Today’s passage: John 13:1-20
Helpful thoughts:
- Washing feet was one of the lowest and dirtiest of tasks. No one of any importance would be expected to do such a thing. God the Son did it. He did it willingly to teach His disciples (And us) an important lesson.
- Washing the feet of His disciples was not the lowest of tasks Jesus was going to take on. Jesus used the washing of their feet to picture what He was about to do.
- To Peter, Jesus’ humble service became a stumbling block. To many others, it would have looked like foolishness.
- 1 Corinthians 1:23 – “but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.”
- If a person is unwilling to admit they need cleansed, and/or if they are unwilling to receive cleansing based on the work of someone else (Especially in the form of a man dying on a cross), that person will not be saved.
- We have all sinned. We cannot cleanse ourselves. We cannot decide how we ought to be cleansed. We must repent and believe. (John 14:6)
Questions to consider:
- How is the heart of Christ for his people evidenced in verse 1? As big and amazing as God is, what comfort and encouragement can we receive knowing that God cares for us (1 Peter 5:7)?
- Since washing the disciples’ feet wasn’t the lowest task Jesus took on, what was? What was the greatest humiliation and suffering that Jesus experienced, which was also His glorification? What did Jesus do for you?
- If Jesus washed His disciples’ feet and if He died on the cross for you and me, what are we to learn about service?