A Thought a Day...
Thursday, August 26, 2004
"When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. " John 13:12
I can just imagine the buzz in the upper room as the disciples are whispering among themselves about what was going on. Throughout the Gospels there is more written about Peter than the other disciples, we get occasional glimpses into the thoughts of the other disciples. But the majority of other disciples we never read about their thoughts and actions. Some of them must have had similar thoughts to Peter when the Lord washed their feet: Thoughts that amounted to, "What in the world are you doing?" Others must have been in shock at the Lord's actions. Others may have simply accepted the Lord's act at face value without much thought.
Now the Lord asks a simple question. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" I know my answer would have been, "Sure, you just washed my feet. Thanks." I'm so doggone literal that I probably would have missed the point. So how many times do I miss the point? How many times do I go through life with the Lord doing wonderful things for me and I don't get it? How many times does the King of the Universe give me a precious gift and lesson and I just totally miss the point? I'm sure it's often.
Father, you do so much for me. You give me so many blessings. And while I can't always answer the question, "Do you understand what I've done for you?", I will try to pay more attention. Open my eyes and open my heart. Help me to humbly ask the question of myself. Help me to reflect the example of servanthood to the people who cross my path.
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
"Jesus answered, 'A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.' For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean." John 13:10-11
Jesus is in the process of washing the feet of the disciples and Peter has refused. When Christ tells him that unless he is willing to allow the Lord to wash his feet, then he cannot have any part of Him... Peter responds by asking for the Lord to wash not only his feet, but his hands and feet as well. That brings me to these verses.
This verse is an important one for me. The Lord tells Peter that He only needs to wash his feet, not give him a bath. Why? Because the Lord knows his heart, and knows that Peter has a clean one. This is Peter. This is the one disciple who other than Judas who would fail miserably in his walk with the Lord. In the next few hours Peter will dishonor the Lord's request to pray with him during an hour of need; cut off the ear of the High Priest's servant;and deny with cursing and swearing that he even knows the Lord. Yet, the Lord says he knows Peter is clean... That only his feet are dirty. Who is Jesus referring to as unclean? Judas, as John mentions after the fact, is the one who is engaging in a plot to betray the Lord and put Him to death.
When I was a kid, I used to have a pretty stark image of the Great Judgment that will take place when I die or when the Lord returns. I used to imagine that I would be standing before the Lord and on a blackboard (OK, I'm old) one side would have a tick mark for everything that I did wrong and the other side of the board would have a tick mark for everything I did good. Whichever side had the most tick marks determines where I would spend eternity. Sounds OK... But it's very wrong. This verse proves it.
I've come to realize that my salvation is more like an accounting ledger. There is a very powerful exercise that I've done when facilitating a class called Search for Significance. It involves taking a ledger sheet and dividing that sheet into four columns. Column one is marked "Things I've Done Wrong". Column Two is the Debit Column. In the first column I write down everything that I can think of that I've done wrong. In the second column I give that wrong a point value. It's a powerful exercise and never fails to bring tears. I have to use a lot of sheets when I do this. The point total is staggering. The exercise would be pretty depressing if I stopped there... But this is only the first part of it.
When I've listed all the sins in my life and assigned a point value for how serious it is, then the third and fourth columns are labeled. Column three is labeled "Covered by the blood of Christ" and column four is labeled "Net". I then go down every line of the ledger, and whatever the value is in column two is entered into column three. Column four nets out to be a zero! The exercise is graphic proof that no matter how much I've done wrong, it's covered by the blood of Christ. I can never act so bad that Christ can't take care of it. How cool is that?
Christ is telling Peter, he's already taken a bath. His feet are dirty. Clean the feet and the rest of the body doesn't need to be washed. I need to not get down on myself when I really mess up. I just need to remember that I've already taken a bath... A bath in the blood of Jesus Christ. My soul is clean, I just need to wash my feet. How? I John 1:9 has the answer. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. "
Father, I'm blown away by how much you have done for me. Today I wash my feet by confessing my failures to live the way you want me to live. Now wash my feet. Cleanse me from the dirt in my life. Make me clean once again. And by the way, thank you.
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
'No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me. "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!' John 13:8,9.
The narrative is pretty clear to this point, the Lord is in the process of washing the feet of the disciples in the upper room. He has come to Peter. Peter has asked the Lord if he was going to wash his feet, and the Lord's response was yes and that he would eventually understand His actions.
Even though the Lord has said to Pete, trust me... Peter's response is "No Way!". It strikes me as strange that Peter would be so headstrong on this. It hadn't been that long ago that when the Lord said "Trust me", Pete stepped out of a boat in the middle of a storm. But to be honest, I can relate. I like to do the spectactular... the seemingly impossible. My job often involves doing things that everyone else has said can't be done. But Peter has always been a bit headstrong and impulsive. In a few hours he will attempt to defend the Lord with violence in the garden as he cuts off the ear of High Priests Servant. Peter is a man of action. My kind of guy.
But for Peter at this time, the Lord wants him to ministered to. The Lord's response is Unless you let me wash your feet, you can't be in the club. Well, not exactly, but close enough. When Peter finally realizes that he won't be able to get out of this, he not only gives in, but says wash my heads and my hands, too. Isn't that like Peter? Isn't that like me? If a little is good (washing my feet) then give me a bath! That may have been what Peter wanted, but it isn't what he needed.
I have a picture that hangs in my office at home. It shows a businessman who has had an obviously tough day. He is sitting in his office chair turned so that his right elbow is resting on the arm of his chair, his head in his hand. As his feet are extended next to the desk, the Lord is washing them. I love that picture. Now, I need to understand it.
The Servant by Ron Cianni
The lesson for me is that I don't always have to be out working hard to be in the presence of the Lord. And I don't always have to be so immersed in that activity to get what I really need. Let me think about that for today... I really need to look at myself. The Lord explains more to Peter in the next verses. That's tomorrow... today... I have enough to think about.
Father, I'm always wanting to be the minister and not the ministered. It's like the faster I go the more I'm pleasing you. But you are showing me that there are times when I need to listen and receive rather than talk and do. Lord, I'll let you minister to me... It's not easy. But, thank you.
