3-21-14 Loving Unconditionally and Faithfully

31When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 32If God is glorified in him,^c God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.

33“My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

34“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

36Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”

Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”

37Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

38Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times! (John 13:31-38)

Thoughts: For Jesus, the glorification of God was equivalent with his Passion and crucifixion.  One of his last commands was to love each other as He loves- giving His life for them.  His love was selfless, sacrificial, unconditional.  Leviticus had the old command to love neighbor as self.  But Jesus gives us a command to go beyond love of self- to sacrificial- selfless love.
      Peter has good intentions that he would follow Christ anywhere, but really he was fickle.  When confronted with his own possible arrest he would claim that he did not know Jesus.  Too many times, we have good intentions to be faithful, but we do not follow through.  Our hopes are that our love for God will be unconditional and faithful as His love toward us is unconditional and faithful.  

Prayer: Lord, may my love for you never fail.  May I not put conditions or my own safety as a part of love for you.  

3-19-14 Jesus Shows His Love

1It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

2The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

7Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

8“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

9“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

10Jesus 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.” 11For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

12When 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. 13“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. (John 13:1-17)

 

Thoughts: One of the last things Jesus did besides the last supper was to train His disciples on the concept of service and love.  First the Master played the role of a slave, washing the dirty feet of His apostles.  He teaches not only that He washes us and cares for us, but that He came in humility.  For us to follow Christ, we must not want the first place at the table, nor want everyone to respect us.  The Lord wishes us to serve others in love and humility. 
     The Last Supper is prominently in the background.  John mentions it here (13:2) and later in 13:22-27- not in the same sense as the synoptic gospels.  John does not emphasize the sacrificial/Passover nature of the meal.  He mentions the preparation of the meal- washing feet by the Lord.  Then John mentions the betrayal at the meal.  But above all that is mentioned is the humility, servitude and love.  Jesus was teaching the embodiment of the Christian ethic he taught in the Beatitudes.  One translation says of this act: "He showed them the full extent of His love."  So we are called by Jesus' example to humble ourselves, serve others, and love in His name.

 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your beautiful example of love.  Help me to love in humility and service because you have loved me. 

 

(Jesus washing Peter's feet- 1876 Ford Maddox Brown)