Lessons from the Upper Room

John 13:1–5 ESV

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it 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 had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

John 13:1–17 ESV

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it 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 had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, 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 also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

John 13:12–17 ESV

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, 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 also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

The full extent of his love

Is anyone here a fan of the show The Price is Right? I think I am. Or, to put it better, I wouldn’t say I am a fan of the show so much as I can’t stop watching the show while it is on. It’s like my equivalent of a bug zapper light. I get sucked in every time for some, inexplicable reason. Do you know how contestants receive the prizes they’ve won on the show? The website Mental Floss reported the story of a woman named Aurora De Lucia. In March 2013, Aurora came on the show and won a Chevy Cruze and four camcorders. In order to receive her prizes, Aurora had to agree to zip her lips about winning any prizes at all until after the air date. These range from a couple weeks to a few months. The show then has 90 days to make arrangements to send your items. Manufacturers often ship smaller goods directly, and local dealerships handle those larger vehicles. But Aurora, like all other contestants, had to do more in order to receive her prizes. She had to agree to pay all taxes on them. For her $20,000 Chevy Cruze, this included $2067 in taxes to drive it off the lot, followed by federal income tax. She didn’t actually want the car, so she sold it for just under $15,000. All told, after around $9,000 in taxes, Aurora netted $6,000. Not bad, but also not as glamorous as the show might make it appear. This reminds me of the collateral costs of all gifts. It’s not enough to buy a nice gift. You have to wrap it, include a $5 card, and get it to the person. That might include mailing it or even taking someone to dinner in order to give them a present. Gifts come with extra price tags. This isn’t bad. It’s just how things work. I was reminded of this recently when Bob and I had the opportunity to attend a FREE discipleship training conference offered by LifeWay in Nashville last week. The conference was free. So was the hotel, and the meals. We received gobs of free books - much more than we could cram into our bags - carry-on only - for the flight home. We were going to have to pay a lot of money to transport these free books. Imagine our relief when the folks at LifeWay saw our dilemma and offered to ship them home to us - free of charge. They went above and beyond to ensure our free books were truly free! A gift comes with a cost beyond the gift itself.

Jesus was keenly aware of this fact that night in the upper room. He was mere hours from giving the greatest gift in history. Our forgiveness would come at the cost of God himself. Without a doubt there is no way of topping that cost, but Jesus was willing to add to it. Just like a nice gift comes with trappings like a gift bag, tissue paper, and a card, Jesus set about wrapping his gift to highlight just how special it is.

In verse 1 we read that Jesus “loved them to the end.” That is an accurate translation, but many commentators also note that the original language has a double meaning that doesn’t carry over in the English. It means “to the end” and “to the utmost.” To put it another way, in the Upper Room, Jesus showed his disciples “the full extent of his love.” Think about that. If someone came up to you and asked you, “Where did Jesus show the full extent of his love,” where would you say he did that? At the cross, right? John points to the Upper Room, where Jesus washed his disciples feet.

Let’s be clear, the cross isn’t a wrong answer. Jesus did show the full extent of his love at the cross, too. Pastor Mark mentioned Jesus’ hands stretched wide on the cross almost to show that full extent in clear display. But there was something about the Upper Room that led John to describe what was about to happen as Jesus’ full expression of his love. What was special, then, about what happened there?

The Upper Room shows us how to get personal

The Upper Room shows us how to get personal. In a few hours Jesus would be on trial among enemies and then hoisted onto a cross by Roman soldiers who did not know him. In the Upper Room Jesus shared a meal with those whom he knew the best during his three years of ministry. The setting was intimate, and the people were known. He could look into their eyes and read their faces. You know the story. As Jesus knelt down to wash their feet, he could probably detect the bewildered expressions of the disciples. His act of service seemed out of place. Inappropriate even. What was he trying to accomplish?

He had taught enough at this point. The disciples were educated. He had done enough miracles by now. The disciples were convinced. He was about to purchase the pardon of all humanity with his blood. Shouldn’t he be able to relax? If an inmate on death row gets to enjoy a final meal before execution, shouldn’t Jesus have enjoyed this Last Supper without having to wash twelve pairs of feet? If he had refrained from this task, think of what would have been lost.

In the Gospels we find Jesus teaching. He interacts one-on-one with people to heal them. He singles out people who are on the fringes. He calls out hypocrisy among the religious and highlights the devotion of the marginalized. Where do we really get to see him serving?

Before going to the cross, Jesus knew he had to show the disciples what it truly meant to serve. And so he got on his hands and knees. He got up close and personal with men who would soon change the world; and they were learning a valuable lesson.

If you want to impact people with the gospel, you can’t do it from a distance. It won’t happen simply through mass media. You also can’t do it just through social media. Tweets and snaps alone won’t suffice. We have to get personal. Like Jesus, we have to orient ourselves into a position where we get close to others while serving them. Think about it. Jesus literally sniffed out a problem and then went about solving it. Through him we see the personal impact that comes to people when we find a need and meet it. We have to get personal.

The Upper Room shows us how to get dressed

The Upper Room also shows us how to get dressed. Before going to the cross, Jesus would be beaten and stripped, his clothing forcibly removed. But here in the Upper Room, Jesus of his own volition removed his outer garments for the task at hand. What would later be done against his wishes was here done by his own choice. In order to serve, Jesus removed the clothing of a Rabbi.

The folds of his cloak would have undoubtedly dropped into the bowl as he attempted to wash, so he dressed down. The outer clothing was a barrier to his ability to show compassion, so he removed it and put on something more suited to the task: a towel.

That part was the same for Jesus. He wore the outer clothing of a rabbi - a cloak which would have undoubtedly dropped into the bowl as he attempted to wash. So he dressed down. The outer clothing was a barrier to his ability to show compassion, so he removed it and put on something more suited to the task: a towel.

What sorts of “wardrobe changes” would help you better show compassion to people around you? Have you ever used your position in the family or at work to justify not meeting a need? Have you ever used your age - young or old - as a reason to not serve? Jesus shows us how to take off the excuse that hinders us - maybe it’s actual clothing - and clothe ourselves with his servant heart.

President Warren Harding served in the White House from 1921 until his death in 1923 - 96 years ago. It was during that time that Antony Mancinelli began working in a barber shop at the age of 11. Many presidents have come and gone, but Mancinelli hasn’t stopped cutting hair. He’s 108 years old now, and he works from noon till 8, Monday through Friday, at a hair salon in New Windsor, NY, officially the world’s oldest barber. He’s often asked when he’ll retire, and he simply responds, “When the good Lord calls me.” Lest you think this salon has a gimmick, understand that Mancinelli doesn’t simply sit around as a fixture and do an occasional haircut. He drives himself into work, keeps the same steady hand while cutting hair, and refuses to let others clean up the clippings. He does it himself. The salon owner says he consistently does more haircuts than the 20-year-olds every day, 20-year-olds who call out citing aches and pains. Put simply, Antony Mancinelli understands the importance of putting on his barber’s apron every day and providing a useful service to people. We know the service he provides brings him a vitality and zeal for life.

And this is what our faith does. In Christ we take off the old and put on the new. This serves to guide the heart of our Christian faith and give us purpose. If you want a new vitality, go get a towel. Maybe this is the reason for so many clothing-oriented commands in the New Testament.

“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” ().

Galatians 3:27 ESV

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Colossians 3:10 ESV

and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

Ephesians 4:24 ESV

and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

That “new self” becomes the packaging people see in the gift of salvation through Christ.

The Upper Room shows us the foundation of service

The Upper Room shows us the foundation of service. John gives us a glimpse of what was going on in Jesus’ mind before he washed the disciples’ feet. What was his motivation? his inspiration behind this loving act? He wasn’t compelled; he was impelled. In other words, the drive came from within rather than without. Jesus knew something.

John 1:3 ESV

All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

John 13:3 ESV

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God,

These assurances rise to the top of Jesus’ mind as he begins to wash their feet. His disciples needed to understand what it meant to follow in his footsteps. The faith wouldn’t simply be all about glamorous miracles and teaching. It would be founded through serving and sacrificing.

Matthew 20:18 ESV

“See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death

Matthew 28:18 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

And then he ascended into heaven. He knew he came from God and was going back to God. If he was going back to God, his future was sure, but his disciples needed to understand what it meant to follow in his footsteps. The faith wouldn’t simply be all about glamorous miracles and teaching. It would be founded through serving and sacrificing.

When Jesus finished his act of service in the Upper Room, the disciples’ feet were cleaned, and their ears were cleaned out - they were ready to hear. Then Jesus taught them.

John 13:13–15 ESV

You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, 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 also should do just as I have done to you.

We have our own impelling motivation. Our Savior’s example has stirred our hearts. The One who gave his life to redeem us also taught us how to wrap his gift to be received by others. We love because he first loved us.

This was the “new command” he gave us that night, the “mandate” from the Latin term maundy. We love one another. That love is shown. We get to become the wrapping for the greatest gift in the history of the world.

Tonight we come to remember that gift through the Lord’s Supper. The Passover meal that night in the Upper Room yielded another example to follow: Remembering the broken body and shed blood of Jesus through the symbol of the bread and the cup. Anyone who has placed their faith in Christ for salvation is invited to partake. If that describes you, then we invite you forward.

Our format is different tonight. When you are ready, simply come up to one of the benches, where we will serve you. You may want to spend some time in prayer before coming forward; you may come individually or with others - family or fellow believers. Even if you aren’t a member of this church, if you are his, this is yours.

John the Baptist would have been horrified. He understood he wasn’t worthy of the menial job of loosing the straps of Jesus’ sandals. Imagine Jesus loosing the straps of his sandals and washing his feet. He’d lose his head over that!

CONTEXT OF KNOWLEDGE FROM V. 3

DIRECTION OF LOVING ONE ANOTHER - LIFE LAID FOR FRIENDS, SO WAS POSITION, SO WAS COMFORT

Leon Morris, The Gospel according to John, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995),