Have you ever sat and thought that since the beginning of time, God had a plan? He had a plan since the beginning of time to save you and I. God would send His only begotten Son to die a cruel death on the Cross. I don’t know about you, but I definitely do not deserve the sacrifice that was made. We all stumble with sin and temptations in this world and it sometimes makes life very difficult. The good thing is, God promised never to leave us in those difficult times. When I think about Jesus and how much love He has for you and me, I think about John chapter 13. Here Jesus provides us with a wonderful example of how we are supposed to treat each other.
In this chapter of John, we see that Jesus serves His disciples by simply washing their feet. The disciples really did not understand why Jesus was doing that. They felt they should be the ones washing Jesus’ feet. Jesus was leading by example. It is so important for us as Christians to lead by example, isn’t it? Aren’t we to be imitators of Christ (Ephesians 5:1)? Poor Peter was struggling to get the whole point of why Jesus was washing their feet. He basically tells Jesus don’t just wash my feet, wash my whole body then! What was the point of Jesus doing this for His disciples?
Jesus was teaching them about serving their fellow man. What I find ironic about this example in scripture, is that Simon Peter and Judas were amongst this group. Wait a minute. You mean to tell me that Simon Peter, the one who denied Jesus and Judas, the one who betrayed Jesus…. Jesus washed their feet too? Yep. That is what scripture tells us. Don’t you think that hurt Jesus? He knew that those two men would turn their backs on Him, yet He still washed their feet. Jesus told them in verse 15 “For I have given you an example that ye also should do as I have done to you.” When people hurt us in this life, sometimes revenge or getting even crosses our minds. This did not cross Jesus’s mind in regards to Simon Peter and Judas. He still washed their feet like the rest of the disciples. How wonderful of an example is Jesus to all of us? I don’t know about you, but that is the kind of consistent and loving example I want to strive to be like.
Please read this chapter in its whole context instead of just this article alone. Read how many times Jesus uses the words “verily verily I say unto’. When Jesus says those words, He wants us to really listen to what He is saying. Jesus loved us so much that He died for us. No matter how much we stumble or fall, Jesus is there to catch us. Anytime our faith grows weak, we need to take a step back and evaluate our daily lives. Jesus never moves away from us, we move away from Him. Always remember to serve and love others as Jesus did in John 13. We could use more selfless people in the world like Jesus Christ!
- Philemon: Forgiveness - August 20, 2018
- Imitators of Christ - November 6, 2017
- Setting Our Hearts on Things Above - August 28, 2017