Jesus Revealed Pt. 13 - No Greater LoveSample

Jesus washes the disciples' feet  

Thoughts on the Passage

Washing the disciples feet. At first we think it is a just a statement about being a servant. It is that. Jesus makes it clear that servant leadership is what He wants of His disciples. That means that we take being a servant more seriously than it looks to the world. They see it as something that we do on occasion where leaders show they are part of a team. It means serving the people underneath us. It means being willing to have a heart of a servant no matter when or what the situation may be. 

Jesus washing the disciples’ feet is much more than just being a servant. It is about becoming clean. They argued about who was the greatest – it was a pride thing. Jesus wants to wash that away – He wants them to repent and He wants to forgive them. Washing their feet makes the disciples respond to the humility of Jesus. They recognize their failure and what Jesus has to do for them – it humbles them. They repent. They become clean.

 

But not all of them.
Judas had a bigger problem. It went deeper. It had grown roots inside him. Simple washing could not break the hold of sin on his life. For the other disciples, it was something that did not define their hearts. For Judas, it was a heart issue. 

In Hebrews, we read that we need to watch out because a root of bitterness can spring up within us. Someone says or does something that hurts us deeply. If we choose to hold it, then it grows roots that defile us from within. It does not just defile us, it can affect many people around. It can damage children, marriages, work environments, churches…. It can cause us to say and do things that we would never do. Judas betrayed his Lord and he committed suicide. He would never have thought he would do that. That is what a root of bitterness can do.

Application

Take time today to ask God if there is any hurt or offense that someone has done to us that still has a root in our lives. Let the Holy Spirit expose it. Release forgiveness to the person/people who did it. If you need help – go meet with a pastor or spiritual leader and have them help you walk through it.

If you get a chance today – wash someone’s feet. Do it literally or symbolically. Serve them in a deep, humbling and loving manner.

Time to Pray

Father, as I look at my life today, I ask that You expose any hurt or wound that I still have not addressed. I do not want it to infect or build a root of bitterness. I do not want to look back over my day, week, month, year, life-time and see the damage that it did to my life and the life of those around me. I want to deal with it now. It just needs to be washed. I just need to see Jesus washing my feet – and I am clean. I know it is not an issue of my heart – yet. And I want it to keep it from putting roots in my life. I want it washed away. Wash me I pray. In Jesus’ name, Amen.