Day: March 31, 2022

Lent 2022 • Week Five Jesus Is Not Proud

Thursday, March 31st, 2022

Photo Credit: Me
February 15th, 2022
Disney’s Hollywood Studios

“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.” ~Matthew 20:28 (NIV)

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.” ~John 13:14 (NIV)

Bible Reading • John 13:1-17

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

“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. The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 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. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” 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.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. 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. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.“

— The Job No One Wants —

I can say with certainty that washing someone else’s feet would not even make my top ten disliked jobs. But Jesus did exactly that, He washed the feet of all the disciples. Can you image the condition of the feet Jesus washed, mostly very dirty, dusty, unkept toe nails, and calloused. To be clear, washing feet whether it was over two thousand years ago or today, is a less than desirable job. In fact, the job of washing feet in the first century was considered so demeaning that it was reserved for the lowest of servants in a household.

Setting the scene, Jesus and the disciples were in the middle of their meal when Jesus gets up, removes His outer garment and gets a towel. Each disciple is looking at Jesus and then at each other and Peter speaks out, “No!” “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” John 13:8.

The message Jesus was teaching His disciples and us today is that no person is too high for the lowest of the task, for He Himself took on the nature of a servant though He is the very nature God. Jesus served not only His best friends, but the one who would betray Him, the one who would deny Him, and the ones who would desert Him. Jesus washing their feet may have seemed shocking and ridiculous, yet this was a beautiful expression of Jesus’ love for His friends and His disciples. This expression of love was a foretelling of just how low Jesus was willing to bow in order to love His own until the very end. Jesus died on the cross for all of creation.

Romans 5:8 “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Challenge • Question to Ponder • 🤔

After Jesus sits back down to continue His meal, He asks His disciples if they understand what He has done.

  • Do you understand? _____________
  • Do I understand?
    • My understanding is that we are all God’s children, we are all uniquely created, none are more or less important. What is easy to forget is that we live in a conditional world and it functions much differently than what God wanted for us. It has always seemed easy to blame our human condition on Adam and Eve; then Noah and his descendants but we are all guilty of sin and disobedience. If any thinks that they would have done things differently, they are only lying to themselves. God gave humankind choices and now we must live accordingly. Jesus is our HOPE. Jesus is our SALVATION. Jesus loved us so much, He left His throne in Heaven to be born human, lived the human condition and died in our place on the cross. I believe the washing of feet is so much more than a dirty job. It is humbling ourselves to do and be what Jesus taught us…to LOVE.
      • To love one another.
      • To care for one another.
      • To feed one another.
      • To clothe one another.
      • To comfort one another.
    • To be the literal hands and feet of Jesus
  • How is Jesus calling you to wash another’s feet today? __________________
  • How is Jesus calling me to wash another’s feet today?
    • I strive to be open to the Holy Spirit guiding me, I manage to screw that up from time to time, intentionality is key. I have a mentor, dear friend that taught me that valuable lesson to which I’m grateful for. Being a Christian is not about being perfect, but we are being perfected by God as we learn and grow, sharing the message of God’s love. Not all of us are called to travel long distances for mission work, sometimes our mission field is our next door neighbors, our coworkers, a passenger on a plane or a stranger who lost and item in an airport.

“but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him.”~1 John 2:5 ESV

No matter how or where we are called to serve, do so with a humble and loving heart as Jesus did, setting an example for all of us to follow.

📚• 📚 Further Study 📚 • 📚

Mark 10:45 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Mark%2010:45&version=NIV
John 13:1-17 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=John%2013:1-17&version=NIV
Philippians 2:6-7 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Philippians%202:6-7&version=NIV

Hi friends, thank you for visiting my blog today, I pray that God’s words are the ones you remember. It is a joy to share using this platform and I am blessed beyond words for your support and encouragement. ~ Peace

~Charlotte, Seeker of unexpected Comfort, Happiness, Joy and Patience.

References:

https://www.biblegateway.com/

Matthew 20:28 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Matthew%2020:28&version=NIV
John 13:14 – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=John%2013:14&version=NIV
John 13:1-17 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=John%2013:1-17&version=NIV
John 13:8 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=John%2013:8&version=NIV
1 John 2:5 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=1%20John%202:5&version=ESV

https://www.openbible.info/topics/jesus_died_on_the_cross_for_our_sins

https://youtu.be/QqtfmmwEbIw