let us not passover His example

It was the time of Passover...
when Jesus knew
that His hour had come
that He should depart
from this world to the Father,
having loved His own
who were in the world,
He loved them to the end.
John 13:1 NKJV

As Jesus and His disciples
sat down in celebration
of the Passover meal
they remembered the
faithfulness of God
as His delivered the Israelites
from slavery in Egypt.

God had asked the Israelites
long ago, to do the unreasonable...
Only those who by faith
placed the blood of a lamb
above their door could cause
the angel of death,
a promised plague to Egypt,
to PASSOVER their home
and spare the life
of their firstborn child.

Blood was used for sacrifice
to cover sin on the altar,
and then to spare life
at the Passover.

And now Jesus as and
His disciples celebrated
this Passover meal, something
different occurred.

Jesus, knowing
that the Father had given
all things into His hands, and
that He had come from God
and was going to God,
rose from supper and
laid aside His garments,
took a towel and girded Himself.

After that,
He poured water into a basin
and began to wash
the disciples’ feet,
and to wipe them
with the towel with which
He was girded.
John 13:3-5

Foot washing was not
part of the Passover tradition.

It was, actually, more typical
of a servant to wash the feet of
the guests to a home as they arrived.
And it would most often occur
before a meal.

However, these men
were not in each others home.
They were in the upper room
of a stranger's home.

And there wasn't a servant
to wash their feet as they arrived.

So they just sat down to eat...
dirty feet and all.

But here we see Jesus...
getting up as they are eating,
maybe just as they finished
and He readied Himself
for the servant role.

But look what it said before.
Jesus, knowing...
For this is important that
we discover Jesus revealing
His identity first.

Jesus, knowing
that the Father had given
all things into His hands, and
that He had come from God
and was going to God,

Jesus wass secure in His IDENTITY.
He knew that the Father
had given everything into
His hands... He had AUTHORITY
to do as He wished.
And He wished to use His hands
as those of a servant.

Jesus knew WHO He was...
WHERE He came from,
and WHERE He was going.

And still, He humbled Himself
to serve others, because it did not
dimishish who He was.

Jesus displays for us
in this moment,
that those whom He served
were not taking anything from Him...
He was giving it.

Because remember
the first words before the meal...
when Jesus knew
that His hour had come
that He should depart
from this world to the Father,
having loved His own
who were in the world,
He loved them to the end.

Amazingly, Jesus realized
He was about to depart
for the cross,
yet He had the peace of mind,
to give this display
that they would need later
to make sense of it all.

And look at this
marvelous picture He paints.

He rose
from His throne in Heaven,
laying aside His garments,
laying down His glory,
took a towel and girded himself,
put on the form of a human,
and became a servant.

After that,
He poured water into a basin
and began to wash...
He poured out His blood
and cleansed us from sin.

For I have given you
an example,
that you should do
as I have done to you.
Most assuredly, I say to you,
a servant is not greater
than his master;
nor is he who is sent greater
than he who sent him.
If you know these things,
blessed are you if you do them.
John 13:15-17 NKJV

I am simply overwhelmed
by all that Jesus has done
for me.

How does a God
so majestic, so creative,
so powerful and so amazing...
remain so faithful, so loving,
so just and so true,
to humble Himself as a servant
washing feet, cleansing sin?

Let us never forget,
that He has asked us too,
as disciples, to serve and give
in this same way.

For we we must first know
who we are,
and where we are going.

Let us not forget
all He has done for us
that we become so entangled
in this world, with its
issues, politics, and sides...
disconnect and dangling,
​lost and lonely, like sheep.

We cannot let our views
of humanity reflect upon God.
We cannot let our tainted,
flawed and skeptical ideals
be the perspective by which
we frame Him.

He is not created
in our image...
we were created in His.

Let us never confuse the two.

For...
He cannot be contained.
He cannot be measured,
He cannot be understood.

He can only be accepted
and taken by faith.

Poured out,
overflowing,
washing us clean...
amazingly clean.

Word of God
train me today...
To accept all that You willingly offer,
even when I cannot full conceive of it.

To serve others in the manner that
You taught Your disciples to serve.