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Staying Close to Christ, Part I, John 13:1-8
In our recent study “For the Good of Your Child”, I made mention of the memorable event at the last supper where Jesus Christ humbled himself and washed the feet of his disciples.
The mention emphasized the teaching of Christ concerning servant hood with the expectation that all the followers of Christ are to first serve God and then serve others.
But this subject of servant hood is not the main topic to study concerning this feet washing event for it is clear that our Lord wants us to focus our attention not only on servanthood but to a greater extent on fellowship.
Remember how Peter objected strongly when Jesus came to wash his feet but Jesus responded to Peter even more strongly by telling Peter in no uncertain words, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
Our Lord was telling Peter, Peter you need help.
Do not reject my help for when you do, you reject me.
Peter, In order to maintain fellowship with me you must cease to believe you can be clean without me.
Now as we know Peter is a stand out among the disciples.
We would see him as a man’s man.
We see him as very human, sometimes vacillating and unsure, sometimes rash and hasty, sometimes irritable and even angry.
He was the spokesman for the other disciples, and would easily be seen as Jesus’ right hand man.
Many times we hear him quickly express his opinion and it was so on this occasion where Jesus warned him of a break in fellowship if Peter allowed him to not wash his feet. Picture Peter fuming while he watched the other disciples offer no complaint to Jesus, their Master, as he performed such a humble act upon them.
But Peter could not imagine allowing such a thing to take place on himself by his Master whom he had already declared: Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
But Peter had not as yet grasped the idea that everything that Jesus did in the physical had a spiritual message in it.
Peter saw this only as the cleaning of offensively dirty feet but Jesus in this act had a far greater reason for performing this cleansing on the feet of his disciples and especially Peter.
And that reason concerned how to maintain fellowship with Christ.
So to hear our Master’s instruction concerning fellowship with him we enter the upper room where we find the supper ended:
And there John records John 13:1-3, Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him; Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;
So Jesus knows that his hour was come for this was the eve before he was to die.
And loving them unto the end he feels compelled to instruct his own.
Jesus has been gathering his own during his short ministry on earth and this small band will now be taught so that they can teach greater bands even including this small group here in the Sunday School of Grace Bible Church two thousand years later.
John says He loved His own!
What a dear thought to be part of His own for that took place when he bought us with his precious blood.
But his hour is come and he must instruct his own concerning the cleansing power of what he has taught them, the cleansing power of the word of God.
But not all were there to be instructed. Not all were his own.
The devil had claimed one who had walked with Jesus Christ and had witnessed the same glory that the others had witnessed.
But instead of receiving Jesus Christ as Lord, Judas, who refused to be one of his own, had received Satan as his Lord.
So here we are given by John to see Jesus, in full consciousness of his diety, knowing fully that he had come from God and he would return to God, chooses to become a bondslave of his own so that they might be taught what is required of them to maintain fellowship with him.
So the King of Kings and Lord of Lords makes himself of no reputation and humbles himself to wash the feet of his disciples in order for this truth to be taught.
Becoming the lowest of the lowly he assumes the role of servant.
In so doing we are instructed by Christ himself in what must occur if we desire to be in fellowship with our Master.
John 13:4,5, He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
There had been no one to wash the feet of Jesus and the disciples before they came to the room to dine.
Most likely there was no slave to perform this usual function.
Dinner would be enjoyed in the semi-prone position so feet were prominent in a setting like we see here.
We know not such a condition in our culture for we hide our feet from view in such a situation.
For it is our norm to eliminate the need for service as our culture promotes self-service.
But in those days it was important that feet were attended to so they would not offend. |