Read John 13:1-30
"Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end." John 13:1
John 13 is both beautiful and haunting. Jesus shows his love by doing the dirty work of a servant, washing his disciples feet. What a contrast to the scenes as Jesus entered Jerusalem to shouts of praise. He is the king who serves. The high and holy one who humbles himself for us. There are a few things to note:
- As Jesus washed his disciples feet he reflected the cleansing of the stain of sin that would happen on the cross. As he even washed Judas’ feet we see and understand Romans 5:10 – ‘For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!‘.
- In the comical interaction with Peter we see a beautiful truth. Peter is onto something when he asks for his whole body to be washed, we need a total cleansing, but he misses the point. Jesus’ cleansing of our sin through his sacrifice is final. In contrast to sacrifices of the Old Testament this sacrifice does not need repeating. It cannot be repeated. What we do need to do, again and again, is come back to that sacrifice. The pattern of the Christian is to continually ‘repent and believe’.
Repenting and believing, drawing back to the cross, will help stop us from making the embarrassing actions of Peter, who professes confidently he will never deny Jesus, only to do so 3 times shortly after. But even then in God’s mercy Peter is given grace upon grace and draws close to the resurrected Jesus.
Do you profess to know Jesus, but have a heart that has turned its back on Him? Read this section again, repent and believe, and experience God’s grace again.
Mitch
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