John 13:8
"Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet.
Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not,
thou hast no part with me."
At first Peter refuses to allow Jesus to wash his feet. Jesus tells him that unless he accepts this washing, he will have no part with him. Peter then begs that not only his feet, but his hands and his head should also be washed. But Jesus tells him that it is enough that his feet should be washed. The difficult sentence and the one with an inner meaning, is: "Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all," (John 13:10). My Friends, Jesus said that because He knew who would betray Him.
Let's look at this event in three ways: (1) Was Peter rejecting salvation from his sins by not wanting Jesus to wash his feet? The word "wash" or "washing" represents free forgiveness or pardon from sin, and the "newness of life." (2) Did Peter look at this as a physical cleansing instead of spiritual? If so Peter was focused on himself, and missed the whole point of Christ's illustration; "that being Humility." (3) Jesus warned Peter that he would be disobeying the Lord if he did not allow the Lord to wash his feet. In other words , Peter would be standing apart from Christ, renouncing Him as Lord.
My Friends, when you are standing in Church during the Alter call and you know the Holy Spirit is working in your heart, drawing you to Jesus Christ, or your are backsliding into your old nature. The three statements above could fall on you like they could have fallen upon Peter, but Peter excepted and wanted to be washed all over his body. My Friend, what will be your choice?
Jesus was well aware that he was about to be betrayed. His knowledge of being betrayed. might so easily have turned Him to bitterness and hatred; but it made His heart run out in greater love than ever. The astounding thing was that the more men hurt Him, the more Jesus loved them. It is so easy and so natural to resent wrong and to grow bitter under insult and injury; but Jesus met the greatest injury and the supreme disloyalty, with the greatest humility and the supreme love. The nearer we are to suffering humanity, the nearer we are to God.
Amen!
Reading: (John 13:1-20)
Ref: (HG SB)
Let's look at this event in three ways: (1) Was Peter rejecting salvation from his sins by not wanting Jesus to wash his feet? The word "wash" or "washing" represents free forgiveness or pardon from sin, and the "newness of life." (2) Did Peter look at this as a physical cleansing instead of spiritual? If so Peter was focused on himself, and missed the whole point of Christ's illustration; "that being Humility." (3) Jesus warned Peter that he would be disobeying the Lord if he did not allow the Lord to wash his feet. In other words , Peter would be standing apart from Christ, renouncing Him as Lord.
My Friends, when you are standing in Church during the Alter call and you know the Holy Spirit is working in your heart, drawing you to Jesus Christ, or your are backsliding into your old nature. The three statements above could fall on you like they could have fallen upon Peter, but Peter excepted and wanted to be washed all over his body. My Friend, what will be your choice?
Jesus was well aware that he was about to be betrayed. His knowledge of being betrayed. might so easily have turned Him to bitterness and hatred; but it made His heart run out in greater love than ever. The astounding thing was that the more men hurt Him, the more Jesus loved them. It is so easy and so natural to resent wrong and to grow bitter under insult and injury; but Jesus met the greatest injury and the supreme disloyalty, with the greatest humility and the supreme love. The nearer we are to suffering humanity, the nearer we are to God.
Amen!
Reading: (John 13:1-20)
Ref: (HG SB)
May God Bless You
And Your Family
Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.
The Cross Life Ministry
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