Our journey of Walking with Jesus continues this Sunday as we enter the upper room with Jesus and His disciples.
Our Scripture is John 13:1–17, a familiar passage that describes an extraordinary act of service.
Jesus and His disciples are gathered for a meal.
And then Jesus does something unexpected.
He gets up from the table, takes a towel, pours water into a basin, and begins washing His disciples’ feet.
It’s a beautiful picture of humility and service.
But I wonder whether there’s something about this encounter that we sometimes overlook.
We often talk about the importance of serving others.
We encourage one another to be generous, compassionate, and willing to help.
And those are good things.
But what about receiving?
Why is it that sometimes we’re more comfortable offering help than accepting it?
Why can it be easier to serve someone than to allow someone to serve us?
And what might this encounter reveal about the kind of love Jesus offers?
As you prepare for Sunday, I invite you to read John 13:1–17.
John 13:1-17 Common English Bible
13 Before the Festival of Passover, Jesus knew that his time had come to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them fully.
2 Jesus and his disciples were sharing the evening meal. The devil had already provoked Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew the Father had given everything into his hands and that he had come from God and was returning to God. 4 So he got up from the table and took off his robes. Picking up a linen towel, he tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he was wearing. 6 When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand what I’m doing now, but you will understand later.”
8 “No!” Peter said. “You will never wash my feet!”
Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t have a place with me.”
9 Simon Peter said, “Lord, not only my feet but also my hands and my head!”
10 Jesus responded, “Those who have bathed need only to have their feet washed, because they are completely clean. You disciples are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 He knew who would betray him. That’s why he said, “Not every one of you is clean.”
12 After he washed the disciples’ feet, he put on his robes and returned to his place at the table. He said to them, “Do you know what I’ve done for you? 13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you speak correctly, because I am. 14 If I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you too must wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example: Just as I have done, you also must do. 16 I assure you, servants aren’t greater than their master, nor are those who are sent greater than the one who sent them. 17 Since you know these things, you will be happy if you do them.
I invite you to pay particular attention to Peter’s conversation with Jesus.
Notice his questions.
Notice his response.
And consider what Jesus might be inviting us to discover through this extraordinary moment.
This Sunday, we’re going to experience this familiar encounter from a slightly different perspective.
I look forward to continuing our journey together.
Let’s talk about it on Sunday.
~ Pastor Dustin