Jesus Taught Us How
To Serve
Book of John Chapter
13
If you are keeping
up, then these things take place on Wednesday, where Thursday would
begin at 6PM in the week that Jesus would be crucified.
The Disciples had
been arguing about who should be the highest rank in the government
that Jesus would set up and they did not even realize that this was
far into the future in the time of the Millennial Kingdom.
We can just imagine
how Jesus felt for He had just a few days left to teach them, and
they were bickering about things they did not yet understand.
Just like most all
of us, these men were still yearning for ambition, power, and
authority and they were to begin the Church by first laying all these
things aside as meaningless.
We should be able to
see just how important it was when Jesus washed the feet of these
men.
They still had to be
humbled so they could serve the Lord!
This is a great
lesson for us all.
Mar_9:35 And he sat
down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire
to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.
2Ti_2:24 And the
servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt
to teach, patient,
Then Jesus, King of
Kings and Lord of Lords, taught these disciples a very valuable
lesson.
*****Joh 13:1 Now
before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was
come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having
loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
These things could
have taken place in the "Upper Room" where many important
events took place even though some say these things took place in the
house of Simon the Leper.
These things took
place just before the last Passover that Jesus would take part in,
because the Lord Jesus Christ is our Passover!
The most important
thing on the mind of Christ was that He was going home and 11 of
these men would continue in the ministry of the church, once they
were filled with the God the Holy Spirit.
Jesus was departing
but these men would continue to be exposed to this evil world.
The last great
lesson they needed to know was a lesson in humility.
Jesus had chosen
these men with a purpose that only He knew, even Judas who would
betray Him, had a purpose and the Lord knew this even when He chose
him.
The Lord did not
even set Judas apart at this time but loved him till the end.
When Judas betrayed
the Lord, he could never lay the blame on the Master.
Jesus would depart
out of this world because there is the world where He lives, a far
better world.
Jesus loved His own.
His own are not just those disciples but all those who believed upon
Him in all generations.
Remember God is
self-existing in a place of no time but in eternity.
We should also
understand that until the exact hour, the enemies of the Lord could
only plan, for they could not lay hands upon Him until it was His
time!
Jesus knew these 11
men would not realize the importance to their ministry until the day
of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit would come upon them.
Even as these things
were going on, the Devil was working on Judas.
Judas wanted a King
and not some man who was going to die and he could never grasp what
Jesus was saying until after he had betrayed Him, and he still could
not find it in his heart to repent.
*****Joh 13:2 And
supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas
Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;
Joh 13:3 Jesus
knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that
he was come from God, and went to God;
We should understand
that Satan did everything possible to keep Jesus off the cross.
When Satan was
defeated, he then began to try to destroy the Church, and now Satan
is trying his best to cause harm to every believer!
We should not be
deceived, this was not the time of the "Lord's Supper" nor
the Passover meal, this was just Jesus gathering the 12 for some
last-minute teaching.
Jesus knew His hour
had come. What had Jesus been doing?
Joh 4:34 Jesus
saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and
to finish his work.
This is the same
thing these disciples were trained to do, and it is the same things
that that every Christian is to do. We are to do God's Will every
day.
Jesus had loved His
own.
Joh 15:9 As the
Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
Jesus gave all
disciples the command to continue in His love as He had the Father's
love.
Knowing the enemy.
Mat 13:19 When any
one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then
cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his
heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
We must realize that
as soon as we give the Word of God to some stranger or even some
family member, Satan is ready to discredit the Word of God.
Knowing all these
things should increase our faith and it should show in what things
God has given us to do.
1Co 15:57 But
thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ.
1Co 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your
labour is not in vain in the Lord.
It would be many
days before these men, who would shake-up this world, would realize
the purpose behind what the God of Heaven had done when He washed
their feet.
*****Joh 13:4 He
riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel,
and girded himself.
Joh 13:5 After that
he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet,
and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
If we think we are
being the greatest of all God's servants, then we need to understand
what Jesus has done in this passage!
Php 2:6 Who, being
in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7 But made
himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8 And being
found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross.
Luk 22:27 For
whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is
not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.
The Lord our God
promises to do this again to certain believers. Are you one?
Luk 12:37 Blessed
are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching:
verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to
sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
There was always a
large basin made available for this service and it was the job of the
lowest slave in the house or the lowest servant.
It was the Lord of
Lords and King of Kings who washed the feet of these 12 disciples.
Judas had not yet gone his way to betray the Lord so even his feet
were washed.
The Lord knew this,
but He still washed the feet of Judas.
Even while Jesus did
these things, He knew God the Father had given Him all power to do as
He so chose to do and the first thing He chose to do, was to wash the
feet of 11 disciples and 1 traitor.
Allow that to sink
in for a moment!
For a few moments in
our time the Lord and Master of all things chose to become a slave!
There is a real
dignity in humbling ourselves to meet the need of others!
But then comes
Peter.
*****Joh 13:6 Then
cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou
wash my feet?
Joh 13:7 Jesus
answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou
shalt know hereafter.
Joh 13:8 Peter
saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If
I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
We should understand
that until we are cleansed by Jesus, we are still a dirty rotten
sinner.
Once we are washed
by Jesus then we need only to be cleansed from our daily walk in this
evil world.
Jesus has no sin
Himself but as long as we are in this world, we are still in the
flesh of a sinner who needs to repent every day!
If we are not a part
of Christ, then we can never serve Him!
Peter loved the
Lord, but he did not understand what He was doing.
Peter felt it was
just too humiliating a task for Jesus to wash his feet, but it was
also a very humiliating thing for the Lord to humble Himself and go
to the cross for our sin not His, He had no sin!
We should understand
that if Jesus could wash the feet of Judas, we should see the love
the Lord has for the believer but also His enemies!
When Peter spoke up,
he was telling Jesus that He did not know what He was doing and of
course Peter was wrong again.
We can be sure the
other disciples were just as astonished as Peter but were not about
to speak up for they were not as bold and would allow Peter to speak
for them all at times.
The boldness of
Peter was a trait that the Lord would take advantage of after
Pentecost but for now Peter just needed to watch and learn.
The lesson for us
all is that we may have to humble ourselves to the work of Jesus, but
with all our heart we are to submit to the will of our Father in
Heaven.
We must submit to
the will of Lord, to be Christian!
Heb 10:22 Let us
draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our
hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with
pure water.
A study of the Words
of Jesus is a great study, but we will not understand everything that
Jesus did until our "faith" leads us to the truth and we
are filled with the Holy Spirit who does know all the things of Jesus
Christ and He will explain these things as it becomes necessary!
We should see that
everything that Jesus did was an example of the things that we must
do, to be disciples.
Joh_8:31 Then said
Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word,
then are ye my disciples indeed;
*****Joh 13:9 Simon
Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and
my head.
Joh 13:10 Jesus
saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet,
but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
Joh 13:11 For he
knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.
To be saved is to be
washed completely by the Blood of Jesus.
To be regenerated is
to be washed by the Holy Spirit.
To be a servant is
to be washed completely in the Word of God.
We cannot hold back
any part of our body in this process but once this has taken place,
then we need only wash away the filth of this world as we travel in
it, day to day!
Psa 51:7 Purge me
with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter
than snow.
Psa 51:8 Make me to
hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may
rejoice.
Psa 51:9 Hide thy
face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Psa 51:10 Create in
me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
The reason Jesus
said that not all were clean was because Judas was still in the room
and as we know Judas had sin in His heart!
The other disciples
did not know this at this time, but the Lord certainly knew.
The Lord knew, and
He had always known from the day He had chosen Him to show us
whosoever will can be saved.
Joh 6:64 But there
are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning
who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
Joh 6:65 And he
said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except
it were given unto him of my Father.
Our life is about
choices and it was Judas who chose not to believe.
Act 1:18 Now this
man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling
headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed
out.
Act 1:19 And it was
known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is
called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of
blood.
John wrote in
another place.
1Jn 1:7 But if we
walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with
another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all
sin.
1Jn 1:8 If we say
that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in
us.
1Jn 1:9 If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Jn 1:10 If we say
that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in
us.
So now Jesus says to
them all, including Judas:
*****Joh 13:12 So
after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was
set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?
Joh 13:13 Ye call
me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
Joh 13:14 If I
then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to
wash one another's feet.
Joh 13:15 For I
have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
Notice Jesus asked
them, but Jesus did not wait on an answer, Jesus gave the answer that
He was expecting!
If we recognize
Jesus as Master,(Rabbi) which means the Master teacher then we are to
believe what He says.
It seems that many a
church of today has forgotten this.
If this is not
enough then we know that Jesus is our Lord which means we must obey
the things He tells us or commands us.
Again many of the
churches of today have rejected this for their own laws.
We must learn the
lessons taught by the Lord who is our ALL!
Again when Jesus
says, "I Am", He is saying that He is Jehovah, YAHWEY or
YHWH!
We must never doubt
that Jesus is the Messiah, Emmanuel, God come down from Heaven in the
flesh!
We are never to
address the Lord Jesus without showing respect. The Lord Jesus Christ
is our Savior, but He is still the Almighty God!
Act 10:37 That
word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and
began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;
Act 10:38 How God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who
went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the
devil; for God was with him.
Act 10:39 And we
are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the
Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:
Act 10:40 Him God
raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;
Act 10:41 Not to
all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us,
who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
Act 10:42 And he
commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he
which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
Act 10:43 To him
give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever
believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
Above all it is the
Lord Jesus Christ who is our true example! To be like Christ is to be
Christian.
How much do we all
fail in being like the Lord!
*****Joh 13:16
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his
lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
Joh 13:17 If ye
know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.
Over and over the
Lord Jesus has taught us this lesson:
Mat 10:24 The
disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
Luk 6:40 The
disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall
be as his master.
Joh 15:20 Remember
the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his
lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if
they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
Heb 12:1 Wherefore
seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so
easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set
before us,
Heb 12:2 Looking
unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that
was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set
down at the right hand of the throne of God.
We know that God
does not like to repeat Himself and He should not have to but to be
Christian is to do the things that the Lord Jesus did!
We are foolish to
rebel against the Word of God.
We are foolish to
put our man-made words above the Word of God, like the Pharisee and
these Hard-Line Jews.
This also is a
lesson we are to learn!
We exist to serve
the Lord Jesus Christ!
We are to administer
to the Spiritual needs of others but also to their physical needs
when we are able.
And as Jesus says,
when we know all these things, we should be happy to do them.
We should feel the
joy of knowing we are following the example of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Nothing makes our
Father in Heaven happier than following in the ways of His Son with
the fruit of the Holy Spirit!
Just knowing the
truth is not nearly enough, we must also walk the talk!
What did the Prophet
Jeremiah say?
Jer 15:15 O LORD,
thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my
persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy
sake I have suffered rebuke.
Jer 15:16 Thy words
were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and
rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of
hosts.
We are not serving
the Lord until we do as He did!
When we do not do
the things of Jesus, then we have become a Judas!
Let that sink in!
*****Joh 13:18 I
speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the
scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted
up his heel against me.
The Lord Jesus
Christ is the Rock that is the foundation of the Church, so in
reality Judas would soon commit treason against the Church.
TREACHERY is a
violation of allegiance or of faith and confidence.
This why the Holy
Spirit causes us to remember another Psalm.
Psa 41:9 Yea, mine
own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread,
hath lifted up his heel against me.
We have talk about
God placing someone into the future as the woman at the well and the
blind man that was blind since birth who had recently become 30 years
old.
We see now that
Judas was also someone that God had placed into the future to be as
an unruly horse who would try to kick the one who fed him.
The betraying of
Christ was not accidental, or a thing that happened by chance it was
Satan confusing the mind of someone close to Jesus Christ.
It was the Father
who ordained the cause of our salvation, to reconcile us unto himself
in his Son, and the Son willingly and voluntarily obeyed the Father.
If we have not seen
by now, every step that Jesus took from the day of His birth had been
planned by Him before we hear those words "In the beginning
God".
The Lord washed the
feet of Judas, but Judas could not be cleansed by the washing because
he had on him the filth of Satan the deceiver and had no faith.
Satan cannot be
cleansed but all those under his influence still can if they will
call upon the Lord with a true heart!
The title of our
lesson is "Jesus Taught Us How to Serve" and He did, but He
also taught us that some of our enemies could be those that we trust
the most!
Amen
Let's Pray!
No comments:
Post a Comment