From Ordinary to Extraordinary
The transformation began in Amazement…
at what Jesus taught and gave to people – both healing and forgiveness
Amazement led to simple obedience…
even when Simon didn’t think it would make a difference
Doubt became faith…
that moved Simon to get out of the boat and walk on water – for a ways
Faith became conviction…
that Jesus was the Messiah and the son of God – even though Simon didn’t understand about the cross of Jesus to come
This story is one of the most memorable incidents in Bible. It was the night before Jesus’ betrayal and crucifixion. It was an intense time in Jesus’ life. His public ministry had ended. Jesus now turns his full attention to his disciples.
Let’s read what John writes about this Simon Peter this Thursday night…
Simon Peter’s Dirty Feet
John 13:4-17
So during the meal Jesus stood up and took off his outer clothing. Taking a towel, he wrapped it around his waist. Then he poured water into a bowl and began to wash the followers’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
Jesus came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus answered, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but you will understand later.”
Peter said, “No, you will never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “If I don’t wash your feet, you are not one of my people.”
Simon Peter answered, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but wash my hands and my head, too!”
Jesus said, “After a person has had a bath, his whole body is clean. He needs only to wash his feet. And you men are clean, but not all of you.” Jesus knew who would turn against him, and that is why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and sat down again. He asked, “Do you understand what I have just done for you? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that is what I am. If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash each other’s feet. I did this as an example so that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, a servant is not greater than his master. A messenger is not greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you will be happy if you do them.
What Jesus Did
The Last week - Thursday Night
I want you to imagine this situation with me for a moment. In that culture the most demeaning task around was to wash the guest’s feet. This was job done by lowest slaves.
It was necessary because people wore sandals did most of their travel by foot. They walked along trails that we not only dusty but also cluttered with camel and donkey dung.
I’m sure that guests arrived with more than dust on their feet. It was a common courtesy for the host to have his slave wash the guest’s feet as they entered the house.
Jesus had sent Peter & John to prepare for their meal together. The food had been cooked. The table had been set. And I’m sure the disciples thought this matter would be taken care of as well. It wasn’t!
As Jesus and the disciples enter the room they see towel & water basin in the corner. They do not see a slave to wash their feet. Perhaps some of them pause as they enter the room, wondering where the servant was—maybe wondering why Peter and John had not taken care of this important detail.
As they recline at the table, each disciple feels a little uncomfortable. “Somebody ought to at least wash Jesus’ feet. But—if I do that, where will that put me on the social pecking order?
I would be at the Bottom of the heap. If I volunteer I’ll get stuck with that job from now on.
Maybe if I just wait—somebody else will do it.
If you’ve been in church more than week, you know that kind of thinking does occur at times. “Somebody needs to take care of the nursery, but that’s not my calling.”
I think maybe each disciple was hoping one of others would volunteer. Each one may have begun to JUSTIFY in own mind why it was not his job to do it.
• “I did it last time—its Matthew’s turn—he hasn’t done it in long time.”
• “Peter and John were supposed to take care of all this-Jesus told them to. One of those guys ought to take care of it.”
• “I came to enjoy a time with the Lord—and now we’ve got this problem”
• John is thinking—“Look I’m over here leaning next to Jesus, I’m in spiritual intimacy. Jesus doesn’t want me to leave and help you.”
• Peter is thinking—“Don’t these turkeys know the call of God on my life? Don’t they see the leadership giftings in me? I just wish they would remember that I’m the one who answered Jesus’ Question: Who do you say that I am?” I got the revelation—‘You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.’ I’m moving in the Spirit—don’t disturb that. Don’t you remember the prophecy Jesus gave me on that occasion? I wish these people would pay attention to what God’s doing in me. If they had, they would be over here right now washing mine and Jesus’ feet.”
• We don’t know all the specifics, I’m taking some liberties--but we do know that nobody rose to the occasion – Except Jesus
He did what needed to be done.
Verses 4 & 5 say he – got up –took off his outer garment—wrapped a towel around his waist--poured water in the basin and “…began to wash the disciples’ feet.”
I think maybe a few jaws dropped when he did that. Rather than begin with a lecture—He gave them an EXAMPLE.
I’ve learned something about ministry:
People would much rather see you and me show them how than to tell them what they’re doing wrong. If they can see us do it, they will listen to what we’ve got to say. But if we can’t do it or won’t do it—they won’t pay much attention to us telling them to do it or how to do it.
There was a Need—everybody saw the need—it not hard to see what’s wrong. I suspect all the disciples knew something was wrong. But Jesus did something about it.
Washing Feet is the action of a servant
Get Up
“So during the meal Jesus stood up”
John 13:4
He left his Comfort Zone. He made his body do something it may have not wanted to do. My alarm went off at 5:30 this morning.
My body did not want to get up. After a lengthy discussion with my body, it got up. To be a servant you have to first get up.
Washing Feet is the action of a servant
Put off
“Jesus… took off his outer clothing.”
John 13:4
To serve other we usually have to lay something aside. Most of us live with a full plate of activity. If I’m going to add a service for somebody, I usually have to subtract something I would like to do just for myself. Every servant has to deny himself something, to have the time & energy to give to others.
Washing Feet is the action of a servant
Prepare
“Taking a towel, he wrapped it around his waist. Then he poured water into a bowl…”
John 13:4-5
, After that he poured water into a basin.” He made preparations to meet the need. Before I went into full time ministry, I would spend my evenings studying the word of God. There were other things I could have been doing. Some of them would have been fun. But I felt the call of God on my life and knew I needed equipping for that call. So I studied and prepared during my free time. When God launched me into ministry—I was ready to share what I had learned. Sometimes there are preparations we need to make.
Washing Feet is the action of a servant
Begin
“…and began to wash the followers’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”
John 13:5
I like that. At some point we have to begin. We can think about it. We can pray about it. We can prepare for it.
But at some point we must start doing it.
What’s it going to take to serve people – you have to start!
DO THE WORK
“I’m tired. For a couple of years I’ve been blaming it on iron poor blood, lack of vitamins, dieting and a dozen other maladies. But now I found out it ain’t that. I’m tired because I’m overworked.
The population of this country is 237 million. 104 million are retired. That leaves 133 million to do the work. There are 85 million in school, which leaves 48 million to do the work. Of this there are 29 million employed by the federal government. This leaves 19 million to do the work. Four million are in the Armed Forces, which leaves 15 million to do the work. Take from the total the 14,800,000 people who work for State and City Government and that leaves 200,000 to do the work. There are 188,000 in hospitals, so that leaves 12,000 to do the work. Now, there are 11,998 people in Prisons.
That leaves just two people to do the work. You and me. And you’re sitting there reading this. No wonder I’m tired, I’m the only one working?
We feel like that some time don’t we. Jesus saw the need and set the example.
What Simon Peter Did
He Squirmed
“Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
John 13:6
For most people, passively allowing others to wash their feet is far more difficult than washing the feet of another.
Peter squirmed as Jesus washed the feet of the disciples one by one, and wished that Jesus would stop after the second or third disciple. After all, they could have guessed the point by then.
And when his turn came, Peter asked a lame question, objected weakly, and did nothing.
Though Peter had no desire to be on the receiving end, he had no interest to wash feet either. He just did not want to look bad or feel uneasy or say nothing. He wanted to appear unselfish, caring, and thoughtful. If he felt that badly for Jesus, or that ashamed about himself or the situation, he did nothing about it. He did not take over the task, split the chore, or offer to help.
He thought that his objection would shame others to act, that his withdrawal would mean washing one less pair of legs, and that by declining Jesus’ service, he had no obligation to others.
If no service was not an option Peter would rather pick self-service, and not Jesus’ full service wash.
Then… He dove in head first
“Lord, then wash not only my feet, but wash my hands and my head, too!”
John 13:9
Jesus wants to wash his feet—Peter doesn’t want him to do it. Then he wants a full bath – and missed the whole point of the exercise. He just didn’t get it. Simon Peter was still thinking as one who was proud of his spiritual position and wisdom and he tried to one up Jesus and the other disciples on the spirituality meter. Want to was my feet – go ahead and was my head and hands too!
But this wasn’t about being clean – that was done! It was about loving one another.
Sometimes as we’re growing up we just don’t get it.
I heard about a man who always had trouble getting son to clean room. The boy would always agree—but then would not follow through. After high school the son joined the Marine Corps. When he came home from leave after Basic Training, his Dad asked him what he had learned in the service.
“Dad” he said, “I have learned what NOW means”
Jan King, Humor in Uniform, Readers Digest, May, 1996, p. 174.
Peter eventually learned to simply obey the Lord rather than offer better idea. That’s something we all have to learn.
What Jesus Taught
It’s not about feet – it’s about serving
“Do you understand what I have just done for you?”
John 13:12
He begins with The Question:
Has the significance of all this soaked? It goes way beyond just getting your feet washed. It goes way beyond just getting your need met.
And sometimes people think that’s all this is about—getting my need met, getting my feet washed.
No, it’s about a personal transformation of character and thinking. It’s about becoming something. It’s about becoming a servant like Jesus.
"God did not save you to be a sensation. He saved you to be a servant."
John E. Hunter
What Jesus Taught
It’s not about serving… it’s about loving
“If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash each other’s feet. I did this as an example so that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, a servant is not greater than his master. A messenger is not greater than the one who sent him.”
John 13:14-16
He had always loved those who were his own in the world, and he loved them all the way to the end.
Did you notice John’s initial statement “Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed the full extent of his love.”
The night of Jesus’ arrest, he washed the disciples’ feet to provide them an example so that they would humble themselves like Him and serve one another in love.
A wealthy American traveler tells the story of how he was a visiting a hospital in Southeast Asia. He entered just as a young missionary nurse was cleaning the sores of a sick, dirty, elderly man who had been lying in a gutter. The wealthy man said to the nurse, “I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars.” She answered quietly and firmly, “Neither would I.”
What Jesus Taught
It’s not about knowing these things… its about doing them
“If you know these things, you will be happy if you do them.”
John 13:17
The second greatest tragedy is that a person would experience Christ, experience his love, experience his grace—but never translate that into service toward others.
There are depths in God only found in the process of service to others. It’s paradoxical. The natural mind can not reason it out. But it is truly more blessed to give than to receive.
He who loses his life in service to others is the one who ultimately finds it in its fulfillment. It is the love of Christ poured richly into our hearts that makes us into feet washers.
