The Most Important Thing
Part 3 in the series, The Journey To Jerusalem
March 24, 2002
It’s Thursday night. Jesus and His disciples are gathered together for their last meal together. There was no servant waiting to greet them at the door. No one to wash their dusty feet. It’s just the thirteen of them in an upstairs room with a table full of food. It’s a private party tonight.
John has been watching Jesus and cannot help but notice that his Master, teacher and dearest friend has a heavy heart this evening. The rest of the disciples seem to have an air of concern about them as well. The room is filled with a sense of… not so much tension as… uneasiness. There’s a sort of anxiety looming around everyone.
The meal was pleasant and everyone has settled into a comfortable rhythm of conversation when suddenly Jesus stood up from the table and proceeded to the corner of the room. In just a matter of seconds all eyes were fixed on the Master as He proceeded to take off His robe and then fill a basin with water. But it’s what happened next that astounded them all. Jesus, the Messiah, their Lord approached Philip, got down on His hands and knees and began to wash Philip’s feet like a lowly servant!
You could hear the disciples quietly murmuring among themselves, “What in the world is He doing!” “This is crazy! Why is our Lord washing our feet!” As Jesus approaches each disciple he is dumbfounded. The Lord, with an easy, comforting smile on His face, proceeds to take each foot, gently wash it clean and then dries it with the towel wrapped around His waist.
Around the table the Master moves until he reaches the final disciple. Peter protests, “Lord, why are You going to wash my feet?” It was a reasonable question after all. I mean what self-respecting rabbi would lower himself low enough to wash the filth from his students feet? It was unthinkable! As Jesus begins to pour the water over Peter’s feet, Peter pulls away and cries out “No! You shall never wash my feet!” Actually, his words were so emphatic that what Peter is really saying is, “No Teacher! You shall never wash my feet to all eternity!”
When you really stop and think about it, Peter’s reaction is understandable. After all, we are talking about having the Son of God, Lord of Lords, King of all Creation, stoop down to wash feet, right? It’s a pretty humbling proposition. But Jesus’ reply stunned Peter. “Peter”, Jesus explains, “If I don’t wash you, then you will never belong to me.” Phew! Wow, how do you respond to a statement like that? You see Jesus wanted Peter to understand that He wasn’t merely interested in making Peter socially acceptable, but that this act of foot washing represented something far more significant. One writer put it this way:
“Jesus’ rejoinder, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me,” expresses the necessity, not only for the cleansing of Peter’s feet to make him socially acceptable for the dinner, but also for the cleansing of his personality to make him fit for the kingdom of God. The external washing was intended to be a picture of spiritual cleansing from evil.”
Upon hearing this Peter, desiring to be intimately connected to his Master, replies, “Then Lord, give me a bath!” You see, Peter continued to miss the spiritual lesson, but he was certain of his desire to be joined to Jesus. Therefore he asked Jesus to wash his hands and head as well as his feet. Jesus answered, A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; the rest of his body is clean. The lesson Jesus was teaching here is that after salvation all one needs to do is confess one’s sins. This principle is made clear by John in his first epistle when he writes “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
After washing all of the disciples feet the Lord puts His robe back on, takes His seat again among His friends and proceeds to explain Himself…
John 13:12-17
After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, "Do you understand what I was doing? [13] You call me ’Teacher’ and ’Lord,’ and you are right, because it is true. [14] And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. [15] I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. [16] How true it is that a servant is not greater than the master. Nor are messengers more important than the one who sends them. [17] You know these things—now do them! That is the path of blessing.
The lesson here is one of inner humility. Be certain you catch where Jesus is placing the priority in this lesson. If Christ, the Son of God, was willing to humble Himself enough to wash the feet of His disciples, then what is our obligation today? What does God desire to see in you and I? You know it’s interesting to me that Jesus concludes by saying, “Now you know these things so DO THEM!” It is so easy for me to study God’s Word and marvel at the wisdom of God, and yet, sometimes that’s as far as I go. In my stubborn pride I refuse to actually OBEY what God has made clear to me and as a result I fail to experience His blessings! Simple fact folks, God wants followers who will DO what He commands us to do and not just read about it or talk about it.
Not to follow the example of Jesus is to exalt oneself above Him and to live in pride. God has made it clear that no servant is greater than his master (cf. John 12:26). God blesses His servants not for what they know but for their responses to what they know. Christian happiness (you will be blessed) comes through obedient service (if you do them).
As Jesus finishes explaining Himself, His inner anguish begins to show through. He explains to the group that one of them is a betrayer. Peter and John find this incredible and desire to know who that betrayer will be. Jesus explains that it is the one to whom He gives the bread dipped in sop. Jesus then proceeds to dip a piece of His bread in the sop and feeds it to Judas. At this moment, Satan enters into Judas and begins to carry out his plan. Jesus commands Judas to go quickly and set in motion the very process of Jesus’ murder.
Once gone, the Lord begins to explain all that will happen in the coming hours. Then, in John 13:34-35 Jesus gives the most powerful command He has given to date: “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. [35] Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
Within the Upper Room, the vision of a new community was being shaped. In the last few hours of His life on earth, Jesus sketched for His friends a picture of a future that they—and we—are to experience. It’s important to realize that this revelation is for us. Here is a picture of your life and mine as Christians, a picture of our experience in Christ. The key to this experience is relationship: relationship with each other as members of a new community, and relationship with Jesus, the Enabler of the new community. Of all the words Jesus could have spoken in that last brief time with His own, these are the words He chose to share.
But you wanna know what stands out the most here? It’s HOW we are commanded to love. In the Old Testament we are commanded to love our neighbors. In the New Testament we are told to love each other as we love ourselves, but here, for the first time, Jesus commands us to love each other just as HE loves us. Unbelievable! Can you believe that! Christ actually commands us to love each other just as HE love us! Now stop and think about the implications here for a moment. Jesus came to serve not be served. Hmmm. Listen to how the Bible Teacher’s Commentary puts it:
But we have been welcomed in Christ into a new, intimate relationship with other believers! In Christ, we have become brothers and sisters, members of a single family (see Ephes. 2:19; Ephes. 3:6). In Christ, our relationship with each other is suddenly more intimate than any human relationship has ever been! In the closeness of our new relationship with God and with each other, love takes on a new savor—and a new necessity. You see, in this new relationship with Christ I am to love my fellow Christian MORE than myself!
Question: Are you able to love your brothers and sisters more than yourself? It’s an important question. It’s important because it is this kind of love which identifies us as Christ-followers. It is this love that world will see and identify if we actually practice it.
Despite listening to and receiving this powerful command to love one another, the disciples were completely bewildered and discouraged. You see by the time Jesus had taken His first pause He had said He was going away (7:34; 8:21; 12:8, 35; 13:33), that He would die (12:32-33), that one of the Twelve was a traitor (13:21), that Peter would disown Him three times (13:38), that Satan was at work against all of them (Luke 22:31-32), and that all of them would fall away (Matt. 26:31). The cumulative weight of these revelations must have burdened them severely, causing great personal anguish.
But all the news was not bad. Into their troubled hearts Jesus speaks with wonderful words of assurance. John 14:1-4: "Don’t be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me. [2] There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. [3] When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. [4] And you know where I am going and how to get there."
Hallelujah! What joy fills my heart when I read this promise! You know it’s just to easy to lose sight of eternity isn’t it? But the fact is, you and I who have trusted in Christ Jesus will spend eternity in Heaven! This is the Easter Promise folks! When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. Praise be to God, my future is secure, my joy is complete! Doesn’t this fill your heart with joy? Isn’t this the Easter Message? God sent His Son to die for me so I can live eternally with Him! No conditions, no strings attached. All God requires of me is to confess my sins and believe in His Son Jesus Christ! Pure mercy, pure grace!
Amazingly, the disciples still didn’t get it. They were confused as to what Jesus was trying to teach them. “Jesus, you’re going away? After all we’ve been through together, you’re abandoning us?” You see, the Lord was trying to explain that He would be crucified and where He was going – Heaven – they could not follow. Thomas, eyes full of fear, says to Jesus, “Lord we don’t know where you’re going, how will we know the way? How will we be able to find you?” Jesus lovingly takes Thomas by the shoulders and says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. [7] If you had known who I am, then you would have known who my Father is. From now on you know him and have seen him!"
Folks, this is proof the world needs to see and hear. This is the reason we share the good news, so that everyone can understand that the only way to heaven, the only way to the Father, God above is through His Son Jesus Christ. There is no other way to heaven. You’ve heard it before and I’ll say it again, there is no way Buddha is going to get you into heaven. There is no way Mohammed can get you into heaven. There is no way Joseph Smith can help you into heaven. The ONLY way to heaven is through the person of Jesus Christ and THAT’S the message we are to take to the streets! This week you have an opportunity to invite as many people as you know to church for Easter, do it! Fill you car up with friends who don’t know Jesus. Fill you van up with kids who don’t know Jesus. Just get them here next Sunday so they can hear the Gospel Message of Easter!
The time is drawing closer as Judas is negotiating a contract on Jesus life. The disciples are trying hard to comprehend all that Jesus has shared with them. In John 14:15-21 He goes on to say: "If you love me, obey my commandments. [16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you. [17] He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you do, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. [18] No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. [19] In just a little while the world will not see me again, but you will. For I will live again, and you will, too. [20] When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. [21] Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them."
Obedience. Jesus starts with it and ends with it. In this passage and another ahead, Jesus equates love with obedience. Listen again to verses 15 & 21: "If you love me, obey my commandments. Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them."
When we examine Christ’s life, we see a pattern of obedience to His Father in Heaven. This obedience flowed from a love relationship. Christ’s love for the Father compelled Him to obey the Father and do His bidding here on earth. In the same way, our love for Christ compels us to follow and obey Him.
Take, for example, the apostle Paul. Now here’s a man who saved by God’s grace, despite having persecuted the church for many years. He receives Christ’s mercy and becomes a born again Christian. For the rest of his life Paul goes around the middle east proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. By doing so he is persecuted, tortured, starved, beaten, stoned. Well listen to it in his own words: 2 Cor. 11:24-27: Five different times the Jews gave me thirty-nine lashes. [25] Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. [26] I have traveled many weary miles. I have faced danger from flooded rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the stormy seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be Christians but are not. [27] I have lived with weariness and pain and sleepless nights. Often I have been hungry and thirsty and have gone without food. Often I have shivered with cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.
What would compel a man to live in such hardship for the sake of Christ? Listen to 2 Cor. 5:14-15:
For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; [15] and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
For the LOVE OF CHRIST controls me. If we love God we are controlled by Him and this willingness to be controlled by God flows from our love for Him. Men and women all over the world are seeking. And what they are seeking is universal. You see, they desire to become better people. These folks are earnestly seeking a better life. They have an itch that nothing can scratch; not money, not power, not success, not even family or friends.
You and I were created. We didn’t evolve from a primeval soup, NO we were masterfully and lovingly crafted inside our mothers’ wombs. And when God sculpted your form, He did something very special. When God formed your inward parts, He left a big empty area right in the middle of you. This void that rests in the center of your soul is unimaginably deep, in fact, this void is bottomless. It’s a giant vacuum right in the middle of you and it sucks up anything we try to put into it be it sex, drugs, wealth, power, hate; anything we attempt to fill that void with gets sucked up and the void remains as empty as ever before. It’s this void, this emptiness inside that drives us in life to seek out meaning.
When Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem 2000 years ago, the answer to all we seek entered our lives. Suddenly, God sent the one thing to mankind that would finally fill that big empty. Jesus was the promise given, from the beginning of the world, to God’s creation – you and I. Jesus takes all the pieces of our life and in Him they all come together to form a single, wonderful whole – Jesus Christ makes life whole! Listen to how Jesus put it:
John 15:1-5: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. [2] He cuts off every branch that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. [3] You have already been pruned for greater fruitfulness by the message I have given you. [4] Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me. [5] "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
Jesus is our vine and we can become His branches by accepting Him into our lives! When Christ takes up residence in the center of our lives, it’s then that we actually begin to live. When Christ abides in you and you abide in Christ, your life will become productive. When we live in Christ our lives produce MUCH fruit. It’s that fruit that finally gives a person true purpose in life. And talk about joy, listen to this: John 15:9-13: "I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. [10] When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love. [11] I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! [12] I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you. [13] And here is how to measure it—the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends.
Will you live your life inside of God’s love? Will you abide in Him, constantly pursuing Him? This is God’s will for your life, live it!
Let’s pray...
