|
In John 13, Jesus does something so shocking it unsettled His disciples. On the night before the cross, He picks up a towel and a basin to wash their feet. In the first century, foot washing was the lowest servant’s job. It was never done by a teacher. Yet here is Jesus — Rabbi, Lord, Son of God — kneeling before His followers. Peter is horrified. “No way, Lord — you’ll never wash my feet!” But Jesus tells him, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” Before we can give love, we have to receive it. The basin points to the cross, where Jesus went second all the way to death, putting us first in God’s family. This is the heart of our teaching point: Love in action means going second. Jesus did it for us — and now we do it for others. John’s Unique Perspective It’s worth noticing something about John’s Gospel. By the time John wrote, the church had been celebrating the bread and cup for decades. Everyone already knew about that part of the Last Supper. Instead, John includes something the others left out: the foot washing. Why? Because John was writing with decades of hindsight. Tradition says he was the only disciple not martyred, and he lived well into old age. The others told us what happened. John, as an old man, tells us what it meant. And what stood out to him after a lifetime of following Jesus wasn’t just the bread and wine, but the towel and basin — the way Jesus demonstrated love in action. Action As you reflect, ask yourself:
Imagine if our church became known in the Hills as the church that serves — the church that goes second. What difference would that make for our community? AuthorJosh has been on staff at Lesmurdie Baptist Church since 2018. He is married to Marnel and they have 4 children together - Azaliah, Ezra, Zoelle, and Zion. What drives Josh is seeing people put their faith into action so Jesus can change lives in the here and now.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Authors
Lead Pastor Archives
October 2025
Categories
All
|