Hey, go back and read some of the responses that people have made to the posts. There is some good insight that the Lord is giving to others. God bless. David
v. 1 It was just before the Passover Feast… This was the annual feast Israel celebrated to remember God’s deliverance of his people from the power of Pharaoh and Egypt. He did it through a lamb. At Passover, the men of Israel took a lamb and slaughtered it. They roasted the lamb and feasted upon it, and then placed the blood on the door frames over their home (Exodus 12). When the Angel of the Lord saw the blood, he passed over the home of the Israelites and spared them from judgment. Now Jesus was in Jerusalem at Passover, preparing to give his life. The timing is significant because Jesus would be the true Passover Lamb slain once and for all for the sins of the world.
v. 1 Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. Jesus was fully aware of the Father’s plan. He did not end up on the cross by accident. He knew the time had come to give his life, and return to the Father having provided an acceptable sacrifice for sin. He loved his disciples, but his actions were going to reveal the full extent of his love. The washing of their feet revealed the servant nature of Jesus. He would ultimately wash them clean by shedding his blood for them. This passage reveals the call to servant hood, but also foreshadows the cross – this is where Jesus would become the ultimate servant and do for us what we could not do. This is where he showed the full extent of his love as He took our sin away. I am captivated by the phrase, “he now showed them the full extent of his love.” I find myself asking Jesus to help me truly know and experience the full extent of his love in my life. I am open Jesus.
v. 2 “the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot… to betray Jesus.” It is interesting how both God and the devil are involved in the death of Jesus. We see Satan tempting Judas to betray Jesus. Satan wanted nothing more than to get rid of the Son of God. He sought to get inside of Judas’ mind and tempt him to betray Jesus. I am sure the enemy was inside the mind of the religious leaders as well, inciting them to actually order and demand his death. So we see that man also has a role in the death of Jesus. And yet we know that behind all of it was God the Father. It was actually his plan to give his only begotten Son so that whoever would believe in Him would not perish but have eternal life. We know that in the end, God can use any means to accomplish his purposes and will. He can even use the sinful intent of man, and the wicked schemes of Satan to bring about his will. Satan means to destroy us and God’s work in us, but if we will fully trust and surrender our lives into the Father’s hands, we can know that His will shall prevail in our lives.
v. 3, 4 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… he began to wash the disciples feet. AMAZING. After the first sentence that described Jesus’ position of power and his understanding that he was returning to God, you might expect the next sentence to say that he demanded everyone at the table to bow down and kiss his feet. He had every right to demand worship, to demand surrender, to demand respect, to demand to be served. Instead, it says he clothed himself like a servant, took a towel and basin and washed the disciples feet. Just a chapter before, Mary was washing his feet… and now He is washing the feet of his disciples. He has assumed the role of a servant. He is revealing his character and providing an example at the same time. Jesus is humble, and the servant of man. He gives himself for our good. And yet he calls us to go and do the same. What a Savior.
v. Unless I wash you, you have no part with me. Jesus was speaking of a spiritual cleansing. We cannot truly have fellowship with Jesus and his Father until he cleanses our sin. Our sin is a barrier between us and God. It must be removed for us to have fellowship with God. Jesus removes our sin. Unless he washes you, you have no part with him. Oh Jesus, thank you for washing me clean. Continue to cleanse me of all sin. AMEN!
v. 34 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. What is the mark of true discipleship. There are many, but love must surely be near the top. Authentic disciples are not just people who have a lot of head knowledge about the Bible. They are people who have been transformed by radical love. LOVE one another. We are called to love each other as Jesus loved us. He gave his life for us, even when we didn’t deserve it. Do we love people like that? We tend to love those who are nice to us. Jesus’ love goes way beyond our human limitations. We are called to walk in His love. The world show know we are different by our love. Jesus, I am convicted by the shallow nature of my love. Help me to love. Take me deeper in love for you and for others. Teach me radical love that this world knows nothing about.
Just wanted to tell you how much I am enjoying this bible study “on-line”. You said to check out the postings. How do we do that?
Kay
v. 20 I never thought about this before, but after Jesus identified who would betray him, none of the disciples took any action to stop Judas from doing his dirty deed. I know in God’s sovereignty it had to be done, but when Judas went out into the night, why didn’t one of the disciples follow him or confront him? It’s almost like they weren’t paying that much attention to what Jesus was telling them. Betrayal is a pretty significant event. How many times do we not pay attention to what Jesus is trying to tell us…….
A little bit of Peter in all of us…
With the redemption of mankind drawing near, Jesus spends some time alone with the disciples. He gives us examples of love and compassion for others. Peter has a hard time humbling himself to allow the Lord to wash his feet. After all, Peter is a man’s man. A real man in Peter’s mind would not have his feet washed by another. That “old” man in him has not been fully crucified yet; but by the grace of God it’s dying daily. Jesus tells us to do the things He does… serve others; forgive them; love them; encourage them; be a light to them; gently straighten the crooked thinking and do it all in love. If we do these things, Jesus says, “we are blessed.”
Five times in the book of John, John refers to himself as – “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Peter said, “I will never leave the Lord and I will die for Him.” In a weak moment, Peter denies ever knowing who the Lord is. At supper, John is literally laying on Jesus’ heart and Jesus announces that one of them will betray Him. Peter, who is sitting at the table with them, asks John to ask Jesus – “who is it that will betray Him?” Why can’t Peter ask the Lord himself? Peters’ boasting of his love for the Lord kept him at a distance. That intimate relationship John had, put him right on Jesus’ heart. When we boast of the Lords’ love for us, we are as close as we can be to the Lord – right on His heart!