Chapter 13 of John initiates of five Chapter set that is one of the most remarkable in all of Scripture. These five chapters contain an in-depth account of the time that Jesus spent with his disciples in the upper room on the night that He was betrayed. This was now crunch time. What Jesus said and what Jesus did were the things that he considered to be the most important to leave with His disciples.
The Servant
The first thing Jesus did was absolutely stunning. He washed his disciples’ feet. While this was instructive and symbolic it was also a literal task that needed to be done. It was usually done by the lowest servant.
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
What prompted Jesus to take the place of the lowest servant was the knowledge that he rightfully had the place of the highest power. This is totally contrary to the way the world thinks and unfortunately to the way that much of the church thinks.
Those leaders who feel that they must be served in that manual work is beneath them are the ones who in their heart feel like a usurper. They must be served so that everyone will know that they are in charge. Jesus could serve because he knew he was in charge. A man can only receive that which is given to him from above. God had placed all things under Jesus power therefore He had nothing to prove and was free to serve.
We would do well to know that Jesus said, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
Religious Extremism
Simon Peter was always want to take things to extremes. Sometimes this worked out well but as a general rule it is not the right approach for a disciple to take.
At first Peter refused to allow Jesus to wash his feet. This represents the extreme which says, “God helps those who help themselves.” Why should we let God or make God do something for us that we can do for ourselves? Of course the fallacy of this kind of thinking is that it assumes we are capable of doing anything for ourselves. Jesus had said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” Now Jesus is saying, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
We should be willing servants, willing workers, but we need to understand that it is not our job to decide what needs to be done or how it should be done. It is our job to simply obey and if he says, “Sit and watch me work,” then it is our job to sit and watch Him work.
Next Peter goes to the other extreme. “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” This represents the attitude that if it is a good thing to sit and soak a little then it must be a better thing to sit and soak a lot.
Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. God rarely paints our lives with only one color. Our lives are made up of seasons and as we give our lives to God we give Him control over those seasons. Just because we know that something is a good thing, or even a great thing, doesn’t mean that it is always the best thing or even the right thing every time.
The New Commandment
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
The old commandment was to “love your neighbor as yourself”. The problem with this command was twofold. It left open to interpretation the term “neighbor”. It also encountered the frequent problem of people who don’t actually even love themselves.
This new command trumps the old command by resolving both of these issues. The term “neighbor” was now changed to “one another”. “One another” is very easy to understand. If someone isn’t you then they are another.
I no longer am to love another the way I love myself. Now I am to love the way that Christ loved me. Big difference here. There was no limit to Christ’s love. No boundaries. No qualifications.
This is the new commandment and this is the only bona fide mark of a true disciple of Christ.
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