The Way of the Master - Part 3
Larry D. Kettle January 1, 2017
Larry D. Kettle January 1, 2017
“Do you
understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that
is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your
feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an
example that you should do as I have done for you. 16
I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a
messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know
these things, you will be blessed if you do them. [1]
This would be the last lesson that the
Master teacher would teach his disciples before he rose from the dead. It was a
radical teaching and that wasn’t a new thing.
The disciples were often cut to their very hearts, as the Master would
lay open their wrong motives, their pride, and their lust for power. It was
uncanny how he could always see right through them and though they would often
feel exposed by the truth of his teaching, they would also feel covered and
comforted by the grace and gentleness of his authoritative delivery.
There was a difference in his voice
this time. It was beginning to sound
sorrowful and there was a greater earnestness as He delivered every word as if
it were the last words they would ever hear from him. Their ears were more attentive than usual on
this occasion as the mood of the room became markedly more and more somber. It
was unmistakable this teaching was different and presented in a way that would
be impossible to forget. Jesus had
illustrated the teaching non- verbally and now he confirmed it with conviction.
“Now that I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you should wash one
another’s feet.” The words hit like a hammer on a spike as each one
reverberated through the ears of those twelve stunned men. These words would echo again and again, as
they would later fulfill the mission that the Master had called them to. This was the key teaching. They knew that it was against everything that
they had ever been taught before. Radical!
This idea that to be great you had to be a servant of everyone could
have been dismissed as one of the Rabbi’s off days in teaching if only he
hadn’t washed all of their feet before he opened his mouth! He hadn’t resigned
his position as Master, Rabbi, Teacher and He hadn’t retracted his claims of
being the Messiah and he certainly couldn’t undo all of the mighty miracles
that had been performed. His example made the lesson powerful and it impacted
every one of them deeply and personally. It is likely that their minds went
back to all of the arguments that they had as they traveled from one town to
another. With each step the Master took
towards Jerusalem their hearts pounded with the anticipation of the power that
Jesus would be sure to use to over throw the oppressive Roman government. He had shown his stern side as He overturned
the tables of the moneychangers! The
powerful Sanhedrin certainly didn’t intimidate him and they were convinced that
the Romans would be no different. It was part of their nature to negotiate
fiercely. They didn’t think they were arguing.
They had just been passionately negotiating their rightful places in the
upcoming restoration of David’s royal Kingdom!
And now here He was challenging their
core values! They were so convicted and uncomfortable with what He was teaching
knowing that they had fallen short of it already. Peter wash Andrew’s feet? The sons of thunder humiliate themselves by
stooping to wash the feet of a tax collector? But then He identified himself
again as their Lord and Teacher and clearly stated that they were not greater
than He was. Why did He need to go to
that level? He could have described it
in another parable? He was usually so nuanced leaving them to ponder the deeper
meaning but not this time! It was
unmistakable. He really and truly
expected them to do what He had just done.
He was promising that they would be
blessed if they would do as He had instructed.
When they left their former lives to follow this teacher they had no
idea what they were signing up for!
Something was not fitting!
Somehow they had gauged things incorrectly and as Jesus finished his
teaching and the meal began they were certain that things were not going to turn
out the way they had planned!
As the meal progressed Jesus announced
that He would be betrayed by one of them!
How could that be? Surely He
would know who it was! He had washed the
feet of all twelve of them and you would think that if He would have already
identified and expelled anyone that He knew would betray Him and especially
before He washed their feet! But there
wasn’t an empty chair! All of the seats
were occupied and so preposterous as it seemed it was one of them!
None of them planned to run away and
huddle together in fear! Peter certainly
didn’t see himself ever betraying his Lord but here Jesus was telling them that
they would do the very things that they would never believe possible!
Jesus taught them about where he was
going in answer to their questions and about the Holy Spirit that He would send
them. In spite of the obvious burden
that He was carrying He is comforting them and even sang with them before he
led them out to the garden to pray.
Things would be different now! All of them knew it down to the core! Though
there was confusion and sorrow in their hearts there was still that clearly
stated hope that he had left them with.
This New Year marked by the Month of
Nisan and the first new crescent moon would be a different Passover! It was so hard to go through what they were
about to encounter but it became so clear as each teaching was applied and each
prophecy was fulfilled!
They had no idea the depth of trials
they were about to experience but the road to their ultimate triumph led
through the trials they would endure. Unlike the other eleven disciples, Judas
was more loyal to his own agenda than he was to the Messiah so when he could
see that it wasn’t going the way he wanted he tried to force his own way on
Jesus by setting up a confrontation with the Romans that he assumed would put
Jesus in a position to use his power to begin the revolution that would fulfill
the prophecies. Judas was the only
disciple who ultimately had regrets. The
other eleven, if you were to ask them if they would do it again I think they
would reply a thousand times yes, yes, yes!
So now dear listener where would you
place yourself in this story? Would see
yourself as eager to have your feet washed by Jesus Himself? Would you be the
first in line to take a hold of a pair of putrid smelling and awfully dirty
feet and wash them? Would you wash the
feet of the disciple that you had an argument with earlier? Would you be anxious to follow the example
that the Master Teacher had set?
What would you do? How would you feel? The challenge of the Master is still relevant
for believers who are true disciples today.
If you want an adventure that is just a temporary thrill ride this is
not a trip for you! If you want a little
cup of joy now and then mixed in with some heavenly peace you will be
disappointed but if you are willing to follow the ultimate example the Master
set for us then you will be blessed as He had promised. Blessed beyond
measure! Blessed beyond belief! The road to this blessing is called the Greater
way, the way of serving, the way of the Master.
Comments
Post a Comment