What’s this all about?

•April 21, 2011 • Leave a Comment

John 13:1-17

Jesus Washes the Feet of His Disciples

1It was before Passover, and Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and to return to the Father. He had always loved his followers in this world, and he loved them to the very end.

2Even before the evening meal started, the devil had made Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, decide to betray Jesus. 3Jesus knew that he had come from God and would go back to God. He also knew that the Father had given him complete power. 4So during the meal Jesus got up, removed his outer garment, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5He put some water into a large bowl. Then he began washing his disciples’ feet and drying them with the towel he was wearing.

6But when he came to Simon Peter, that disciple asked, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

7Jesus answered, “You don’t really know what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

8“You will never wash my feet!” Peter replied.

“If I don’t wash you,” Jesus told him, “you don’t really belong to me.”

9Peter said, “Lord, don’t wash just my feet. Wash my hands and my head.”

10Jesus answered, “People who have bathed and are clean all over need to wash just their feet. And you, my disciples, are clean, except for one of you.” 11Jesus knew who would betray him. That is why he said, “except for one of you.”

12After Jesus had washed his disciples’ feet and had put his outer garment back on, he sat down again.  Then he said: Do you understand what I have done? 13You call me your teacher and Lord, and you should, because that is who I am. 14And if your Lord and teacher has washed your feet, you should do the same for each other. 15I have set the example, and you should do for each other exactly what I have done for you. 16I tell you for certain that servants are not greater than their master, and messengers are not greater than the one who sent them. 17You know these things, and God will bless you, if you do them.

So what’s this all about then?

There we are, gathered for our evening meal, and Jesus gets up and starts washing our feet!

Our feet were filthy – and smelly!  We had gathered the dust of our journey, the sweat of our days. And Jesus kneels and tenderly washes them.

Jesus is washing me clean.

I don’t get it.

Peter, being Peter, had something to say about it!  ‘What are you doing Jesus?  You shouldn’t be washing my feet!  I don’t want you to do that menial and dirty task for me.  I’ll deal with my own cleansing thanks.’

I think we’d missed the point…

…again…

Thank you Lord

that you are willing

to wash not just our feet,

but our hands

and our heads –

and our hearts.

Thank you that

in that momentous week

you gave your all,

to make us free,

to give us a clean slate –

and even today

you wash us

and gently dry us,

that we may learn to do the same for others.

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How could you?

•April 20, 2011 • Leave a Comment

John 13:21-32

Jesus Tells What Will Happen to Him

21After Jesus had said these things, he was deeply troubled and told his disciples, “I tell you for certain that one of you will betray me.” 22They were confused about what he meant. And they just stared at each other.

23Jesus’ favorite disciple was sitting next to him at the meal, 24and Simon motioned for that disciple to find out which one Jesus meant. 25So the disciple leaned toward Jesus and asked, “Lord, which one of us are you talking about?”

26Jesus answered, “I will dip this piece of bread in the sauce and give it to the one I was talking about.”

Then Jesus dipped the bread and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27Right then Satan took control of Judas. Jesus said, “Judas, go quickly and do what you have to do.” 28No one at the meal understood what Jesus meant. 29But because Judas was in charge of the money, some of them thought that Jesus had told him to buy something they needed for the festival. Others thought that Jesus had told him to give some money to the poor. 30Judas took the piece of bread and went out.

It was already night.

The New Command

31After Judas had gone, Jesus said:

Now the Son of Man will be given glory, and he will bring glory to God. 32Then, after God is given glory because of him, God will bring glory to him, and God will do it very soon.

So there we are, all enjoying a nice meal together, Jesus and the twelve of us, those of us that were closest to him, the ones he’d been trying to teach what to do; and suddenly he starts talking about betrayal.

Whoa! Where did that come from?  We’re here aren’t we?  We’ve all given up a lot to follow him around, left our jobs, upset our families – this is no easy life.  We’re a tight-knit bunch – we’ve been through a lot together.  So why does he think one of us is going to betray him?  Confused…

So we gave Simon the nod, the look – go on, ask him, what does he mean?  Who does he mean?

So Simon leaned over and asked him.  ‘Who Lord?’

Well!  Turned out it was Judas!

We might have suspected he had his hand in the till, so to speak, but it turns out he’d been ‘in negotiations’ with those who wanted rid of Jesus.  He was willing to lead them to him, to betray everything he had heard and learnt.

Was he trying to force Jesus hand, make him show who he was and what he could do?  Did he think he was helping Jesus?  Was he on a nice little earner?  I don’t suppose we’ll ever know his motivation, but he chose to help those who were against Jesus.  Strange choice when he’d been with us so long.

Lord

sometimes

I make strange choices,

bad choices.

I spend time with you

and then go and act otherwise;

I hear your way

and go my way;

I try to make things happen

the way I think best.

Forgive me,

restore me,

help me to hear

and understand

and do.

And Jesus let him go.  He wasn’t going to stop him. Jesus understood about doing the will of God.

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Letting go

•April 19, 2011 • Leave a Comment

John 12:20-36

Some Greeks Want To Meet Jesus

20Some Greeks had gone to Jerusalem to worship during Passover. 21Philip from Bethsaida in Galilee was there too. So they went to him and said, “Sir, we would like to meet Jesus.” 22Philip told Andrew. Then the two of them went to Jesus and told him.

The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up

23Jesus said:

The time has come for the Son of Man to be given his glory. 24I tell you for certain that a grain of wheat that falls on the ground will never be more than one grain unless it dies. But if it dies, it will produce lots of wheat. 25If you love your life, you will lose it. If you give it up in this world, you will be given eternal life. 26If you serve me, you must go with me. My servants will be with me wherever I am. If you serve me, my Father will honor you. 27Now I am deeply troubled, and I don’t know what to say. But I must not ask my Father to keep me from this time of suffering. In fact, I came into the world to suffer. 28So Father, bring glory to yourself.

A voice from heaven then said, “I have already brought glory to myself, and I will do it again!” 29When the crowd heard the voice, some of them thought it was thunder. Others thought an angel had spoken to Jesus.

30Then Jesus told the crowd, “That voice spoke to help you, not me. 31This world’s people are now being judged, and the ruler of this world is already being thrown out! 32If I am lifted up above the earth, I will make everyone want to come to me.” 33Jesus was talking about the way he would be put to death. 34The crowd said to Jesus, “The Scriptures teach that the Messiah will live forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”

35Jesus answered, “The light will be with you for only a little longer. Walk in the light while you can. Then you won’t be caught walking blindly in the dark. 36Have faith in the light while it is with you, and you will be children of the light.”

After Jesus had said these things, he left and went into hiding.

 

I so wanted to meet Jesus.  I had heard so much about him, the things he was doing, the way he was living.  I wanted to encounter him for myself.  To see what it was all about.

It was Passover time in Jerusalem.  Lot’s of people were there for the celebration, well commemoration really.  A time to remember and rehearse what God had done for them in rescuing them from slavery and bringing them to the place of promise.  They had been in deep trouble and he had saved them.

Jesus started talking about wheat.  He’s right you know.  A seed is just a seed if you sit with it in your hand, or leave it in the packet; if you’re precious about it and want to keep it.  But if you plant that seed, if you let it go, take a risk and bury it, you get so much more.  One seed becomes a whole plant and produces so much more.

Life is like that he says.  Sometimes you have to let go to get back.  You have to be willing to give things up to receive.  And the same applies to following him.

To serve God, may mean having to give some things up – maybe our lifestyle, maybe our life view… but wow what we can receive in letting them go!

Lord

help me to appreciate

that some things need to be let go of,

I need to take a risk,

that small things may grow

to big things,

small action

can have huge reactions

in your hands.

And then he started talking about himself.  And about suffering.  What is Jesus going to have to give up?  What is he going to let go of?

I’m not quite sure what that’s all about.  Surely there’s nothing more he can give up?  He’s showing us the way?

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