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Holy Thursday - Examining the Washing of the Disciples Feet

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"Why do you call me, "Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."  - Luke 6: 46-49 (NIV)

Whenever I try to make it on my own and fail I can hear these verses echoing in my heart. Why bother calling me Lord if you will not do as I say? Whenever we do as Peter does here we have no part in Jesus. Any response to God that starts as Peter starts here - "no" - is doomed for failure. Likewise here we see that over reactions and displays of excessiveness are equally unwelcome with God. Jesus tells us exactly what we need to do. When we rebel, we have a tendency to do one of the two things exhibited by Peter here. We either say no, or we blow everything way out of proportion and make it all about us. Everyone else was getting their feet washed and Peter asks for his head and hands to be washed too. What is the problem here? If Jesus complies then this lesson is no longer about God but it is about Peter. We see this dynamic play out in church all the time. The people who demand to be taken as more spiritual than others are demanding God wash their hands and head too. So they can be perceived as receiving more from Christ than everyone else. The people who demand to be called titles such as prophet or apostle. Titles they have not earned and do not deserve. All to call attention to themselves and away from God. You can hear them telling us who have had our feet washed that they had their hands and head washed also. It is the same bravado Peter has when he swears he will never forsake Christ and then he goes on to deny Him three times. It is the super spiritual church spirit. Jesus cuts Peter to the quick. Those that have had a bath need only to have their feet washed. Stop making this about you!

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.  - John 13: 12-16 (NIV)

So we come to the end of the lesson. Jesus has His face towards the cross but wanted to impart one more teaching before the evening hours set in. Before the Last Supper institutes the ordinance of Communion. Before He sets out to the crushing place known as Gethsemane, where He will sweat blood in prayer. Before He is betrayed by one of His own. Before Good Friday. Yet before all of this He had one last lesson for us. It is a lesson of how we are to live out our Christian faith. It is a lesson of humility and servitude. He has set the example for us throughout His ministry and now He drives the point home. This was no minor point for the disciples. The roads in these days were dirt and the footwear were sandals. The task of washing feet was relegated to the servants of the household. We should never think of others as less than ourselves. Our hearts should always be humble and our hands willing to serve. Our hands willing to get dirty in the work of the Lord. Not lofty and super spiritual but menial and burdensome. Jesus wants everyone to have a part in Him and sometimes we have to get on our hands and knees and scrub the dirt of the world off of someone who is seeking Him. Sometimes off of each other as well. That brings us to the key verse; the last verse of this story. For a church that seems to be always chasing blessings it is the key to the lesson. It is the key to blessings. 

Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them  - John 13: 17 (NIV)

Knowing is not enough. Like the verses earlier from Luke, our foundation is on the rock when we put into practice what He has taught us. If we know but do not put what He has taught us into action then we build upon the shifting sands of this world. We are foolish builders who build in vain. Let us take this lesson to heart today. The last lesson before the cross. 

Reverend Anthony Wade - April 17, 2014


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Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to (more...)
 
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