Wash Feet
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Pray
Pray
Given that Jesus washes feet today, and I want to emphasis how revolting and lowly that action is, I deceided to start by showing you a picture of my own feet!
Viewers of a nervouse dispostions should look away now:
I couldn’t do it to you - mine are far wrose than that!
Anyway - on with the passage at hand.
1 - Jesus Loves His Own v1-2
1 - Jesus Loves His Own v1-2
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.
This is the evening of the Last Supper.
The night of Passover,
The night before Jesus’ death.
And verse 1 sets up this passage with real significance.
We are still in that final hour of Jesus’ glory,
that we have been talking about for the last couple of weeks in John’s gospel.
That hour of glory on the cross.
And John is still helping us make sense of why Jesus went through with it,
why he chose to die,
With so much opposition and rejection of Jesus,
you have to wonder why he kept going on with his mission.
But Jesus is well aware
that many will not believe,
Many will continue to reject him,
even after his death.
And his death is no failure,
His sacrificial life,
Giving up the glory and majesty of heaven.
Is not without purpose and sucsess.
But for a second reflect on all that JEsus has sacrfced
Philippians 2v6-8 helps us -
it’s on your handouts,
Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
I mean,
It’s quite a drop in status Jesus has signed up for!
And he still,
despite all the rejection,
keeps walking to the cross..
why..
the end of v1:
Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
Jesus died for His own.
He kept going, to the end,
becasue he loves every one of you who believes today!
I find it hard enough to make sacrifices for my own kids,
and yet Jesus does this for sinners like us!
There were only 4 ice creams left in the freezer a couple of days ago,
And for me that seemed like a pretty big act of sacrfiice to let the kids have them first!
Perhaps have a serious think later today
about the biggest sacrifiice you’ve ever made for someone
Write it down, think about that moment.
And then put it next to the scale of what Jesus did for us!
From glory in heaven - king of all,
to a poor man from galilee and a painful death on a cross.
If you tried to measure the massive drop of Jesus’s comfort and majesty
down to his cry of pain as he died in agony on the cross
- being judged and punished for the sins of believers!
Well we’d find it immeasurable!
And that same immeasurable value
- is the immeasurable ‘love’ the Lord Jesus has for you,
If you today are, or become ‘his own’.
So Jesus, resolute to love His own,
continues towards his death,
pause
And can you imagine the pain coming Jesus’ way
as we read v2
The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.
This love Jesus has for his own,
is so deep,
he continues his mission,
even with a betrayer in his midst masqerading as a friend!
Of course the devil thinks he’s doing a ‘great work of his own’
as he wins the soul of Jesus’ disciple Judas.
How ironic that it is this very act of ‘betrayal’,
that will lead to that ‘hour of glory’ for Jesus!
Satan, and those who respond to his temptations - to rebel against Jesus,
are again shown
to only be furthering the work of a soveriegn God,
who even uses the works of sinful men and women,
to serve his greater and glorious purposes!
Again, if you don’t believe in Jesus yet,
Who’s side do you want to be on!
A step against Jesus may seem bold and sucessful now,
But every step against Jesus,
is a step into the judgement you are asking for,
and a step forward in the purposes of God’s plan to bring glory to himself in Jesus!
Take a step in a different direction.
Ignor the temptaion of the devil to reject Jesus.
and step into being one of Jesus’ own,
whom he immeasurably loves!
Well,
Jesus’ love for his own is further demonstrated by our next point:
2 - Jesus Washes His Own v4-11
2 - Jesus Washes His Own v4-11
I deliberatly started with that quote from Philippians,
and that image of stonky feet,
to get us ready for the shock of what Jesus does now!
Washing each others feet was simply not done amoungst even peers
execept rarely as a mark of great respect!
But here, their honourable teacher is about to wash his disciples feet!
It’s a task for slaves - and non-Jewish slaves at that,
and for women or children, in that time,
to show honour to their guests.
certainly, a teacher would never wash the feet of a disciple!
And
listen to the care and detail Jesus is described to take:
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.
Did you see the word ‘so’ at the begiining of v4!
It’s almost as if
as He aknowldges his time has come,
and so he uses this great oppertunity to show the true character of God,
The flow is like thism
becasue he loves his Own so MUCH,
And beciase he has all the power of God in him:
SO - he takes of his other clothing,
wraps a towel,
pours the water,
and does the most unthinkably humble thing!
This is who Jesus is!
This is his characterr towards the ones he loves!
Total,
complete,
sacrificial,
lowering of himself
to serve and honour his own,
for no reason other than - love.
There is no level to which Jesus will not stoop for his love of us! - for he will even die for us.
Of course we, unlike the disciples at the time,
have the benefit of knowing just what Jesus was pointing towards in his actions here.
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.”
Jesus continues to talk to Peter -
who just wont allow such an honour to bestowed on him
and such a dishonour to be bestowed on Jesus His lord!
“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
Of course - Jesus did not give up heaven and his glory,
to simply wash the stinky feet of 12 men
on the evening of the Passover 2000 years ago.
He gave it all up to wash every believer in history and the future,
to wash away our sin,
wash away the dirt and rebelion we have inflicted upon God.
Wash away the barrier that exists between us and the Almighty.
“Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” - says Jesus
but if I do wash you - you have fullness with me!
The disciples don’t yet understand,
but we do,
Jesus is symbolising his work of forgiveness and washing on the cross.
I think I’d have been with Peter!
“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
Well wash all of me, then Jesus!
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.”
You are clean Peter -
This foot washing is not literally the act that will save you and wash your heart clean!
This is just a sign that I have washed you fully and completly clean,
when you see and believe that I died in your place on the cross!
Perhaps there is an allusion to Baptism,
perhaps there is not,
But the idea is the same.
Jesus washes us clean of sin
in his death and resurection,
He takes the dishonour of death,
and God’s Just consequenses of sin upon himself.
Jesus chooses dishonour,
in an act that honours us undeservedly.
so, We are clean.
pause -
But this foot washing is too significant to just have one layer of symbolism and teaching.
Jesus’ response to Peter,
not only reassures Peter that the cross is the full bath - if you like,
But Jesus also sets up a pattern of repentance for believers moving forwards.
The cross has done it all - that’s your bath.
But you still need to wash your feet regularly!
Some of the oldest commentaries we have,
see not only the allusion to Baptism here,
but also to the Lord’s Supper,
Where we begin with repentnace, and remmeberance of the Lord’s death.
Baptism - the one big bath that does all the work - not in and of itself - but becasue it represents Jesus’ death.
And
The Lord’s Supper - for is reminds us of our regular need of repentacne as we remeber that ‘once and for all bath.’
It’s like washing our feet regularly -
You’ve had a bath said Jesus - you need only wash your feet now as a regular symbol that you are clean.
How presious this idea must have become to Peter in the following days - after he denies Jesus 3 times at his trial.
You are still clean Peter - just remind yourself of that by washing your feet.
What does foot washing look like today -
perhaps taking part in the Lord’s Supper
- we’re looking at how we can do that via live stream very soon.
But also regular repentance each day,
Obeidence to the Lord Jesus to allign ourselves with what he has made us on the cross.
Those things don’t make us clean - only Jesus on the cross does that,
but they keep us alligned to what Jesus has done for us.
This is made very clear in v11
For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
No amount of foot washing practicies will help you,
Unless you are already
cleaned through belief and repentace in the cricified Saviour Jesus.
So,
Jesus loves his own - He goes even to death for us
Jesus washes his own - He gives up all honour to honour us instead!
And in responce we need to keep our feet clean in remeberance, repentance and obedience.
and finally,
3 - Jesus sets an example for His own v12-17
3 - Jesus sets an example for His own v12-17
For the disciples - they, as Jesus pointed out to them - don’t get what Jesus is doing just yet!
It’s not until they look back they’ll see all these connections.
But Jesus, also wants to use this foot washing lesson to set an example of how he expects his own, you and me who believe today,
to live.
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.
The point is simple,
But the appliction is possibly one of the hardest in the bible!
Here is the point:
No slave has the right to judge any menial task as beneath him or her
after his master has already perfomred it,
No student can refuse an instruction once the teacher has done it first.
No soldier can withdraw from the fight when their officer is out ahead.
--
No follower of Jesus, no true believer in all that Jesus has done,
No one who has comprehended the immeasurable love that He has for us,
has the right to think he or she is exempt from tasks cheerfully undertaken by the one we follow!
The king of the universe.
We are not worthy of the praise we so often think we’re worth.
Wash one another’s feet Jesus says!
Jesus even washed the feet of the one he knew would bretay him to his death!
We are not to jostle for a better position
We are not to expect honour for doing something good,
We are not to push for recognition.
We are not to lust after status.
We are not to allow pride the slightest step into the door,
We are not to judge others as less than ourselves,
Or unworthy of our tie and effort.
We are be cheerful in serving each other with menial tasks,
Perhaps we are to be first in line to put out the chairs,
(Once lockdown is over,)
and last to stop putting them away.
Last to take a buscuit but first to give one to another.
First to pray for a friend,
Last to complain we haven’t been prayed for.
We can be joyful to serve a neighbour and expect nothing in return,
gladly give up some holiday allowance to lead on a camp or holiday club,
Willing to serve as missionaries,
Generous to give finaincially
Quick to offer support,
slow to grumble about your own lacks,
I mean we could go on all day couldn’t we!
Is it too much to ask all this?
Can we find lots of caviats to get round this and that situation.
Isn’t this sacrificial service that leaves little for me,
simply a step too far?
pause
Well it wasn’t for Jesus.
Who
Loves His Own - giving up all the glory of heaven, to even die a miserable death.
He Washes His Own - the King of Glory - worthy of all and every honour -
gave it all up, lowered and humbled himself
to embarrassment and death
- so that you and I
- worthy of no honour and undeserving of love
- might be washed clean and honoured by Jesus himself!
And so, I think,
We should find it in us - to take up the lowliest of positions,
and wash the feet of others before ourselves.
Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Why wouldn’t we want to be like our saviour who loves us,
who washes us,
and set the greatest example of humilty ever known to humanity.
For he gives us everything!
We are blessed for he blesses us!
And we will enjoy his love and goodness,
for all eternity,
becasue of the sacrificail humble actions he exemplified for us on the cross,
We will be blessed indeed - if we follow our wonderful saviour.
Jesus loves his own - Believe in Him
Jesus washes his own - Prasie Him
Jesus sets an example for his own - Follow him and we will be blessed!
PRAY