Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, "King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty's hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." - Daniel 3: 16-18 (NIV)
The world does its best to make us feel unsure. To make us doubt. The heat on the fiery furnace of lives is turned up seven times hotter than we think we can take it but in the end, we must reflect the same assurance shown here by the three Hebrew Boys. The same assurance Jesus shows when He gets up to wash His disciples feet, mere hours away from His betrayal. That He comes from God and will be returning back to Him. He even will wash the feet of Judas, His betrayer. We look cross eyed at someone who dares to sit in our pew but here Jesus washes the feet of the one who sold Him out. How can He do this? Because He knows where He came from and where He will be returning. So should we.
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." - John 13: 6-7 (NIV)
Perhaps the most teachable moment for us today is this simple statement from our Lord. You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand . How often do we find ourselves in the valley? Uncertain of when it might end or what the Lord is doing? Out of work for a year. Facing bad medical report after bad medical report. A child that hasn't been home in a week. In a spiritual wilderness after a bad experience in church or being hurt by other Christians. It is often at the times when we need the most faith that it can seem so lacking. We live in a microwave society that demands action and believes in the "what have you done for me lately" mindset. Yet what does the Bible teach us about that?
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord . "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. - Isaiah 55: 8-9 (NIV)
One truth that is hardest to accept for us is that we are on a need to know basis with the Lord and sometimes we do not need to know. Faith is in trusting who He is; not needing to see what He is doing. Faith is believing in the heart of God over our own desires. We need to divorce ourselves of the false teaching that turns God into a genie in a bottle. A spiritual ATM there to dispense blessings at our whim. It is not about us beloved - it is always about Him! It is not about what He is going to do for me - it is about what He has already done for me on Calvary! So Peter sits there in confused defiance. He simply does not understand what Jesus is trying to do. We too can find ourselves confused and wondering what God is up to. Relax beloved. You do not realize now what He is doing, but later you will understand. That doesn't mean later you will get what you want. It means later you will understand and realize that what God wanted was better all along.
"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" 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." For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. - John 13: 8-11 (NIV)
Do you see the dynamic playing out in this brief exchange? This is all about accepting the Lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives. There are plenty of poor theologies today that reduce and diminish the relationship we have with Jesus to make it somehow more palatable to the sinner. What they fail to realize is they really are only making it more palatable to sin itself. Peter is still trying to dictate the terms of his relationship with Jesus here. He still thinks he knows better. He apparently did not learn from the time he rebuked Jesus about going to the cross and was called Satan for his efforts! He still is walking under his own power, with his own logic, and is still lord of his own life. Jesus is trying to teach Peter here. He is desperately trying to get him to see that unless He surrenders to the will of God he simply has no part in Him at all. Think that sounds harsh? Try these verses then:
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