John 13

You know the feeling you have when you are helping your children prepare for a major milestone such as their first day of Kindergarten, their driver's test, or their first time to go away to college? You are worried and stressed and proud of them all at the same time. Most of all you wonder if you have done a thorough job as a parent to teach them all the necessities. As you drive them to their destination, you give them a crash course in what you may have left out of their training, and you quiz them over all the things you pray they will remember. That is what is happening at the last supper Jesus shared with His disciples.

John 13:1--"Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father." It was time to remind the disciples of all the critical information Jesus had poured into them over the previous three years. So these last few hours Jesus spent with his brood should grab our attention. This is the important stuff. The stuff that will help us pass the test of this Christian life. The stuff that will transport us from earth to heaven when we pass on. Pay attention, girls. Don't miss it!

John 13:2--"Jesus showed them the full extent of his love." Now, you and I would think that Jesus' death on the cross would be the full extent of his love; so why did John use those words concerning a footwashing? Some churches today have footwashing ceremonies, and they are very moving indeed. A very humbling experience. But in Jesus' day footwashing was a very common daily practice. The lowest servant of the household took care of this nasty task for weary travelers.

Why did Jesus choose this action to demonstrate his passion for his closest friends? May it have been because his friends fully expected Jesus to challenge the Roman army at any moment? They had all placed their bets that Jesus the Messiah was ready to stake his claim and be King of all the earth. Jesus' act of humility as he bowed low to wash their feet was in stark contrast to the picture they had painted of him in their dreams. In fact, Jesus' actions that evening would bring their dreams crashing down around them. As Jesus bent over Peter's feet, Peter lashed out in anger. In taking on the form of a lowly servant, Jesus risked becoming a huge disappointment to the men in the room. Ever the master teacher, Jesus used this event as an illustration of servant leadership. This was a major lesson that would be critical for the success of his followers. You and I included. John 13:17--"Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."

John 13:19--"I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He." Jesus wanted his disciples to be absolutely certain of their faith in Him. The enemy wants us to be disillusioned when Christ doesn't do things the way we envision.

John 13:31--"When he [Judas] was gone...." Jesus wanted Judas to hear the lesson on being a servant and on being sure of who Christ was. However, before Jesus discussed more intimate details about the Father, he dismissed Judas to carry out Satan's plan. That is interesting to me. The application I hear the Spirit making in my life is, "Don't be absent and miss the good stuff!" I want to be so close to Jesus that I cannot possibly miss what he wants me to hear. That's one of the reasons I never want to miss church. (Okay, being married to the preacher is the other reason. ha.) I also like to tell people that I sit on the front row so that I can soak up more of the Holy Spirit! Application: be very present in your relationship with Jesus. Do not miss a single word.

One of my favorite words is "glory." So, let's take a look at what Jesus meant in vs. 31-32 when he said the Son of Man and God are glorified. First of all, he was referring to himself when he used the term Son of Man. (Daniel 7:13). But what did he mean when he said he was now glorified? Many people think of glory as honor and praise, but in John 13, Jesus is hours away from a brutal death. My favorite definition is that glory represents the very presence of God. I believe that in these verses Jesus is saying that, in his suffering, the world will now fully see the presence of God. Through Jesus' sacrificial death, his deity would be made fully known. So, when you and I glorify God, we are not simply giving him praise and honor; we are making him fully known to the world. What are your thoughts on this idea?

Next time I will write about some of Jesus' directions to his disciples. I will start with John 13:34 and continue through chapter 14. God's Word is so good to the very last drop!