John chapter 13, verses 1 to 20.
Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father,
having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
During supper, when the devil had already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him,
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper.
He laid aside his outer garments and, taking a towel, tied it around his waist.
Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him,
Lord, do you wash my feet?
Jesus answered him,
What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.
Peter said to him,
You shall never wash my feet.
Jesus answered him,
If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.
Simon Peter said to him,
Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
Jesus said to him,
The one who has bathed does not need to wash except for his feet, but is completely clean.
And you are clean, but not every one of you.
For he knew who was to betray him.
That was why he said,
Not all of you are clean.
When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place,
he said to them,
Do you understand what I have done to you?
You call me teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.
If I then, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet,
you also ought to wash one another's feet.
For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.
Truly, truly I say to you,
A servant is not greater than his master,
nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
I am not speaking of all of you.
I know whom I have chosen.
But the scripture will be fulfilled.
He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.
I am telling you this now, before it takes place,
that when it does take place, you may believe that I am he.
Truly, truly I say to you,
Whoever receives the one I send, receives me.
And whoever receives me, receives the one who sent me.
This is the word of God.
Well, good morning everyone.
My name is Gareth.
If you don't know me, you'll detect I have a different accent to everyone else.
Or everyone else has a different accent to me.
All right, let's pray.
Let's pray.
Lord, we just ask this morning that you would speak to us through your word.
Help us to hear, to understand.
And not just to hear, but to do your bidding for your namesake.
Amen.
John chapter 12 brings an end to Jesus' public ministry.
He now turns his attention to his disciples in order to prepare them for what was to come.
They had followed him throughout this public ministry and had been amazed, awe-inspired,
at times confused, and even fearful of the words and events they had witnessed.
After he had calmed the storm in Lake Galilee, they said,
Who is this that even the wind and the waves obey him?
They knew he was very special and they believed in him.
Though as we will see, not all.
But for those who believed, their belief was real and they stuck with him.
Most recently, they had witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus and the triumphal entry into Jerusalem
with the people declaring,
Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.
Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Glory.
At this point, they didn't know or understand the implications of this
and how their lives were about to be turned completely upside down,
being radically changed even more.
But Jesus was there to prepare them.
He loved them dearly and would do to the end,
or to perfection, as John MacArthur puts it.
Everything was now set.
The hour had arrived.
Jesus was going to return to his father,
following unimaginable anguish, pain,
and the sealing of a new covenant
that would bring a cleansing salvation
and peace with God
to those who believe.
Have you ever been in a situation
you felt really uncomfortable in?
It's made you feel really awkward?
Anne and I have been to many weddings in our time,
but one of them stands out for a wrong reason.
Or maybe so that I can give you an illustration now.
I don't know.
But along with all the couples whose weddings we've been to,
we really liked this couple.
They were lovely people.
We knew they were very popular.
And they had many friends.
So for us to be invited was a tremendous privilege.
But at the reception,
we felt so awkward and uncomfortable.
Not because it was a bad reception.
But because we felt, quite frankly,
unworthy to be there.
Inside, I was squirming,
though it was a fabulous wedding.
Have you ever had that feeling?
Now think of that feeling of awkwardness,
magnified many times.
And we may begin to understand
how the disciples must have felt.
Supper had already began when Jesus got up
and removed his outer garment
and tying a towel to his waist.
He began to wash the disciples' feet
and then wipe them with a towel.
Can you imagine the room
previously filled with a hubbub
of relaxed conversation,
maybe even laughter?
It would now have turned silent
with the realization of what Jesus was doing.
The relaxation turned to tension.
All eyes fixed on Jesus
in bewilderment and embarrassment.
This was socially awkward.
Not just socially awkward,
it was outrageous, shocking.
The washing of dusty feet
would not usually take place
in the middle of a meal.
It would take place before.
It would normally be carried out
by a bond servant.
That's a slave.
Only a slave in this circumstance
would be seen having removed
their outer garment.
The New Bible commentary says
the removal of the outer garment
and the wrapping of a towel
around the waist
was the dress of menial service
and would have been despised
by both Jew and Greek alike.
Jesus, who had just been lorded
as Messiah, the King of Israel,
is now washing the feet
of those who serve him.
Awkward.
They considered they were not worthy.
This was no way for a king to behave.
It was all too much for Peter.
And he was the only one
to vocalize what everyone else
was thinking.
Lord, do you wash my feet?
Jesus ever patient.
Peter, you don't understand right now,
but later on you will.
Meaning after the resurrection.
Now if Peter had have thought
through what Jesus had just said,
he might have come to the conclusion,
well, Jesus had never been wrong before.
In fact, he's done and said
some amazing things.
Yeah, okay.
I'll trust him.
I'll let him wash my feet.
I'll understand later on.
But we know from other scripture
that that's not Peter's personality, is it?
He acts or speaks first
and thinks after.
Noble as he may have thought
he was being, he said,
you shall never wash my feet.
The inference here is,
Lord, this is below you.
I can't allow you to do this.
Do you realize what you're doing?
I don't think you do.
But of course, Jesus does.
He loves them so much.
He's willing to humble himself
by this demonstration.
Preceding the ultimate act
of humiliation
and love,
the cross.
He also has something
very important to teach them.
So he presses on.
If I do not wash you,
you have no share with me.
This is a game changer
that changes Peter's mind immediately.
If you wash in my feet
means I have a share with you,
then I'm all in.
In fact, Lord,
wash my hands and my head also.
Perhaps, understandably,
Peter has got the wrong end
of the stick.
He wanted to be well
and truly clean.
But this is only a part
of what Jesus is teaching them.
Just your feet, Peter.
You don't need a wash.
You are clean.
But not every one of you
is clean.
At first glance,
it might be a bit difficult
to understand
what's quite going on here.
If Peter doesn't have
his feet cleaned,
he has no part of Jesus.
Yet not of all of those
who are having their feet
washed are clean.
You have Judas in the room.
It's obvious that the feet washing
is not the way to be clean.
that it was symbolic
of something else.
But they did need to be clean
to belong to Jesus.
What was it that made them clean?
If we jump a couple of chapters
to John 15 and verse 3,
Jesus tells them explicitly,
Already you are clean
because of the word
I have spoken to you.
Now it's clear
that simply hearing the word
did not make them clean.
Because Jesus had spoken
not only to his disciples,
but publicly
to many people,
including the Pharisees,
who we know refused
to believe
so could not be clean.
The disciples believed
and they were clean,
though not all.
Soon Jesus
was to die on the cross.
Ultimately,
they would be cleansed
by his blood
as we are cleansed
if we believe in Jesus.
Though your sins
are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow
is the promise
in Isaiah 1 and verse 18.
As the song says,
what can wash away my sin?
Nothing
but the blood
of Jesus.
Judas saw the signs
and miracles
at close hand.
He was one
of the disciples.
The other disciples
saw Judas
as one of them.
When Jesus told them
that one would betray him,
they had no idea
who that was going to be.
Judas was not clean.
He did not believe.
He loved money
more than Jesus.
He worshipped money,
not the Lord,
and was soon
to betray Jesus
for 30 pieces of silver.
Once Jesus
had washed
the disciples' feet,
he put on
his outer garment
and then went on
to explain
the significance
of the foot washing.
He reaffirms
that he is their
teacher and Lord
and tells them
that as he has done
to them,
so they should do
to one another.
That is,
serve one another
in humility.
I think we probably
don't quite grasp
how alien an idea
it was to the disciples
given the times
they lived in.
Humility was despised
in the ancient world
as weakness.
We know that the disciples
had previously
not understood this
because in Mark's gospel
in chapter 10
verses 35 to 45,
James and John
had got it
oh so wrong,
requesting
that one sit
on Jesus'
right hand side
and the other
on his left
in glory.
They didn't realize
what they were asking.
It says in verses
42 to 45,
And Jesus called them
to him and said
to them,
You know that those
who are considered
rulers of Gentiles
lord it over them
and their great ones
exercise authority
over them,
but it shall not be
so among you,
but whoever would be
great among you
must be your servant
and whoever would be
first among you
must be slave of all.
For even the Son of Man
came not to be served,
but to serve
and to give his life
as a ransom
for many.
They had not
absorbed the words,
but Jesus,
washing their feet,
powerfully brought home
the message of humility
and servanthood.
He then went on
to cement this point
even further.
Verse 16,
Truly, truly,
I say to you,
a servant is not
greater than his master,
nor is a messenger
greater than the one
who sent him.
Don Carson
writes of this verse,
No emissary
has the right
to think he is
exempt from tasks
cheerfully undertaken
by the one
who sent him,
and no slave
has the right
to judge any menial
task beneath him
after his master
has already performed it.
Jesus was turning
their understanding
of his kingdom
upside down.
They were to lead,
but not lording it
over the church.
They were to emulate
their master,
the servant king,
and serve one another
in humility,
driven by love.
In doing these things,
they would be blessed.
All through this passage
and the passages
that follow,
Jesus is preparing
his disciples
for his departure,
his death,
and resurrection.
resurrection.
As we know,
this was to be
a horrifically difficult
time of confusion
for them.
Jesus wanted
them to remember
that when Judas
betrays them,
betrays him,
when things appear
to go pear-shaped,
this is all part
of the plan.
It is important
that they stick together
and still believe
that Jesus
is the Messiah.
of course,
it is not until
Pentecost
that they receive
the Holy Spirit
and they will fully
understand.
We finish our passage
on another
sit-up-and-take-note
verse,
which is verse 20.
Truly, truly,
I say to you,
whoever receives
the one I send
receives me,
and whoever
receives me
receives the one
who sent me.
Not only does
Jesus want
his disciples
to remember
that he is
the Messiah
and that all
that is to happen
is part of God's plan,
he also wants
them to know
that when he returns
to the Father,
they are to continue
his mission
that others
might believe
in him
and be saved.
Are you clean?
Do you believe
that Jesus
is the Christ,
the Son of God?
Or do we worship
something
or someone else
like Judas?
As I've heard
somewhere else,
if you were tried
in court
for being a Christian,
would you be found
guilty?
Is there evidence?
And if you believe,
does that belief
bring about
a gratitude
of heart
and love
for a Savior
who has gone
way beyond
washing our feet
to death
on the cross
in ultimate
humiliation?
And following
the example
of love
and humility
of our Savior,
do we serve
one another?
and allow
others
to serve us?
No task
too menial.
I came across
part of a hymn
by Brian A.
Wren
while I was
studying for this.
I love some
of these words.
Great God,
in Christ
you call
our name
and then
receive us
as your own.
Though through,
not through
some merit,
right,
or claim,
but by your
gracious love
alone.
We strain
to glimpse
your mercy seat
and find you
kneeling at our feet.
then take the towel
and take the bread
and break the bread
and humble us
and call us
friends.
Suffer and serve
till all are fed
and show how grandly
love intends
to work
till all creation
sings,
to fill
all worlds,
to crown
all things.
us.
We strain
to glimpse
your mercy seat
and find you
kneeling at our feet.
I love those words.
They show a picture
of Jesus,
our King,
the King of Kings,
a King
who in great love
humbled himself
on our behalf,
our servant King.
let us worship him.
Let's pray.
Lord,
we thank you
that
you came to earth,
that you loved us
so much
that you died
on that cross
for us.
we thank you
for your
love and humility
so great.
How can we respond
in any other way
than to love you
and serve you?
Amen.