How Low Will You Go

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 

Transcript

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So, as Jesus' public ministry closes, and the Apostle John turns now to the last day before Jesus dies, he looks back and says, In all his ministry, Jesus has been showing peculiar, revealing, saving, forgiving, patient, confirming, and guiding love to his own, having loved his own who were in the world. Now that's what he's been doing, and John looks forward from this point and says that Jesus will now love them to the end. He loved them to the end. Well hello everyone and welcome to Fill the Lamp. I'm Neil Parks, and it's so good to have you here today with me. We are in the Gospel of John and we are getting into chapter thirteen today. So let's begin as John is talking here about Jesus' unique and special love for his people. Jesus is like a husband, you might say, who has a unique love for his wife. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. Everything we see him doing now in chapter thirteen is part of this love. And if you belong to Jesus, my listener, you are to feel everything He says and does here as He is saying it directly to you, and it's done for you in a very intentional, personal, effective way. So here's a question mark for you. Who represents Jesus? So now I believe Jesus has been the example as to what kind of person they should be if they are going to represent him. Jesus says Truly, truly I say to you whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Now in other words, he is saying something like this When I send you out in my name under my authority and with my word you represent me. You represent me in such a way that if someone welcomes you and your message you bring, they welcome me. And if they welcome me, they welcome my father as well. Indeed. He becomes their father, as I have promised. To all who receive me, Jesus is saying, God has give the right to become children of God. Now that's how I planned it. Receive my representative and receive me. So now Jesus is telling us, he says, So realize this, my disciples. I am preparing and authorizing you for an unspeakably high calling. If someone receives you they receive God. There isn't a higher human calling than to represent me in this way. Now that's what he's saying. That is where this passage is going today, to climact weighty words where he says truly, truly I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me and whoever receives me receives the one who I sent, and that's you or I. Now what kind of a person ought they be or we be in order to carry out this highest calling? And the crystal clear answer to that is the answer that lies on the surface for all to see at the first reading. They are to be the kind of a person who goes low and in humble service, not the kind of a person who is puffed up by his or her amazing rank, you might say, and the great privilege of his calling. Now that's the main point of this text. I am giving you a spectacularly high standing as my representatives see Jesus' saying The one who receives you receives God, and I am showing you that the only people who qualify for this high standing are those who go low in humble service. So now we could state this general point like this Christians of high standing should give themselves gladly to lowly serving. Now Jesus makes this point with an acted out lesson. Here in verses two and three of chapter thirteen John describes how high Jesus is, and the higher one is it is often the case the more embattled one is. That's the case here. Now during supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to depre to betray Jesus. Now Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he could come from God and was going back to God. Now this point here is that Jesus has the highest rank imaginable. In verse three in the first part, Jesus says all things given into his hands from God and are going to God, opposed by the God of this world Satan. So the point is Jesus is the highest his rank is the highest. But then in verse four describes how he goes low. He rose from the supper, he laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel he tied it around his waist that night. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with a towel that was wrapped around him. So now go to verses twelve and sixteen here in chapter thirteen. Here Jesus gives a crystal clear explanation of what he was doing in washing the disciples' feet. So now when he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place with them, he said to them, Do you understand what I have done for you? You call me teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. In other words, I have a high standing, a high rank in relation to you. If I then your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, if I from my high standing have gone low in serving, you also ought to wash one another's feet. You should go low too, for I have given you an example that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you a servant is not greater than his master, nor a messenger sent greater than the one who sent him. So this is really clear, my listeners, Jesus is high, his rank is high, his standing is high, and therefore by ordinary standards of this world he should be served. But instead he contradicts the ordinary standard of this world and serves. From his height he goes low. From his high standing he goes lowly to serving. I say let's pray. Father God, we're here right now in this place, wherever it might be, to my listeners. I lift them up to you, Lord. I lift them up in humility. I lift them up to be humble, to represent you, because of who you are, you are the highest of all. You are the creator. Father God, I praise you, and we come before you on our knees, wanting to serve you, that you would get the glory for everything, Lord, that is going on as we serve you, and we do this in your precious name, Jesus. Amen and amen. Well, my listeners, it's been wonderful again to be with you. It's always that way for me. And so until next time, Maranatha, I'm Neil Parks.