My plan is for you all to take the rest of June off giving me time to catch up on the commentary of John 13, 14 and 15. For July, we can go into John 16, 17, and 18. That will leave us to finish John in August with chapters 19, 2,0 and 21. I truly enjoy writing, blogging and study with all of you. I guess the break was something I needed. We have been at the 30X chapter by chapter study of the new testament since October of 2011. We all should feel good about our determination and what we have completed so far. We are very close to completing the 30x study and I am sure we will feel like we have accomplished much when we finish. Let's join forces again and finish what we started.
Thanks for hanging in there! Recently our monthly website visits have grown to 2800 each month and I am excited to see where God leads us in the future.
John 13:
We start 13 at a time before the Passover celebration began. Our reading leads us into a time of Jesus' reflection. Now, at this particular point in His ministry, Jesus realized the time for Him to leave earth and return to His Father in heaven had come. He reflected on how much He loved the disciples, "and how He loved them to the very end." If you think about that comment, why would it need to be said that He would love them to the very end? Doesn't that seem like something He would do without thinking? I think it might imply that even though they would desert Him and deny Him, His love for them would not be altered. His love for them and us stands strong no matter how we as believers may fall short.
The devil had already prompted Judas to betray Jesus. Jesus was well aware of His authority and could have done whatever He wanted to stop what was to come. However, in this time, He had to help complete the Fathers's plan and rather than fight the future, He humbled Himself and washed the disciples feet.
Jesus got to Peter who asked Jesus if He was going to wash his feet. Jesus said "yes" but added that Peter would understand what He was doing at some later time (after His death). Peter said, "No, you will never wash my feet!" It would be easy to believe that due to the roles of teacher and student, Peter saw this as wrong for it was them who should wash Jesus' feet. Jesus' response was, "Unless I wash you, you won't belong to me." This statement has nothing to do with salvation or baptism. What Jesus was saying to Peter was that His washing the dirt from each of them was symbolic of His sacrifice washing away their sins. If they or we don't accept Jesus as Lord nor accept the truth that His sacrifice washed away our sins, we can never belong to Jesus. Interestingly, Peter had a choice to make, accept Jesus' sacrificial cleansing of his sins and belong to Jesus or make the choice not to and not be a part of His Kingdom. Peter had the opportunity to make the same choice all of mankind has the opportunity to make. Believe, be washed clean, and belong to Jesus or not and be seperated from Him forever. Peter chose, although not fully understanding, to accept Jesus' offer. He, in robust Peter style, asked to be washed all over. He wanted a full dose of what Jesus had offered him.
Jesus' response to Peter's request was, "A person who has bathed all over dos not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you." The disciples already see and acknowledge Jesus as Messiah making them clean all over. I think that Jesus' response that once one is clean all over except for the feet leads one to see that while clean all over (having been bathed in our faith in Jesus) we still "walk" in the world. Doing so, we can't help but get dirty by the world and our own wrong doing. Therefore, we need to regularly be cleansed of our daily sins. His reference to the disciples being clean all over but not all of them referred to Judas.
After He was finished, He dressed, sat down, and asked them if they understood what He had done. He acknowledged that they called Him Teacher and they were correct in doing so. He went on to explain that because they called him teacher and Lord, they should follow His example and wash each other's feet. This teaching reflects not particularly on the act of foot washing but the posture of humility among believers. Jesus, Lord and teacher, washed the feet of His students which was an act of humility and one they should follow.
Jesus went on to say that slaves are not greater than their master nor is the messenger more important than the person sending the message. Knowing and understanding that they are not better than their master, they should follow His teaching. If they not only understand that point but also respond with appropriate action to that understanding, they will be blessed.
Jesus' next comment was that He knew who He has chosen but it was not all of them, again addressing the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. There is an interesting fact that David was also betrayed by a very trusted companion, Ahithophel. This can be found in 2 Samuel 16:20 to 17:3 and 23. Ahithophel betrayed David then also hanged himself. Once Jesus was betrayed and had died, His foretelling of those events helped strengthen the disciples' belief in Him as Messiah. In fact, Jesus' very words in verse 19 were, "I tell you this beforehand, so that when it happens you will believe that I AM the Messiah."
Jesus completes this time with them by telling them that anyone who welcomes His messenger (them) also welcomes Jesus and by doing that, they also welcome the Father, who sent Him.
Jesus then addressed his imminent betrayal, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!" They all looked around wondering who it would be and asked who it was. Jesus told them it would be the one Jesus gives the bread to after He dipped it in the bowl. Jesus dipped the bread, gave it to Judas and immediately the devil entered Judas. Jesus then told Judas to hurry and do what he was planning to do. Because Judas was the treasurer, none of the disciples understood but rather thought He was sending Judas off to pay for the food they had been eating or going off to take money to the poor. Judas left promptly to do what he was going to do.
Once Judas left, Jesus spoke to the disciples saying that He would soon enter His glory and in His sacrifice He and the Father would be glorified. Because God will be glorified because of what the Son is to do, God will also give glory to the Son. He went on to say, he would only be with them for a little longer. As Jesus had told the Jewish leaders, they too would search for Him but not find Him and they could not go where He was going. While they had gone everywhere Jesus had gone during His earthly ministry, they could not accompany Him this time. They could not accompany Him into His death nor into His Ascension.
Jesus then gave them 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 you are my disciples." This command stands for us today and is part of the driving force of Grounds for Love. If loving one another sacrificially... if loving one another humbly enough to wash one another's feet shows the world we are Jesus' followers, then what does our dislike, lack of love, judging and being mean to one another show the world? Could it show the world that we are not "truly" followers of Jesus? As the book "Not a Fan" expresses so well, we may only fans of Jesus not followers. We can be a fan of anything without being truly committed to it. Being a fan does not require a life change like being a follower does.
Peter asked Jesus where He was going and Jesus told Peter he could not go with Him now but He would follow Him later. Peter understood all Jesus' predictions of His death and responded by asking Jesus why he couldn't go with Him right now saying that he was ready to die with and for Him. Jesus made a very strong, maybe sarcastic reply, "Die for Me? I tell you the truth, Peter - before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me."
That verse ended chapter 13. I cannot help but reflect on the last part of the chapter. We read that we are to love one another. We read that how we love each other tells the world we are one of Jesus' own or tells them much the opposite. We see Peter proclaiming his willingness to die for Jesus but then being told not only will he not die for Jesus but he will deny Him.
All of it makes me look inward amd see how many times I promise to be better, follow Christ with more determination and give more of myself away only to find out that I still turn from Him and sin. I deny my promise to Him to follow and instead walk in the realm of only being a fan. It makes my heart heavy and surely keeps me humble. It makes me see the need to study and exercise discipline if I am ever to get to where I want to be. The spirit truly is willing and the flesh truly is weak. Without the love and help of Christ I don't think I could ever even begin to get close to what my spirit wants to do and be.