Come with me and see (John 13:5) Jesus on His knees washing the feet of Judas. What is going through your mind as you hear the water splashing and see the sand and dirt washed away from 24 feet? What is going on in the minds of His disciples as they feel the soothing water? Do they have any thought for the feet of Jesus? Are they embarrassed that they had been too proud for such a menial task? Knowing that disloyal Judas would betray Him, why did Jesus (John 6: 70) choose Judas as one of the twelve disciples? Because Jesus came to die, it was necessary to have a betrayer to hand Him over to the religious rulers. O.K. that being understood and settled, why did Jesus wash the feet of Judas?
Because, even though Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him, Jesus would not betray/expose Judas to the other disciples. Jesus protected Judas from the other disciples so that nothing would interfere with God’s pre-ordained plan. Then (John 13:27) Jesus turned Judas over to Satan so that (John 17:1) His hour could come. Every detail of the perfection of God’s exact timing.
Man shall not live only by bread alone but (Deuteronomy 8:3) by every Word that God speaks and has spoken and we must not neglect His word but listen, heed and obey it. Before it was written with wonderful insight, Job said (Job 23:12) that God’s Words were more important and a much greater treasure to him than his necessary food. Is that how deeply and strongly we understand and treasure the Living Word of Almighty God? Jesus told us (John 15:26) that a servant is not greater than his lord, not superior to his master. Do we have a Guard for our mouth and (Psalms 141:3) a Watch for the door of our lips? Jesus did not gossip about Judas or anyone else. If Jesus had something to say to the Pharisees, His disciples, anyone, He said it to their face, never behind their back. Are we quick to judge, to criticize or eager to spread gossip? Are we always ready for a prayer meeting but never ready to wash smelly feet or clean dirty boots or some such menial chore?
Jesus said (Luke 22:26) that greatness does not come from being too proud to stoop to serve others, greatness is achieved by genuine humility with which we take our place where God has put us and immediately obey the Lord in whatever He tells us to do. Jesus lived among us (Matthew 20:28) as One Who serves and He is the King of eternity, the King of Glory. If we refuse to be servants for our Master by submitting to obey Him, are we not foolishly and dangerously setting ourselves above our Master? He has already told us plainly that definitely we are not nor ever could be. If anyone (Galatians 6:3) thinks he is something, somebody of importance, he is nothing except in his own opinion and he deceives only himself. We have (1 Corinthians 2:16) the mind of Christ which is the Source and Control of all that we desire, and think, and do we become one with the purpose of God’s heart?
Why do fanatics of false religions persecute Christians? Because they believe (Matthew 27:63) in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and they fear His power which will destroy them and their religion. We need to pray for them. God’s Truth will triumph. To be afraid of poisonous snakes is a healthy protecting fear. To be afraid of Christians who have the salvation message of Jesus, is a satanic deceiving destroying fear. (Oswald Chambers) “The Cross is the Centre of Time and Eternity. It is the Gateway whereby any person in the human race can get into union with God”.
(Dr. Swindoll) “God works in the inscrutable to accomplish the incredible”. God used the same Red Sea (Exodus 14:28-29) to destroy the Egyptian enemies and to make a path of dry ground for the Jews in the depths of those very waters. In these all things, God works them together for His intended purpose.
Easter tells us that the Lamb of God (John 1:29) not only takes away the sin of the world, He will not only (Revelation 21:5) make all things new – BUT – His Resurrection power is so encompassing that He will redeem the world and restore it back to the beauty and perfection and holiness of God’s original Creation. The redeemed world will be a world where sin and death will never exist.
What a marvellous and solid reason for us now (1 Corinthians 15:31) to die to self, daily, and (Colossians 1:27) live in constant victory. In the ‘all things’ God works time and circumstances of life together in a pattern and order to achieve His original intended purpose.
God can use the sin of unbelievers in His plans. For instance – If not for the sin of Joseph’s jealous brothers who sold him as a slave into Egypt, Joseph would never have become the Prime Minister of Egypt.
We who are (John 3:7) truly born again from above, God makes (2 Corinthians 5:17) new creations in Christ Jesus. Then, like (Mark 2:22) drinkers of new wine, we ae able to take, absorb, be increasingly filled with the new wine, the illuminating Truth of God’s Word which the Holy Spirit continues to administer with growing clarity and life. As new creations we have no thirst or desire for the old wine. The new wine is the Living Water (John 7:38) which is received from Jesus; It is Life-giving – deepening relationship with Him.
While I was meditating a little song began to form in my heart and then bounced into my mind for me to sing.
Keep our heart-fire burning
While are days are turning,
While we wait for Jesus here
We must live for Him
While our hearts are yearning,
For our Lord’s Returning,
We, must shine out to all the world
The grace and beauty of our King
We must walk humbly with our God and never let our feelings murder our God-given motives and desires. We are appointed to live (Ephesians 1:12) for the praise of God’s glory.