Peter The Son Of Lightning Series

committed to him. Peter is blind and ignorant, and so he takes this

stubborn stand with a good motive. His thinking is that no Lord of

mine is going to wash my feet, for I respect his dignity too much to

see it degraded. His refusal was based on a high respect for Christ,

and we could admire Peter for this if it were not for verse 7 where

Jesus said, "What I am doing you do not understand now but later

you will."

Jesus recognized that what he was doing was unique. It was

contrary to all custom. The master never washes the feet of the

servants. This is unheard of in any land, and so he prepares them by

telling them that they will come to understand by progressive

enlightenment. They would have to submit and obey him first, and

later come to an understanding of what it was all about. The

Christian life is like this because the Lord wants obedience above all

else. If we can learn to obey his commands even when we do not

fully understand, we reveal that we have truly made him Lord. The

key to good discipleship is not understanding, but obedience.

So many people worry about whether a young person fully

understands what they are doing when they get baptized at 9 or 10

years old. Of course, they don't fully understand. I didn't either

when I was baptized at 9, but I understand now. We are baptized

primarily because Jesus commanded it. It is an act of obedience

above all else. To many we might appropriately say, what we do

now you do not know, but you will understand later. When a person

is old enough to obey what they understand is their Lord's

command, they are old enough to be baptized. If you don't buy that,

you are in good company, for Peter didn't either. Peter made a

lightning like response and thought, I don't understand it now, and,

therefore, I will not obey-you will never wash my feet. This is just the

problem with lightning. It is all speed and no

thought. It is quick on the trigger, but doesn't take aim.

Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet says,

It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden,

Too like lightning, which does cease to be

Ere one can say it lightens.

That is Peter all over. He doesn't bother to weigh any evidence, or

hear any arguments. His mind is made up before any facts are

presented, and he flashes forth with his dogmatic refusal. It is not a

polite, "Can't we discuss this issue," or a courteous evasion," let's

do it another time," but a rude, rebellious refusal, "never-you shall

never wash my feet."

Peter is a real rebel, but he is all the more lovable because of it.

We like non-conformists because they usually have the nerve to

stand up and be different when everyone else is afraid to do so.

Even when they are on the wrong path, like Peter is here, we enjoy

them for their blunders make us feel more secure because we would

never be so foolish. Peter's blunders are favorite sermon texts.

Preach about the other man, preacher,

The man we all can see,

The man who drinks and beats his wife,

The man who lends his hands to strife,