13:2-17) Jesus makes Himself an example of pure humility and service and teaches Peter in the doing. But I am struck that there is another lesson here that Peter is yet to learn. When Jesus tells Peter that if He does not wash Peter’s feet, Peter has no share with Him, Peter is quick to exclaim, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” For most of my life, I read this passage as Peter demonstrating his devotion to Christ…that he wanted to be all in.
But where I am in life now, whereby His grace God has brought me, I am struck by another consideration. Here, in the upper room, where things are quiet and Jesus and His disciples are enjoying a meal together, Peter is quick to profess his undying dedication to Jesus…but in actuality, Peter is asking Jesus to give Him MORE. Don’t just do what you said is required, Jesus…do MORE for me! Wash me all over, Jesus…make me clean!!! And later, while still in the upper room, Jesus will even tell Peter that despite this declaration of wanting more of Jesus, that Peter will in fact deny his Lord…not one time. Not twice. But three times. And when the time comes for Peter to take action…to live out his faith…to acknowledge his devotion to Jesus before men, and to risk it all for Jesus through obedience and devotion…he fails. He thinks of his own survival and self-interest and fear and sins in the weakness of the flesh that we are all incarcerated in. He denies his Lord.
Peter is one of my favorite people in the Bible, because of how Jesus patiently, graciously, earnestly, and expectantly teaches him through his spiritual growth arc. He is firm when he must be firm (“Get behind me, Satan!”) and He is gentle when He knows Peter’s heart has been broken. It is not until Peter and Jesus are sitting on the beach, enjoying a meal after Jesus’s resurrection, that Peter finally understands. John 21:17 “He said to him a third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was grieved because He said to Him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.’
Jesus is teaching us all how we show that we love Him. It is through obedience that we show Jesus that we love him. Jesus says in John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” But He knows that we are weak in the flesh. That we are sinful. That we need help to obey His commandments. We cannot do it on our own. So Jesus asks the Father to send us the Holy Spirit…”And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot received, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17)
My study Bible note says that the Greek word for Helper here literally means “one called alongside to help”. Use of the word “another” in the Greek also means “one of the same”…meaning Jesus is telling his disciples that although He must go, He will provide them with another who is just like Him…hence, the Holy Spirit…the very Spirit of God. God’s Spirit comes to dwell within the believer and makes us supernatural…we have the Spirit of the Living God dwelling within us, granting us access to the divine nature, and helping us to live our new life of Freedom…freedom from bondage to sin, and freedom to obey our Lord.
What a great and gracious and merciful God we have…all glory be to Him who reigns!!
5.26 Jesus Tells Who Will Turn Against Him (John 13:18-26, Matthew 26:24-25, John 13:26-30) I already wrote a bunch of thoughts on Judas…but I love John’s account here…you can see Peter giving John a look…almost motioning with his finger and pointing to Jesus, egging John to ask him “who??”. So John leans back against Jesus and kind of whispers, “Lord…who is it?” It makes me smile to imagine the scene 🙂
The Life of Jesus 5.24-5.26; Luke 20-21
To betray Jesus is one thing, but to be called out by Him and still go through with it anyway is baffling.
The Life of Jesus 5.24-5.26
Can’t imagine Peter watching Jesus kneeling down washing the feet of the apostles. I would have said the same. And the answer such deep meaning. Judas spending 3 plus years with Jesus. The miracles. The preaching. He knew Jesus. But didn’t know Jesus. Was in it for his own gain. More blind then the Pharisees
Lenten day 26: it’s hard to read about Judas—hard to imagine the evil that took him over. Jesus understood God’s will and followed it to the letter.
Day 26 and 27
Jesus gives His followers and us the example of how we are to treat fellow believers. Not necessary washing each other`s feet but serving each other in love and humility. Putting the needs of others before our own needs. As Paul says in Phil. 2: 3-5 { Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.} And as we have stated many times; Jesus knew who would betray Him. Jesus even when He chose Judas to be one of the 12 ; He was totally aware of Judas’ heart. But Jesus still loved him. He had witnessed Jesus healing people, casting out demons, raising the dead [ At least twice} walking on water, and so much more. And as we often forget; Jesus giving the 12 power to heal and cast out demons in His name. Yet with all this Judas still betrays Jesus. As Mark said about Judas: he knew Jesus but didn`t know Jesus. His own pride and selfishness blinded him. God bless.
I love the account of Jesus washing the disciples feet. The situation is established with the affirmation that Jesus knew where He came from, where He was going and the power that God had given Him. It is that orientation that allows Jesus in this extremely stressed situation waiting for His death to wash the disciples feet. And what a great picture is given of the distinction between justification and sanctification in His interaction with Peter. We are clean before God and gain relationship with Him by virtue of our faith in Jesus. We don’t need to be cleansed like that again. But as we live our lives, our feet get dirty and we need to be sanctified and cleansed in terms of our fellowship with God. I John 1:9 gives the means for that cleansing and that is through confession of sin…which still maintains the dynamic of faith and grace that our justification is made possible by as well.
And what an unfortunate part of this beautiful time with His disciples that His betrayer would have to be identified and sent out. It is amazing that Jesus washed his feet too! And yet a spade needs to be called a spade and lines drawn between those who are with Jesus and those who are not. And after Peter prompts John to ask and Jesus identifies him, I don’t understand why their is any confusion. But there is no confusion for Jesus or Judas. They know where they both stand and yet how hard for Jesus to be betrayed by an associate. But it could be said that for what follows, it is fitting for Judas not to be there.