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John 13:1-17
Love On Its Knees
John 13 sermon
Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet
Father’s Day, 2008
Since pastor John typically takes his family vacation in June, it has been my privilege to preach on Father’s day for the last few years in a row. We’re usually in the middle of a sermon series when Father’s day rolls around, and this sometimes present a difficult challenge to be fair to the text while giving an emphasis that encourages fathers. I’m also aware that not everyone here today is a father, so it’s helpful if the text contains lessons that anyone can apply.
That happens to be the case with today’s text from John 13. In fact, if I had the assignment to preach a Father’s day sermon with the freedom to select any text I liked, I would probably begin at John 13. The story of Christ humbling himself to wash his disciples’ feet is full of wonderful lessons for all of us, not limited to those of us who have the privilege of being fathers.
Here Jesus perfectly personifies “loving God and serving people.” Before the end of the school year, I traded emails with a college student in our church named Anthony. He is a gifted musician and expressed interest in learning about our worship ministry this summer. Since his mom is in the choir, he attended a concert we did back in May at the retirement home just across West Circle Drive. We spent some time with the residents after the concert, and when it was time to pack up our gear to leave, I turned to him and said, “Hey, Anthony; you want to learn about ministry?” Of course, he eagerly replied, “Sure!” “Good, pick up that riser and put it in my car!” I was only partly kidding; loving God and serving people is often expressed in good, hard work.
Before we look at the lessons in today’s text, we need to pause for a moment to see where we’ve been and where we’re going in our study of John’s gospel. We began in January, and now in mid-June we’ve come to a major turning point in John’s narrative. There are some significant differences between what we’ve seen to this point and what will follow.
· Chapters 1-12 describe the events of three years; chapters 13-20 describe the events of four days.
· The first 12 chapters are spoken to the crowds; the final chapters are addressed primarily to the disciples.
· The first half of the book include specific times and locations; but chapters 13-20 are absent of time and place. Some commentators believe that this information is missing to indicate to us that the lessons of these chapters are not just for the disciples, but are universal to all Christ’s followers.
Now, I’m a visual thinker, so it’s helpful for me to visualize the events of John’s gospel in the form of an arc that begins and ends high and bottoms out in the middle. If you like, you can follow along and draw this image in your bulletin notes. In general terms, we can assign the following words to specific places on the arc:
· Incarnation describes the process of Jesus birth to the virgin Mary
· Identification describes his life among us 2000 years ago
· Substitution describes his death on our behalf, and defines the bottom of the arc
· Resurrection begins the upswing of the arc, defining his victory over death
· Exaltation completes the arc and tells of his ascension back to the throne of God in heaven.
This same arc defines the shape of the gospel of John, and can be seen in microcosm in the first chapter. Beginning at the high point in the arc, verse one tells us that:
…the Word was with God, and the Word was God (1)
John describes Christ’s identification in verse 10:
…He was in the world, (but) the world did not recognize him (10).
Verse 11 defines the bottom of the arc with the words:
…He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him (11).
The upswing on the opposite side begins with Christ sharing his resurrection power with his followers. So John writes:
…Yet to all who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God… (12).
And verse 18 reveals the full exaltation with Jesus seated again at his Father’s side:
No one has ever seen God; but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known (v. 18)
This condescension and exaltation was the theme of the worship of the early church. The arc is clearly seen again in Paul’s letters, and many scholars believe that Paul is quoting the lyrics of an early Christian hymn when he writes in Philippians 2:
“Jesus did not consider equality with God something to be grasped…”
“he made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”
“he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!”
“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name…”
“…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…”
These scriptures give us a good framework to understand the events John describes in his gospel, so let’s turn our attention now to the evening before us, described in John 13. It’s important to begin by realizing that Jesus has very little time left on earth, and he knew it. Scholars debate whether this “last supper” is actually the Passover meal or simply an evening meal the night before Passover, but in either case, Jesus has less than 48 hours to live. If you were suddenly told that you had 48 hours to live and that you were about to suffer a torturous, humiliating death, how would you react? What would be the sudden priorities that would occupy your full attention? We would probably understand if Jesus were a bit self-consumed or fearful over what was about to happen. But amazingly, this is not at all the case. John begins chapter 13 by giving us a glimpse into the mind of Jesus during these moments. He tells us four things:
“It was just before the Passover Feast.” (1)
“Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father.” (1)
“Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” (1)
“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.” (3)
The pathos and power of what is happening here is so great that we cannot fully comprehend it. Jesus was about to endure unspeakable agony; he was about to bear in his body the penalty for sin committed by every human being who ever lived. And with full awareness of what was about to happen to him,
…he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet… (v. 4-5)
Even in our own day, absent the prevailing Jewish cultural backdrop, an act like this performed by a person like this is unprecedented. There is much that we can learn from this act of humble service, so I’d like to take a few minutes to suggest some applications of this text to our lives, with special attention to the ways in which fathers can show Christ’s love to their families. The first lesson that we can draw from this text is that
Christ’s followers understand that their highest calling is love. (1)
Love is the driving force behind everything we will see in the second half of John’s gospel. Jesus’ relentless love will stand in stark contrast to the infidelity of the disciples, the hatred of the Jewish rulers and the cruelty of the Romans.
As with Jesus, our service must be motivated and empowered by love. If our service originates anywhere else or exists for our own benefit, it has become idolatry. Jon Mohr captured this thought in a song called “The Mission.”
To love the Lord our God is the heartbeat of our mission,
The spring from which our service overflows.
There are many scripture passages that give us a fuller understanding of the kind of love to which we are called as Christ’s followers. We don’t have nearly enough time to look at any of them in depth, but they describe the way Christ loves us and the way we are called to love one another. When we examine our relationships with others in the school or workplace, do our actions line up with the example of scripture? Dads, can you read 1 Corinthians 13 and say with honesty, “Yes, that’s the way I treat my family.”
I am patient, I am kind. I don’t envy, I don’t boast, I am not proud.
I am not rude or self-seeking; I am not easily angered; I don’t keep a record of when I am wronged.
That’s certainly a tall order for anyone to fill, and we all mess up from time to time. But the more time we spend with Jesus, the more we learn to follow his example of love.
A second lesson we can learn from this passage is that
Christ’s followers understand the forces that are arrayed against them. (2, 11)
Verse 2 says,
The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. (2)
Later, in verse 11, we learn that
(Jesus) knew who was going to betray him…. (11)
The text makes it clear that Jesus was completely aware of everything that was about to happen. He is not at all reactionary to the unfolding events. The plan of redemption, including his betrayal and crucifixion, is central to the plan God imagined before the world began.
I don’t want to rush past this point too quickly. What is God trying to tell us about himself that his sovereign plan from the very beginning included the substitutionary death of his Son? We tend to fall into the faulty thinking that says that God created the earth and humankind in perfection, then something terrible happened to mess it up. God then came up with “the plan of redemption” to correct the problem, and we’re impressed with God’s ingenuity to outsmart the devil that way.
But that is wrong theology. Christ’s incarnation, identification, substitution, resurrection and exaltation was “plan A,” and there never was a “plan B.” So, what is God trying to tell us about himself that he put in motion the events of his Son’s humiliation in order to establish a relationship with us? This understanding of Christ’s purpose brings us face to face with amazing grace and love.
Verse 2 tells us that Satan had arrayed himself against God’s Son and he has found a willing accomplice in Judas, the thief.
Fathers must realize that the devil wants you to fail in your mission of loving your family the way Christ loves. He wants your family to be separated from you and from God. If we are going to emulate and follow the Son of God, we will also be the subject of attack just as Jesus was. Peter warns us:
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (I Pet 5:8)
Jesus was able to endure the testing that lay before him because of his close relationship with his Father. As fathers, we can be victorious when we trust Christ and follow his example.
A third lesson we can learn from this passage is that
Verse 3 says:
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God… (3)
These verses tell us that Jesus had what every modern businessman wants: he had connections and authority; he had been prepared for this position and had a secure future. It’s fascinating to note that the very elements that sometimes lead to corruption in ordinary people led to an act of humility and love when borne by our Savior.
Are you in a position in your workplace where you have connections, power and authority? If so, do your subordinates know you as a person of grace? Do they know that you love them? The disciples were shocked by Christ’s willingness to humble himself and serve them; do the people you work with have opportunity to be shocked by your love for them?
The power that a father has in his home can be intoxicating; overwhelming. Dads, the greatest power we have is the power to love, the power to forgive, and the power to be merciful. The power that Jesus had didn’t repel people; rather they were drawn to him because of his ability to be gracious and loving. In another place, John writes:
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. (I Jn 3:18)
For each one of us, this begins by understanding our relationship with the heavenly Father and allowing his love for us to be the guide for our human relationships. It’s good for all of us to view the people in our sphere of influence and remind ourselves that we should treat them the way God has treated us.
Now I know that relationships can be very difficult and painful. Some of you may be thinking to yourself, “Well, that’s fine for him. He works in a church all day and then goes home to a great family. If he had to work with the people I work with, he’d see things differently. Some of the people in my ‘sphere of influence’ are impossible to love.”
I think that that would probably be a fair statement, except for one thing in this text: Jesus also washed Judas’ feet. If Jesus hadn’t done that, then I think we’d be justified in our resistance to that person at work who is hostile toward us or that family member who always gets on our nerves. In fact, we could all be very selective in our love to others if Jesus hadn’t messed things up by washing Judas’ ugly, treacherous feet. There is something beautifully symbolic in Jesus’ act. The scripture tells us that he laid aside his outer garment and knelt at the feet of each disciple. Perhaps our service to that person who causes us grief and pain must begin with our laying aside our anger, our frustration, our disappointment, or our right to be right.
Next we see that
Christ’s followers understand the value of humility and service. (4, 5)
Verses 4 and 5 tell us that, based on his knowledge of the devil’s plans and his relationship with the Father,
…he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (4, 5)
This was an amazing event. In all the historical writings of Israel, there is never any account of anything like this; no record exists of any rabbi ever washing his student’s feet. It was considered so demeaning that ancient rabbinical guidelines prevented masters from requiring the act from their Jewish servants. The act was only performed between equals as a sign of hospitality. The point is that Jesus didn’t do this to draw attention to himself; it was thoroughly humbling in every sense.
The other gospel writers tell us that on this same evening the disciples had been arguing about who was the greatest in the kingdom, and who was going to sit on Jesus’ right and the left side in the future. In the context of this selfishness, Jesus lowers the bar by stooping to wash the disciples’ feet. And I say “lowers the bar” because Jesus was not setting a standard of exemplary behavior that would bring honor to anyone who would duplicate his act. He was illustrating the ultimate requirement to be his follower, utter humility and selfless love.
While they were obviously unwilling to wash each other’s feet, any of them would have gladly washed Jesus’ feet. There was much personal honor to be gained by doing this. But they could not imagine a more awkward social situation than the one unfolding before them; the actions of their master and teacher completely shut the door on the possibility of any personal pride when he took the role of a servant and washed their feet. And Jesus didn’t wash their feet out of spite; his purpose was not to shame them. He knew that in the future, they would see this event looking backward through the cross. His purpose was to burn into their memories an image of perfect love.
We may be tempted to think big and dream of impressive ways we can serve one another. I want to encourage you to think small and imagine acts of love that will pass nearly unnoticed.
I saw a beautiful illustration of this loving humility when I was a teenager. I grew up with boundless admiration for my dad. We would often visit him for lunch where he worked in City Hall, and everybody knew and loved my dad. He was also a reserve Marine sergeant who worked at the Atlantic coast seal team headquarters at Little Creek. Many times as a child I watched him muster a platoon of men at the end of a day of training; in the eyes of a child, it was impressive that no one was dismissed until he said so. So you’ll have some appreciation for the impact it made on me when, the night before my senior prom, he quietly shined my dress shoes. Now, you’d have to grow up in the home of a Marine to understand that to a drill instructor, shining shoes is a sacred ritual. Every Friday night our home was filled with the smell of Brasso and shoe polish, and when a Marine DI shines your shoes, you can believe they are going to shine. That simple act of love, performed by a man of incredible influence and authority, has been the backdrop for everything I have tried to accomplish in my life. Dads, follow Jesus’ example and love your families with powerful grace, what the Bible calls “meekness.”
Finally, we see from this text that
Christ’s followers speak with kindness and act in gentleness. (6-10)
As he has so many times before, Peter steps up to take center stage and resist Jesus’ intentions. Peter’s mouth gets him in trouble when he refuses Jesus’ service. He makes three statements in this passage:
"Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"
"No…you shall never wash my feet." And then,
"…not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"
Here we have Peter at his self-willed worst. Have you noticed the number of times in the gospels where Peter calls Jesus “Lord,” then proceeds to argue with him? In the original language, placing his name next to Jesus’ name at the beginning of the sentence makes the statement highly confrontational; he literally says, “No, you my feet shall never wash!” And while we’re quick to congratulate Peter on his “my hands and my head also” comment, we should recognize that beneath the surface he’s still contradicting Jesus. I am more like Peter in my stubbornness and misunderstanding than I care to admit, but I want us to focus on Jesus’ response to him. Jesus also makes three statements:
"You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand" (7)
"Unless I wash you, you have no part with me" (8)
"A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean….” (10)
As we look at these statements one thing is immediately clear; Jesus is not talking about the act of footwashing. If he were, the first statement “You don’t know what I’m doing,” would be silly; Peter had seen footwashing throughout his entire life, so of course he knew what Jesus was doing. The phrase in the second statement “you will have no part with me” literally means “you won’t share in my inheritance.” Is Jesus threatening to write him out of the will because Peter refused to let him wash his feet? And the third statement about taking a bath is ridiculously obvious if he’s only talking about footwashing. It’s clear Jesus is talking about something greater.
Jesus act of washing the disciples’ feet was a living symbol of what was soon to happen. Jesus was pointing to his saving work on the cross when he humbled himself, took the role of a common servant and provided cleansing to others. So in the first statement, Jesus is saying that they won’t fully understand the footwashing until they experience the cross. The second statement says that unless you receive the cleansing and salvation that the cross provides, you can never be a part of me. In the third statement, Jesus tells them that salvation is a once-for-all event, but daily cleansing is essential to personal holiness.
I am not only fascinated by the content of Jesus’ words, but also by his tone. Peter was argumentative and self-promoting, but Jesus responded with kind words that elevated the conversation to the level of spiritual realities. What a wonderful example this is to us. So much can be learned about our relationship with Christ and each other by the way that we speak to one another. In Ephesians 4, Paul writes:
Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. (Eph 4:29)
Jesus will spend his final hours on earth preparing his disciples for what they are about to witness. Throughout this time, his faith in God, his obedience to God’s plan for his life and his deep love for his followers provides a wonderful pattern to us. Let us commit ourselves to following Christ’s pattern of grace and love and take this opportunity to evaluate our relationships with one another. Father’s day is a great day to give your dad a gift to express your love and gratitude; it’s also a great day for all of us to wash someone’s feet.
Bulletin Outline
Love On Its Knees
Lessons for Fathers and All Christ’s Followers
A. Christ’s followers understand that their highest calling is love (1).
B. Christ’s followers understand the forces that are arrayed against them (2, 10-11).
C. Christ’s followers allow their relationship with the heavenly Father to shape all other relationships (3).
D. Christ’s followers understand the value of humility and service (4, 5).
E. Christ’s followers speak with kindness and act in gentleness (6-10).