Tuesday 5^th February

John 19:30

“When Jesus had tasted it (the sour wine given on a hyssop branch), He said ‘It Is Finished’. Then He bowed His head and released His Spirit.” (Italics added).

Stop. Just think with me for one second. Imagine the worst thing that you have done in your life. The thing that you are so ashamed about you feel you can’t even tell God. Ok, now just imagine for a second that you had the courage to confess it to God and ask for forgiveness. You give it to God and bang!!! It has gone!! The guilt, the shame, the condemnation has all disappeared! Why? Because it is finished!

Too often, myself included, we live under the weight of our sin and shame. We are constantly reminded of sins that have been forgiven and pick up our old burdens that weigh us down. And yet instead of living in freedom and liberty, walking with our heads held high, knowing that we are not worthy but not worthless, we walk with slumped shoulders as if our past is a huge boulder that we have to carry. When Jesus uttered those last words on the cross “It is finished”, He meant it. The only people who don’t live it out in their lives are us.

Jesus’ work on the cross was the ransom and price we rightfully deserved but He took it for us. Jesus took our punishment on Himself. Does that mean we need to live in constant condemnation or carrying the weight of our past? Certainly not! Jesus, in paying our price, took away that weight that we cling on to. He took away the death penalty by dying in our place. Yet we are so quick to cling back to our forgiven past. We have to live as ‘IT IS FINISHED’ Christians; Christians who believe that when Jesus said ‘it is finished’, His work really was completed.

The Bible has many examples of people who were crushed by the guilt of sin. Take David, he said his un-confessed sin was pain to his bones. His rebellion haunted him day and night (Psalm 51:4). Until he confessed it to God, he lived in the guilt and shame of his sin. Or how about the Apostle Peter? Upon denying Jesus three times in Luke 22:62, condemned by his sin, left the courtyard weeping bitterly because he remembered his bold statement to Jesus that he would never deny Him. Yet he did. Interestingly we see Peter in John 21, go back to his old lifestyle, fishing. When Jesus first chose Peter he was fishing. When Jesus said “come and follow me”, he left his nets immediately and followed Jesus. Now here again Peter goes back to fishing because that is all he knew. Yet Jesus wanted him to be a fisher of men. His identity was found in his past instead of living in God’s call for his life. Jesus in verse 19 reinstated and re-affirms the call He gave to Peter when He first called him, “Come and follow me.”

Let us today live as Christians, as followers of Christ, as a people group who live under the promise of Jesus’ last words. “It is finished.” Don’t turn your head back to your past but live in the freedom of Christ’s finished work and find your identity in who Christ has called you to be!

Monday 4^th February

Hebrews 10:19-22

Although the stated Bible reading is only a few verses, in order to fully understand the meaning of Jesus as our High Priest, reading from Hebrews chapter 5 onwards is recommended.

This wonderful teaching is crucial in understanding our position and value in Christ. Jesus. In being our High Priest, He forever stands as an Intercessor on our behalf. “Our consciences have been sprinkled with His blood and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Paraphrased from verse 22). So what does this mean and how do I have value in Christ’s death?

In order to understand this, we first must understand the role of a Priest in Mosaic Law. The Priests in the temple would make daily sin offerings for the people as they presented their substitutionary sacrifices at the temple. This would have been two turtledoves or two pigeons, grain offerings or a percentage of flour. These were offerings for daily sins or as atonements for being ceremonially unclean. However on Yon Kippur (the Day of Atonement), the High Priest would make an offering for all the sins of the people of Israel, both conscious and un-conscious. This was a special day.

The procedure for the sacrifices for the Day of Atonement can be found in Leviticus 16. A strict list of requirements had to be followed in order for the people’s sins to be forgiven. The High Priest (only the High Priest) would take a bull, a ram and two goats (all without blemish) and bring them to the temple. The bull was sacrificed as a sin offering for the priest and his family, to purify them firstly. Then one of the young male goats was used as a sacrifice and the other was released into the wilderness. The one released into the wilderness would first have blood sprinkled over it and then the High Priest would pray and symbolically place the sins of the people on the goat. The goat would then be led out into the wilderness carrying the sins of the people away from the temple. Next the young ram would be offered as a burnt offering, as a sweet fragrance to God to accept the sacrifice. This ceremony was only to be carried out by the High Priest in the Holy of Holies.

This day after day and year after year sacrifice was only temporary forgiveness from sins. It provided limited relief from sin and was never total atonement from sin. When Jesus came to this world, He not only provided Himself as a perfect unblemished sacrifice for the world, and made a way for man (not just the High Priest) to have fellowship with God again. When the veil ripped from the top to bottom on the night of Jesus’ death, it created an opening to the Holy of Holies. This place was reserved solely for the High Priest as he made atonement for the sins of the people. As the curtain tore man’s relationship with God became no longer limited to just the High Priests intercession on his behalf, but became an open intimate relationship with Father made possible by Jesus the High Priest. Because He now stands (in fact actually sits because His work is done) at the right hand of the Father, we freely have access into God’s presence. Jesus paid the price for us with His life but He knows stands as our High Priest because He paid our debt with His life. His blood sprinkled over our sins free us and forgives us. No longer does a High Priest need to make sacrifices for mankind daily and yearly. Jesus paid the price once and for all! (Hebrews 10:11-12). We can now enter God’s presence boldly, free from sin and free from the guilt of our sin. 

Friday 1^st February

Mark 10:45, 1 Timothy 2:5-6, Romans 3:23-26

In today’s passage we shall explore the great price that was paid for us through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Each of the above passages shares a common theme; the ransom/substitution that unworthy people (us) received instead of getting what was rightly due to us. Today’s lesson, understood in its fullness, reveals God’s Father heart for His children and again highlights the servant nature of a Creator God.

The first passage in Mark starts really from verse 35. James and John come to Jesus with a desire to sit with Him at His right hand upon His return to Glory. He then explains that those who desire greatness must be servants of all. His desire for the all the disciples was that they might understand the importance of servant leadership. He concludes with the greatest example, Himself. “For the Son of man did not come to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many”. The term ‘ransom’ was commonly known in Jesus’ day. It usually referred to the price one would pay to set a prisoner free. Today this term is commonly used as bargaining rights when innocent people have been held hostage. An agreed price is given to the kidnappers/terrorists to see the hostage set free. Jesus, in describing Himself as a ransom, showed that He really was the perfect example of servant leadership as He came to give His life for many.

The writer of Romans helps us understand this ‘ransom’ theology. Here we learn that all mankind has fallen short of the glory of God (verse 23). Every person who has lived, lives and will live has sinned and will sin. It’s in our nature due to sin entering the world through Adam and Eve. It’s an unfortunate reality. God is holy and we have fallen short of that standard. The only way this ‘sin’ can be dealt with is through the shedding of innocent blood. Just as a parent disciplines a child, so our Heavenly Father and Creator has the right to punish us. So the verdict for mankind is guilty, yet who could pay such a price? Jesus, the Servant King. God became flesh and dwelt among us to pay the price for our sinfulness. How did He do it? With His life and the shedding of His precious blood. Not only did He pay for our sins, but He took our place. He became our propitiation, our atoning sacrifice, our substitute, and our ransom. Jesus took our place, took the punishment that was rightly due to us and in His death, we have life, we are forgiven and our debt has been paid.

Paul, in 1 Timothy 2:5-6 describes Jesus our Mediator between God and man. Not only did Jesus die to take our punishment, He also lives to forever make an intercession on our behalf. A ransom may be a one off payment used as an act of paying a debt for the release of a captive. Yet Jesus’ substitutionary sacrifice although was once and for all, was not just one off payment as such, but was to stand forever as an eternal payment for all our sins. Period. That is why He is called a Mediator between God and man. He paid the price for us and now, when we sin and ask for forgiveness, God instead of looking to punish us looks at what Jesus did on the cross. That is grace. That is love. That is a priceless eternal ransom, propitiation and sacrifice. That is my Jesus!!

Thursday 31^st January

Mark 10:23-31

Money and wealth and temporary, God’s grace and love is eternal. So why do the majority of people in Western societies put so much effort in ‘earning’ perishable and temporary wealth instead of accepting God’s ‘free’ gift of Salvation? He has already paid the price so all we need to do is accept His gift. Yet today’s question or topic is not so much about wealth in and of itself, but rather if it’s possible to be rich and enter the Kingdom of Heaven? Yesterday we saw Jesus challenge a man to sell all he had and give his wealth to the poor. Jesus wasn’t saying this because He thought the man could gain his salvation by good works. On the contrary. Jesus knew the condition of his heart and knew that he valued his wealth more than God Himself. It was this man’s heart condition that Jesus was really addressing.

In the following verses found in Mark 10:23 onwards, Jesus turns to His disciples and says, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the Kingdom of Heaven”. That statement threw His disciples back, they were absolutely astonished at this teaching. Being rich in a Jewish context had ‘advantages’ in the Pharisees ideology of salvation. The more you give, the more likely it is that you gain Salvation (remember the story of the woman who gave 1 coin and the Pharisees who showed off by their exuberant giving).  Jesus’ teaching went exactly against this idea and taught that in fact it was harder for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter Heaven. There have been a lot of different ideas as to what this actually means but the most reliable translation is that of a literal one. Simply put, when was the last time you saw a camel go through the eye of a needle? Never, right. Well this is Jesus’ point. It is almost impossible for someone of great wealth to enter Heaven. Ok.. wait! They best is yet to come.

Before we discuss the above point I wanted to highlight Jesus words to the disciples. Notice that verse 23 and the beginning of 24 refers to the disciples as disciples. However, when Jesus told them that it is almost impossible to enter Heaven if you have great wealth, their reaction makes Jesus refer to them as children. Why? My opinion is that they just didn’t understand what Jesus was telling them. It almost like Jesus is saying, ‘you understand things as children’. He then gives them the illustration of a camel and then finally they get Jesus’ point. But still they ask, “who then can be saved?”

Then Jesus gives the answer they were all waiting for. “With man salvation is impossible, but not with God. With God all things are possible!” (paraphrased from verse 27). Wow. Praise God. Jesus is highlighting here that salvation, entering the Kingdom of Heaven, is not something that can be earned or purchased. It is of God’s doing, lest man should boast of his good works (Apostle Paul and James’ words). The fact that Jesus said that it is almost impossible, that people with wealth cannot enter Heaven, may not mean that it is wrong to be rich but that those who have much are more worried about loosing it and therefore less likely to give it up. It therefore becomes an idol in their life and takes the place of God. Wealth in itself is not wrong but it is the attitude of the heart and it’s worth in your life that determines your entry into the Kingdom of God. Don’t make the same mistake as the rich man. Put God as number 1 in your life. For whatever we give up on this earth, God will reward in the age to come….eternal life.

Wednesday 30^th January

Matthew 6:21, Mark 10:17-29

In the last devotion we discussed Jeremiah’s account of Israel’s imminent captivity to the Babylonians. We looked at the warning that was issued of serving worthless, lifeless and pointless pagan idols. They were told to remember God even in a foreign land. Today’s lesson takes a different stance on worthless idols and bring it’s much closer to home. Jesus, in many of His teachings, referred to the importance of guarding your heart with righteousness. When the heart is corrupt the whole body becomes corrupt. A crack in the wall can easily be painted over but after time the consequence of neglecting its maintenance will show and the true state of the wall will ultimately reveal itself and could end up as a costly repair. So it is with our lives; we can so easily gloss over the issues in our hearts, but when the true testing of your character comes, then your heart condition reveals itself. We learn of a man like this in Mark chapter 10.

On His way to Jerusalem Jesus gets stopped by a man who drops at His feet. The man questions Jesus as to how he can inherit eternal life. Jesus replies by listing six of the Ten Commandments. Interestingly Jesus only names the commandments that have to do with self and others!! The man boldly states that he had kept these commandments since he was young. Jesus compassionately replies that he still lacked one thing. He then tells him to go and sell all his has, give the money to the poor and then come back and follow Jesus. However this proved one step too much for this man, for he had a great wealth, so he left Jesus saddened by His words. What was it that this man lacked??

Jesus in Matthew 6:21, talks of building your treasure on this earth. Ultimately it won’t last. Rust, thieves and moths will come, steal and destroy it. He concludes with the statement “that where you treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Jesus here is not saying that you can’t be rich but rather highlighting the danger of putting money at the forefront of your life. This is much the same as the man found in Mark 10. You could commend him for keeping the six commandments Jesus listed. Yet the ones he didn’t keep were the problem, they were the crack revealing his true heart. The first two commandments Jesus didn’t list are “Love the Lord God with all your heart having no other gods before Him” and “Do not bow down or worship any false idols”. Now we come to the essence of Jesus’ message. Have no gods before the true living God and no idols in your life. We asked the question what did the man lack?? The answer is simple. His money was his god, his idol. The sad thing is, is that he valued a worthless, perishable wealth greater than that of a priceless and everlasting life in the presence of Almighty God. He was grieved and saddened in his heart because he missed the point of what Jesus was saying. His treasure was in the wrong place. His heart’s desire was corrupted by the love of wealth and materialism.

Jesus in verse 21 actually says that if he sold his possessions and gave his wealth to the poor, then God would reward him with treasure in Heaven. What he forgot to realise is that his wealth on this earth was temporary, yet the treasure Jesus promised (although maybe not gold or silver) was eternal. Where does the your treasure lie? In worthless idols or in a worthy God?

Tuesday 29^th January

Jeremiah 10

This wonderful story found in the book of Jeremiah is one of both promise and security knowing that the God we serve is the creator of the ends of the earth whose very breath will never end. The prophet and priest Jeremiah, foresees the imminent destruction of Israel into the hands of the Babylonians. He tries on numerous occasions, through the prophetic word of God, to warn his countrymen but they refuse to listen and the inevitable happens.

God, through Jeremiah, in His mercy, warns the future captives not to forget Him in a foreign land where idols and pagan gods would be worshipped. In various places in the book of Jeremiah, this warning is also given so that the Israelites may remember God’s faithfulness to them and they may know His goodness. Jeremiah in verse 3 until the end of verse 5, describes the sheer calamity of serving such an idol. They are worthless. He describes their starting point as trees cut from the forest. Then with the axe they are fashioned into idols, adorned with silver and gold and nailed to a support so they will not topple over. Jeremiah continues telling his kinsman that they are so helpless and worthless that they need to be carried because they can’t walk. Upon reading this you almost feel sorry for those who would worship such gods.

Jeremiah then compares these idols with the one true God, Yahweh. Verse 10 boldly states that the Lord God is an everlasting God, an everlasting King. The earth trembles at His wrath and by His Power and Voice the earth was made. He commands the lighting, wind and waters above the earth. His very breath is power yet the false idols have no breath in them at all. For He, (the everlasting King), is the maker of all things (v16).

The case is clear. The evidence is overwhelming. There is only one true God. The pagan gods are all false, breathless and worthless. Yahweh is the maker of all things by His very words. His prize possession, His inheritance, the people He has chosen to lavish his covenantal (hesed) love on, is the people of Israel. The Lord God did not only make the world and all it’s inhabitants, but here whilst His prized possession had abandoned Him with rebellious living and facing the consequences of their actions, reminds them of His love and how He views His chosen people.

Take comfort today in knowing that we too can live in God’s promise as sons and daughters, being heirs of His Kingdom and having eternal life as our inheritance. No matter where we find ourselves in our lives, nothing can compare to God’s greatness. Whatever worthless idols we put up or even worship in our lives, nothing, absolutely nothing can compare to the Lord God Almighty. He is the creator of all and sustains all. No matter how far you have gone from God, His faithfulness will always bring you home. Just as the Israelites were warned, when facing imminent captivity and judgement, to not forget their God and His power over worthless idols, so we too are reminded that when we are in a place of hardship, to not forget Gods gracious love, power and mercy towards us. 

Monday 28^th January

Luke 3:16, 1 John 3:1

The wonderful news of Jesus Christ and His demonstration of love towards us in giving His life as a ransom for many, leads us not only into humble submission but also into gracious adoration. In keeping with the theme of God’s value for our lives, today’s passage looks at both the response to Jesus’ authority and His gift of love towards us, His children.

Luke starts off in chapter 3 describing God’s messenger, John the Baptist. John was a man commissioned to prepare the way for the Lamb of God. He lived mainly in the wilderness by the river Jordan. His message was clear; repent, be baptised and produce fruit in keeping with the Spirit’s regenerative work in the believer’s life. He opposed sinful living and exalted Jesus above himself. His audience was mostly Jewish as he often highlighted that salvation was not earned through ancestry lineage but rather was a gift of God, through Jesus, the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world. John knew that His role was to prepare the way for Jesus but he also knew who Jesus’ identity was.

After a strong rebuke to the crowds, convicted hearts began to question John as to what their response should be to avoid the wrath of God’s judgment and become fruit bearing believers. John’s passionate and wise words prompted many to believe that he was the Messiah or the Christ. Yet John re-emphasised his position and pointed to the coming of the One who was much greater than he. We then reach the pinnacle of this passage in verse 16, whereby John humbles his heart and exalts Jesus above himself.

Last week we talked about the humility of Mary who washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and anointed them with an expensive perfume. In keeping with that humble attitude our attention turns to John, who in a more figurative way, explains that in fact he was not even worthy to untie Jesus’ sandals, let alone wash his feet. This role was reserved for the lowliest of servants, yet here John, with an attitude of humble submission expressed his un-worthiness to even participate in this act. How amazing is this picture? Just a few verses earlier John rebukes the crowds in total confidence and a few verses later rebukes the King for his adulteress living. Yet now, he takes the position that is lower than a servant when he is mirrored with Jesus Christ. John knew and was confident in his ministry but he also knew who Jesus was and in submission to His authority, humbled himself and became ‘lower than a servant’ (figuratively speaking) to God incarnate.

What is your response to knowing who Jesus is? Are you humbled by His presence? In 1 John 3:1, we learn that this great Creator God, has not only lavished His love on us but has called us sons and daughters of God. This is one of my favourite words in the Bible, ‘Lavished’. Although this word is not the best translation from the Greek word ‘didomi’ (offer, give) it truly does emphasis what Jesus did for us on the cross. In humbling Himself on the cross, He poured without end His love on unworthy yet not worthless people. In lavishing (abundance and extravagance) His love towards us, He adopted us into His family through the work of redemption on the cross. So great is this measure of love that it cannot be bought or paid for, and therefore puts a priceless tag on the heads of those who abide and live in His love. Christ gave His life for you, are you giving Him yours?

Saturday 26^th January

John 3:16-17

Yesterday we explored Paul’s teaching about how God values our physical bodies and how He sacrificed His own body as a ransom for our souls. We looked at how our bodies are the temple of God’s Spirit and how this knowledge leads us to keeping our bodies as holy and sanctified vessels for His presence. In today’s reading we will look at another scripture that enlightens us of God’s ultimate sacrifice for us, His beloved people.

The beginning of John chapter 3 starts off with a well-respected Jewish leader, Nicodemus, coming to Jesus during the night. His secretive visit to Jesus was most probably to save face and make sure no one saw him. For it was in submission to Jesus’ authority, as someone that had come from God, that Nicodemus came to hear His teaching. He knew that Jesus was ‘divinely’ anointed and admitted that unless He was from God, He would not be able to perform the miracles that He did. Jesus then proceeds to explain to Nicodemus that it is not enough to know the law and be religious. In order to truly be saved one must be born again. Not by a fleshly birth but by God’s Spirit living in us.

Nicodemus must have thought his salvation was guaranteed. He was a devout Jew and a leading Pharisee. Yet Jesus highlighted to him that his credentials were not enough to see him into the Kingdom of God. One must be born again by the Spirit of living God, whose cleansing power not only saves but also regenerates a person’s heart and life to become more like Christ. Believing in the Spirit’s regenerating work in one’s life and in God’s begotten Son leads an individual into Eternal life.

Jesus reminds Nicodemus of the story found in Numbers 21:4-9. The wandering Israelites in the desert grew impatient with the lack of food and water and started complaining and criticising Moses. God sent deadly poisonous snakes to punish the rebellious attitudes towards Moses and towards a God who had rescued them from the hands of slave driving Egyptians. As soon as they realised that their attitudes were wrong, they repented to Moses and asked him to remove the deadly snakes from their midst. So the Lord commanded Moses to fashion a bronze snake and attach it to a pole that whoever looked upon the bronze snake would be healed. Jesus used this example to explain to Nicodemus that we too have sinned and complained against God. We have fallen short and only when Jesus was lifted up on the cross and exalted after His resurrection would humanity receive healing from their sins for those who believe in Him.

Jesus then explains His identity to Nicodemus in the most known verse in the Bible, John 3:16. It is in the Father’s love for humanity, that He sent the undeserved gift of Salvation, His only and begotten Son, as propitiation for mankind’s sinful and rebellious ways. This saving act of love, grace and mercy, along with the Holy Spirit’s work of regeneration, transforms lives and leads us into Eternal communion with our Heavenly Father, free from condemnation and guilt. The price that was paid is too great to put into a value, yet is a free gift from a loving Father. Acceptance of this gift, as unworthy as we are, gives us purpose, value and worth in Christ Jesus.

The weight of the law and the condemning pressure of following it would have burdened Nicodemus and left him in darkness. Yet Jesus in His conversation with Nicodemus, offers him Himself as a path into the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ today also offers you His unconditional love, His liberating grace and eternal life with Him forever. What is your response?

Friday 25^th January

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

So often when we are expecting visitors in our house, we scurry about, tidying, cleaning, polishing, hoovering and making sure that our house is tidy and presentable for our guests. When we know that someone is coming to our house, the first thing we think of is, is our house clean? It’s like an automatic pilot mechanism in our minds that is set to run around our house checking all is well for our guests.

One day as I was in this mind set, I stopped and thought; if I am putting this much effort into making my own house clean for my guests, how much effort am I putting to into making my Spiritual body clean where the creator God lives. Our bodies are the temple of God. So often we neglect to take care of God’s dwelling place. We focus so much on ‘soul cleansing’, which absolutely essential, yet we forgot that Jesus actually laid down His physical body for us too. If we are to realise that God lives in our bodies, then we too should also care for our bodies.

Paul addresses this issue here in 1 Corinthians 6. The Corinthians thought that because they had been set free from the law through grace, they had a license to do with their bodies what they willed. However, this is a letter written by Paul to emphasis much the opposite and rather warn against such thinking.

Sexual immorality was much the centre of Paul’s focus to church in Corinth. He was warning them against this dualistic mentality, ‘that one could do what he wants with his body, for it is perishable’. Paul immediately in verse 13, makes it plain that God values and cares for our bodies. He strongly opposes the idea that one can do what he pleases with his/her body. Although our physical bodies may die, just as God raised His Son from the dead, so will He raise us on the blessed day. God values and cares about our body and so should we.

Paul then proceeds in comparing the joining together of a man and a prostitute, and a union of Christ and His church. Of course they are both extreme examples yet the essence of what Paul is saying here is clear. In short when a man and woman come together in sexual union, they unite in the spirit, becoming one body. Hence Genesis 2:24 ‘a man will leave his father and be united with his wife and they shall become one’. Likewise when we accept Jesus in our lives, we are joined together with Him in Spirit. Much like Jesus, when He said that ‘I and the Father are one’ (John 10:30), ‘He is in me and I in Him’ (John 14:10). Of course Jesus was emphasising the point that He was both God and Human whilst in His earthly ministry; (this is not to say that we can be God but rather that God lives in us, His temple). Yet the emphasis of this point is made all the more clear in verse 19.

Paul warns about sexual immorality and its devastating effect on both the believer and those around. In fact he highlights that sexual sin cannot be hidden for it corrupts the body and character and has evidential consequences. Both furthermore, he points to the fact that our bodies are vessels of the Holy Spirit. They are His dwelling place, His home. In fact Paul highlights that in fact our bodies are not our own. Who among you, if you borrowed something of someone, would not look after it? In the same way our bodies are given to us by God, therefore we must honour His gift and honour Him. Paul closes with a strong warning and one that must have convicted the Corinthians as it convicts me today….”You were bought with a high price. Therefore honour God with your bodies.” (verse 20).

Our bodies are temple of God, bought with His precious blood and designed by a creator God. Next time you host a guest and clean your house to make it presentable, check if your house for the King of Kings is in order!

Thursday 24^th January

John 13:1-17

Have you ever seen the programme called Secret millionaire? It’s basically based around a CEO or Manager of a big cooperate company, who disguises himself as a normal employee to see how the company is being run at ground level. The CEO/manager gets involved in every aspect of the job (even the menial tasks), speaks with people and tries to understand the companies needs. After a week of working they reveal themselves and reward those they think should be commended for their professionalism and hard work.

In today’s passage, we find the Ruler of the universe doing the same thing. The only difference with Jesus is that He revealed who He was purposely, for it was only in knowing who He really was, that His followers could get access to the Father. However, Jesus didn’t humble Himself and take the form of a servant as our prime example for a T.V show, He did it because that was and is His very character. His act of humility and compassion for the disciples, in this demonstration of feet washing, comes from the endless supply of Love in His heart. It is this same Love, manifest in humility and compassion for a sinful and undeserving world, that led Him to give His life as our ransom for it.

We read in verse 6 that when Jesus approaches Peter to wash his feet, Peter’s response is to plainly and out rightly refuse this action. He can’t fathom that His Lord and Master would stoop down, take the role of a servant, and wash his dirty feet. Again, after Jesus tries to wash his feet once more, Peter retreats and boldly states “No, You will never wash my feet”. Jesus then states in a simple yet prophetic statement that if He does not wash Peter’s feet, then He has no part with Him. What Peter didn’t realise is that although Jesus’ act of feet washing was a humble act of love, it was also symbolic of His cleansing us from our sin with His soon approaching sacrificial offering of His life and shedding of His blood. Although it does not state this here in today’s text, we know from 1 John 1:7 that it is the shedding of Jesus’ blood that cleanses us from our sin (of course this requires repentance also).

Peter then, in verse 9, understanding the importance of being washed by Jesus, yields to Him and asks not only for his feet to be washed but his whole body. Jesus’ answer is plain and clear here. If you have had a bath then you are already clean. For it is not necessary to wash your body again. It is in the washing of the feet that Peter was made clean. Well how can we translate this passage into our daily lives? The key to understanding and applying this in our lives is found in Jesus’ words in verse 10. When we except Jesus into our lives, our repentance is like bathing in God’s grace and forgiveness. We accept His sacrifice and are made whole by His love. However, we live in a fallen world and we are not yet fully perfected, so we sin and disobey our Heavenly Father. This sin, not only separates us from His presence but severs that intimate relationship with the Father. This is why we need to come before a Holy God daily, acknowledging that our feet our dirty and humble ourselves and ask Jesus to wash us clean again. For in doing this we restore our communion with Him and receive His love and kindness. Humility for us is not an abstract ideology, is the core of who Jesus was and an attitude that we should adopt in our lives daily.

“Let this attitude be in you, which was also found in Christ Jesus….” Philippians 2:5