He paid the bride price for us

 

But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. --Hebrews 11:16

My wife has become interested in a series originally aired on Lifetime Network called Married at First Sight.  In this series, a minister, a marriage counselor, and a psychologist find people in big cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago who are fed up with the dating scene.  These volunteers agree to be married to someone they have never met.  The team acts as matchmakers, getting profiles of men and women, and matching them according to certain criteria or algorithms.

The couples first meet on their wedding day, then the cameras follow them for a month to see how they are faring.  It is a legally binding marriage, so the only way out is divorce.  Unfortunately, only about 1 in 7 of these marriages succeed.  The obstacles they must overcome include forced intimacy (they must go from strangers to friends to lovers in a very short period of time); unsupportive friends and family members (who are usually against the idea that their son or daughter would agree to marry someone they had just met, and so they undermine the relationship from the start); and a modern culture that is not accustomed to arranged marriages but is quite accustomed to quick and easy divorce.

As I read the passage in John 14:1-11, I thought of this cable television series, and of the ancient Jewish betrothal rituals.  I found the following description from the website RuthsRoad.org, which is an excerpt from a book entitled Finding the Afikomen by Christie Eisner.

First, the parents of the bride would be summoned and their permission would be sought. If they agreed, the bride was brought out and the hopeful bridegroom would pour a cup of wine known as “the cup of betrothal.” If she accepts the proposal, she would say yes by drinking the cup of wine that was set before her. Once the bride drank this cup, the engagement was official, and the contractual phase of the wedding was initiated. A mohar or bride price was paid to the girl’s parents and the ketubah, or contract, with the pledge of the groom to care for her, was signed. Now they were legally married and would have to go through a divorce to dissolve the marriage. This explains the situation of Joseph and Mary who were legally betrothed when Mary was pregnant with Jesus, but the consummation part of the wedding had not yet taken place. The bridegroom then leaves gifts for the bride as a pledge to return for her in the future. He then leaves her to go build a bridal chamber on His father’s house to bring her to, for the second part of the wedding known as the consummation. When would he be back for her? No one knew but his father, who had to inspect the chamber. Once it met his specifications, he would release his son to go get his bride. The common saying was, “no man knows the day or hour, only the father.” This was the phrase, or idiom, that Jewish people in Jesus’ day would understand to be talking about the time when the bridegroom would go to kidnap his bride. While the bridegroom was away, the bride spent the time sewing her wedding garments and preparing to be a wife. From the day of her betrothal, she was set apart and was veiled when she went in public because she was known as, “not [her] own, [she was] bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Then, when the groom’s father was satisfied that all was in order, usually within a year, the friends of the bridegroom would blow a shofar and proclaim in the streets, “Behold the bridegroom cometh!” And the bridegroom would go forth with a procession to the bride’s house, usually at midnight, and “abduct the bride.” That is the reason he was called, “the thief in the night” because he came suddenly at an hour unknown to the bride and she had to be watching and living with the expectation that he was coming any minute. 

Let's read the passage in John 14 now, and see if you can pick up on the parallels that I saw.

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."  --John 14:1-4

If you remember the words of Jesus at the end of chapter 13, you will recall that Jesus had told them all at once that: 1) He was to leave them, and "where I am going, you cannot come"; 2) That they would all fall away; 3)That Peter would deny Him 3 times.  These revelations had to weigh heavy on the disciples' hearts.  That's why Jesus's next words are, "Let not your heart be troubled."

"Cheer up," He tells them.  "You already believe (or have faith in) God; then show that same faith and belief in Me."  Then He likens Himself to a bridegroom who has chosen a bride.  They have already shared the "cup of betrothal" at the Passover meal.  He is now giving them gifts as He prepared to shed His blood as the "bride price" to secure their future.  Now He was telling them that He was going away to prepare a dwelling place for them in His Father's house, and that He would come back and take them all home with Him one day.

The word translated "mansions" is probably better thought of as rooms or apartments.  The Greek word that John uses is only used one other time in the New Testament, in verse 23.  There, Jesus says "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him."  Here the word translated home connotes a permanent residence, not necessarily a "mansion."  Bible Commentator David Guzik echoes the sentiments of earlier Greek translators when he says, "In light of the ancient Greek, mansions is better translated “dwelling places.” The noun mone (connected to the verb meno, “stay” or “remain”) means “a place to stay.” In light of God’s nature, it is better to translate it mansions. Whatever dwelling place God has for us in heaven, it will be as glorious as a mansion."

So Jesus describes His leaving to build for us a permanent residence in a glorious city.  Then He gives this guarantee: "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, so that where I am, there you may be also."  Knowing this as our calm assurance, our troubled hearts are troubled no more.

Reading further,

Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show me the Fahter'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves."  (John 14:5-11)

The disciples had this annoying habit of completely missing the point of what Jesus was trying to say. Spurgeon once said thank God they did not understand, that they were able to ask Jesus questions, because in those answers we really see the heart of Jesus.

First Thomas, missing entirely the analogy of the Bridegroom (perhaps because he was male and could not fully identify with the role as a bride), seeks clarification of Jesus's last sentence, "Where I go you know, and the way you know."  Wait, what?  Jesus, I love You, Man, but we don't know where you're going, much less the way.

Jesus makes a clarifying statement that is our statement of faith:  "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except by Me."  David Guzik writes this: 

Jesus didn’t say that He would show us a way; He said that He is the way. He didn’t promise to teach us a truth; He said that He is the truth. Jesus didn’t offer us the secrets to life; He said that He is the life.

I’m wandering about; I don’t know where I’m going. Jesus is the way.

I’m confused; I don’t know what to think. Jesus is the truth.

I’m dead inside and don’t know if I can go on. Jesus is the life.

Jesus's exclusive claim to be the only way to the Father was followed immediately by His own claim to deity: If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.  Another disciple, Philip, makes a statement that he believes makes him seem religious.  "Lord, just show us the Father."  Let us see God, and we will be satisfied.

Jesus's answer must have been with a roll of the eyes--at least that is the way I read it in my human mind, will, and emotions.  I don't know--maybe Jesus had more patience that I have.  But it really sounds like Jesus was gently mocking Philip.  "After all the time we spent together, Philip, you still don't know Me?  Over and over you've heard Me say, 'I and the Father are one.'  So how can you still act like you haven't seen God in Me?  You've seen all the miraculous works I did.  I did those miracles not on My own authority but with God working through Me.  So you can either believe that the Father is in Me, or you can believe in Me because of the miracles themselves."

Jesus is God in the flesh, the Son of Man spoken of by the prophet Ezekiel and Daniel.  Moses spoke of Him in Deuteronomy 18:18, "I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him."  He is the Angel of the Lord who wrestled with Jacob and who led the armies of Joshua.  Every time Jesus used the phrase, I AM, He affirmed His deity--"I AM the way, I AM the truth, I AM the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me."

How can you hear the words of Jesus and see the works of Jesus without seeing God Himself?  Colossians 1:15 says, "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation."  Hebrews 1:3 says,  "Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." Jesus Himself is the image of God Himself.  If we, who are made in the image of God, dwell in the house of God as the bride of His Son, then we are in a sacred and secure place indeed, because God hates divorce, and He will never break His vows.

Worship Him in the Glory of Holiness Among Holy People

Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him. -- Isaiah 43:7

When a Jewish family is getting ready to celebrate the Passover, they follow the command to rid the household of all leaven (or yeast).  This doesn't just mean they take the package of baker's yeast out of the cupboard and throw it away.  It doesn't just mean that they discard all the sliced bread, biscuits, rolls, croutons, or any other bread-like food (such as cookies, cakes, crackers and the like).

What it actually means is that they thoroughly sweep up all the crumbs, not just from the kitchen, but throughout the entire house.  When they are done, there should be no chance of any leaven left in the house.  By accomplishing this, they also rid the home of dust, grime, and grit.  It is a thorough cleaning.

Why do they go to all this trouble?  They do it because God commanded it in Exodus 12:19-20.  They do it because "a little leaven leavens the whole lump" (Galatians 5:9).  In short, they do it to glorify God.

When Jesus and the disciples were celebrating their Passover meal in John 13, there was great joy and true worship only when Judas the betrayer left.

So, when he (Judas) had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him.  If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately.  (John 13:31-32)

Like the Jewish family who swept the entire house in order to remove every crumb that might contain leaven, so we see that when Jesus dismissed Judas, only then could true worship and God-centered fellowship begin.  It is true that we are commanded to go "into all the world" and preach the Gospel, it is also true that the fellowship of believers (the Church) should be free of all who would distract or detract from true Christian fellowship.  True worship begins when the chosen children of God are exclusively present, and there is no corrupt outside influence.

Here is how the Bible commentary by Jamieson, Fausset & Brown puts it:

These remarkable words plainly imply that up to this moment our Lord had spoken under a painful restraint, the presence of a traitor within the little circle of His holiest fellowship on earth preventing the free and full outpouring of His heart; as is evident, indeed, from those oft-recurring clauses, "Ye are not all clean," "I speak not of you all," &c. "Now" the restraint is removed, and the embankment which kept in the mighty volume of living waters having broken down, they burst forth in a torrent which only ceases on His leaving the supper room and entering on the next stage of His great work--the scene in the Garden. But with what words is the silence first broken on the departure of Judas? By no reflections on the traitor, and, what is still more wonderful, by no reference to the dread character of His own approaching sufferings. He does not even name them, save by announcing, as with a burst of triumph, that the hour of His glory has arrived! And what is very remarkable, in five brief clauses He repeats this word "glorify" five times, as if to His view a coruscation of glories played at that moment about the Cross.

The words that Jesus spoke about the glory of God and His own glory are in some ways poetic.  The New Cambridge Bible Commentary says, "Jesus' remark on 'glory' is chiastic in shape:

A.   The Son of Man has been glorified.

B.    and God has been glorified in Him.

B'.    If God has been glorified in Him,

A'.    God will also glorify Him in Himself and will glorify Him at once.

In the 'A' parts, God acts to glorify the Son of Man, whereas in the 'B' parts, God in turn is honored by the obedient Son."  In our worship, we glorify God: we praise Him for His works, we study His words and apply them to our lives, and we ask Him for grace and forgiveness.  In turn, God glorifies Himself in us, so that when we go out into the world, we can be set apart for Him.

Next, Jesus begins to teach His true disciples how to be truly set apart.

Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer.  You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, "Where I am going, you cannot come," so now I say to you.  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.  (John 13:33-35)

Notice that Jesus is speaking exclusively to the disciples.  There are no Judases in the room, no outside influences, no unbelievers present.  The fresh word He has for them in this place and in this hour is that they should love one another.  This is not to say we should not love the world, for we know that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.  However, there should be a special bond, a higher love, between believers.  Charles Spurgeon put it this way: "We are to love our neighbor as ourselves, but we are to love our fellow Christians as Christ loved us, and that is far more than we love ourselves."

Too often professing Christians get caught up in the politics of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, so much that we embrace people who identify with sinful practices and show pride in their sinful actions.  To truly love those caught up in sin means to call out their sin, either for confession and repentance, or for godly discipline and excommunication, for the good of the Church first and then for the individual's salvation.  Being loving doesn't mean accepting people for who they are; it means calling them to Christ for washing and cleansing and then forgiving.

Scottish Bible scholar FF Bruce wrote, "So Tertullian reports the pagans of his day (a century after this Gospel was published) as saying of Christians, ‘See how they love one another!’"  They did not say, "See how they love us pagans". Nor did they exclaim, "see how they accept and incorporate our pagan practices."  There is a difference.

Sometimes we miss the point.

In the next section, we see that Peter missed the point, as well.

Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?"  Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward."  Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now?  I will lay down my life for Your sake."  Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake?  Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times."  (John 13:36-38)

I like how N.T. Wright puts it in his commentary John for Everyone:

Like a child returning to the question it wanted to ask after the conversation has moved on elsewhere, Peter harks back to what Jesus said in verse 33, even though verses 34 and 35 contain some of the most beautiful and challenging words ever spoken.  Once again he and Jesus banter to and fro, with Peter blustering away and saying whatever comes into his head.  This time, though, the conversation suddenly runs into a brick wall.  Peter doesn't realize what he's said. "Where are you going? I'll follow You!  I want to follow You!  I'll lay down my life for You."

"Will you really, Peter?" replies Jesus, and we can see the soft, sad smile as He says it.  "Is it really you that's going to lay down your life for Me?  Have you forgotten what I said about the shepherd and the sheep?  Actually, Peter, I hate to say it, but what you are about to do is something rather different."

We love Peter because he is so like the rest of us.  And we love Jesus because He is so gentle and loving with him, even within the sadness and the challenge and the glory that is to come.  And once again we pause and reflect on how, in the strange purpose of God, love and betrayal, glory and denial, go so closely together.

 I also appreciate the way it is presented in The New Cambridge Bible Commentary:

We interpreted the footwashing in 13:4-11 as a status-transforming ritual.  If all goes well, the candidates will be changed by becoming "wholly clean" and by having "a share with Me."  Thus they will be prepared for the death of Jesus, either by physically sharing in it or by being participants in Jesus' own arrest, trial, and death.  Who undergoes this ritual and how do they fare?

Peter:     Footwashing transformation ritual: still a candidate; failed loyalty to Jesus=failed transformation. 

Judas:    Footwashing transformation ritual: never a candidate; hostility to Jesus=no possible status transformation ("One is not clean")

John:     Footwashing transformation ritual: successful candidate; courage to enter Annas' place and stand at the foot of the cross=successful transformation.

Moreover, is there a role transformation beyond a status change?  When Peter boasts "I will lay down my life for you" (13:37), he makes the same claim that the Noble Shepherd repeatedly made in 10:11-15, namely that "The noble shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."  A role is in view here: "shepherd" of the flock.  Jesus challenges Peter's claim, effectively declaring that Peter has failed the test for being a "shepherd" as of this time; rather, he resembles the "hireling" instead.  Moreover, there are several episodes coming in which Peter acts as a sheep, not a shepherd (18:15-18).  Only later does Jesus declare him qualified for the transformation into a role of shepherd (21:15-19).

Jesus does not give up on Peter like He did Judas.  He does not banish Peter from the flock.  Jesus gives him another chance.  I have a friend who is an attorney.  He is a fine attorney, and very successful.  However, he did not pass the bar exam on the first try.  He had to go back and study after his initial failure, in order to pass the test on the next try.  In this way Peter also was given the opportunity to learn, under the leadership of Jesus and of the Holy Spirit, to be a shepherd in the service of God.

It takes discernment to properly identify and deal with Judases and Peters in our flock.  The role of a Pastor is not an easy one.  We should pray for discernment, pray for our pastoral staff, and pray that our churches will show love for the congregation such that the world will be drawn to them, not to bring the churches down to their level, but to elevate the seekers so that they can engage in true worship. 

Plot twist! Don't blink or you'll miss it.

 

Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.  --Psalm 41:9

Some people are naive.

We may love them for always seeing the best in people, for trusting people to a fault. But we laugh at them when their naivete allows them to be pranked.  The group may know something that our poor clueless friend does not know, and the sweet, innocent soul can be led into a situation that is both funny and tragic.

The same thing happens the first time a person sees a popular movie or reads a best-selling book.  Everyone knows what is going to happen, because they've seen the end.  When the first-time reader is shocked at how the plot twists or how the story takes an unexpected turn, those of us familiar with the story may ask, "How did you not see that coming?"

I think a lot of people who have read the Gospels all their lives, and know how the story ends, look at the story of Judas and ask, "How did the disciples not know?  Didn't they see the clues?  It was right there in front of them!"

But when things are happening in real time, we don't always know what's going on until we look back and reflect on it awhile.  Crash victims will often hear the question, "Didn't you see the oncoming car?"  The answer is always, "It happened so fast."

Keep this in mind when we read our Bible text today from John 13.  The disciples are listening to Jesus speak to them.

"I do not speak concerning all of you.  I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scriptures may be fulfilled, 'He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.'  Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He.  Most assuredly I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sends Me."  When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."  Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke.  Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.  Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke.  Then, leaning back on Jesus' breast, he said to Him, "Lord, who is it?"  Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it."  And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.  Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him.  Then Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly."  But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him.  For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, "Buy those things we need for the feast," or that he should give something to the poor.  Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately.  And it was night.  --John 13:18-30

At this point in the story, all 12 disciples had been with Jesus for about three years.  They had traveled together, eaten together, and heard Jesus's teachings together.  They had heard Jesus preach to the crowds, they had seen Him being accused by the Pharisees and leaders of the synagogues, but they had also received private instruction and training in the Scriptures, hearing things that Jesus said only to them.  They had been sent out in teams of two to preach and perform miracles in multiple places (see Mark 6:7-13, Luke 9:1-2).  They had come back together amazed at how God had worked through each of them.  And now, in this intimate setting of sharing a meal together, Jesus had washed their feet.

They thought that they knew each other pretty well by this point.

So when they heard Jesus talking about knowing whom He had chosen, they were taking notes.  They probably even thought, "Hey, He's talking about us."  They were listening intently but missing the point.  It was only after the Resurrection that they looked back at this moment and thought, "Oh, I see!"

Jesus told them that the Scriptures (the Old Testament) had foretold of a betrayal, and He quoted Psalm 41:9 to them.  He followed up by telling them, "I'm telling you this now so when it happens, you'll understand."  I can imagine most of them nodding their heads in agreement and not having a clue what He meant.  We know they were all taking notes, because Jesus's next words are recorded in all four Gospels.  "He who receives you receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me."  Commentator David Guzik writes, "Jesus reminded all His disciples -- the faithful ones and Judas -- that His work was not finished. Judas would not win; the work of Jesus would continue and they would be sent as His representatives. He also wanted Judas to know that rejecting Him meant rejecting the God who sent Jesus."

At this point it is probably a good idea to pause and review what's happening here, especially in the positioning and posture of Jesus and the disciples.  At the time, formal meals (weddings and feasts) were served at a table with people sitting in chairs, much like we do today.  However, in more intimate meals, the table was low, and the diners would recline on pillows or cushions.  They would prop themselves up on the left elbow and use their right hands to reach for the food and feed themselves.  They would lie on their bellies, more on the left side, so that they could see and converse with those around the table.

It is also worth noting that John was reclining to Jesus's right.  This brings to mind the time when John and his brother James came to Jesus, at the urging of their mother, to ask Jesus if they could sit at His right and His left when He comes into His kingdom in Mark 10.  Here John is seen reclining to Jesus's right side, with Judas reclining at His left.  Keep this picture in your mind's eye as we read the next passage.

Jesus becomes troubled in His spirit and tells the group flat out that one of them will betray Him.  No hiding it in flowery or prophetic language.  He would be betrayed, not by the world or by someone outside the group, but by one of the chosen reclining at table with Him.  Matthew and Luke both say that the disciples broke into chatter, all asking the same introspective question: "It is I?"

Wherever Peter was positioned at the table, he gets John's attention, as John was the one closest to Jesus.  He motions for John to ask Jesus who He was talking about.  Remember that John is leaning on his left arm, so it would be awkward for him to turn his head to the left.  It is also worth remembering that John was likely still a teenager, maybe only 18 or 19--not the most mature one at the table that night.

So instead of rolling onto his stomach and turning his head to address Jesus directly, he feels close enough to Jesus to roll onto His back, placing his head on Jesus's chest.  Looking up into Jesus's face (which would be upside-down in his present view) he asks, "Lord, who is it?"

John speaks of himself in the third person.  He doesn't say "I" or "me" but calls himself "the disciple whom Jesus loved."  He must have felt a special closeness and intimacy with Jesus that the other, more mature and austere disciples, did not necessarily feel.  Oh, that we today would feel that same closeness and intimacy with Jesus.  We should feel so comfortable with Jesus that we can lay our head on His breast and ask Him our most pressing question.

The other disciples are still talking amongst themselves, because none of them seem to hear Jesus's answer.  Jesus tells John how He will show who the betrayer is.  Jesus picks up a piece of bread, dips it in a dressing or sauce, and hands it to Judas on His left.  This would have required Jesus to roll onto His belly so that He could look at Judas directly.  When this happened, the disciples became quiet.  They saw Him give the bread dipped in sauce or dressing to Judas.

Bible scholar NT Wright says this:

Dipping a piece of bread in the dish and passing it to someone was a sign of special friendship.  This was the sign Jesus employed to tell the beloved disciple not only that it was Judas who was going to do the awful deed, but what the deepest dimension of that deed would be.  It was a betrayal of intimate, close trust and friendship.  John had already told us that the devil had put the idea into Judas' mind to betray Jesus.  Now he tells us that when Jesus gave Judas the bread, 'the satan' entered into him.

Dipping the bread and passing it to someone was an honor.  Think of it as a toast in today's culture. When Jesus said to Judas, "Go, hurry, do what you need to do," the disciples immediately thought of Judas as the group's treasurer.  They all thought that Jesus was telling Judas to go settle accounts with the owner of the house who had allowed them to all come and eat there.  Another possibility in their minds was that Jesus was telling Judas to go and make a charitable contribution, as giving alms was customary in that culture.

Here's where being in the moment when things were moving so fast blurred the truth from the disciples.  Peter wanted to know who Jesus was talking about with this betrayal business.  He motioned to John to ask Jesus directly.  When John asks Jesus, Jesus says it would be the one that He shows honor to.  Jesus then toasts Judas and tells him to go do it quickly.  Don't you think that if Peter realized that Judas was the betrayer, he would have stopped Judas?  Instead, they all assumed that Jesus had told Judas to go make a payment or a contribution.

John says that Satan entered Judas.  Again from NT Wright:

John does not, I think, mean that Judas became 'demon-possessed' in the same way as those unfortunate characters we meet from time to time in the other gospels.  The word 'satan' in Hebrew means 'accuser'; it's a legal term for someone who brings a prosecution, a charge, against someone else.  What we are now to witness is Judas being used by the forces of darkness to bring a charge against Jesus, the messenger of the light.  The confrontation between light and darkness, which has been hanging over the gospel story since the Prologue (John 1:5), is coming to its climax.  And Judas has been willing to enlist among the forces of darkness.  The end of verse 30 (and it was night) is one of John's master-touches as a storyteller.  The door opens on to the dark night, in every sense and at every level, and Judas disappears into it.

Darkness versus light.  The accuser versus the Redeemer.  Evil versus good.

Which will you choose? 

Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God

 

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.  --Philippians 2:5-8

Once upon a time in a secluded monastery tucked away in the mountains, two elder monks were discussing humility.  One of them says, "You know, I have been praying and fasting and studying Scripture for over 20 years.  I have finally reached the level of humility.  I am truly a nothing."  The other monk nods and says gravely, "I, too, have spent my life in service and devotion to God.  I am also a nothing."  Just then a young janitor approaches, mop in hand.  Feeling quite spiritual, he says to the two elder monks, "You know what, I am also a nothing."  The older monks watch him walk away and start mopping the hallway, then one says to the other, "Who the heck does he think he is to be a nothing?"

Many of us wear our humility pridefully.

We list our acts of service and our contributions as if we were college students applying for a service scholarship.  Jesus warned against this in the Sermon on the Mount.  In Matthew 6:3 we read, "But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."

I thought of this when I read our passage today from the thirteenth chapter of John.

So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you?  You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.  If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.  For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.  Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.  If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them."  --John 13:12-17

We remember that in the previous passage, Jesus had washed the feet of the disciples, interrupting the Last Supper meal.  Commentator David Guzik writes this:

Jesus knew actions speak louder than words. So when He wanted to teach the proud, arguing disciples about true humility, He didn’t just say it — He showed it. He showed it in a way that illustrated His whole work on behalf of His own. 

• Jesus rose from supper, a place of rest and comfort.
•    Jesus rose from His throne in heaven, a place of rest and comfort.
• Jesus laid aside His garments, taking off His covering.
•    Jesus laid aside His glory, taking off His heavenly covering.
• Jesus took a towel and girded Himself, being ready to work.
•    Jesus took the form of a servant, and came ready to work.
• Jesus poured water into a basin, ready to clean.
•    Jesus poured out His blood to cleanse us from the guilt and penalty of sin.
• Jesus sat down again (John 13:12) after washing their feet.
•    Jesus sat down at the right hand of God the Father after cleansing us.

Afterward, Jesus got up, got dressed, and got down to business.  "Did you see what I did there? He asked.  He had performed the most menial act of service imaginable.  "If I, whom you call Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet."  He gave them an example of service, a pattern of humility.

Some churches make a big show of servant-leadership in this way.  Scottish Bible scholar FF Bruce said, “The studied formality of the pedilavium on Maundy Thursday, when bishops, abbots and sovereigns have traditionally washed the feet of paupers, may commemorate our Lord’s action but in the nature of the case it can scarcely fulfill its spirit.”  John Calvin was quoted as saying, 

“Every year they hold a theatrical feet-washing, and when they have discharged this empty and bare ceremony they think they have done their duty finely and are then free to despise their brethren. But more, when they have washed twelve men’s feet they cruelly torture all Christ’s members and thus spit in the face of Christ Himself. This ceremonial comedy is nothing but a shameful mockery of Christ. At any rate, Christ does not enjoin an annual ceremony here, but tells us to be ready all through our life to wash the feet of our brethren.”

Jesus didn't want us to make a big production out of washing feet.  In fact, I don't believe it was a literal command to wash feet at all.  Instead, I think it was a call to service.  If you see someone with a need that you can fill, do it in the name of Jesus.  It is Jesus who should be glorified in our works, not ourselves.  Charles Spurgeon said this:

“In the world they criticize: this is the business of the public press, and it is very much the business of private circles. Hear how gossips say, ‘Do you see that spot? What a terrible walk that man must have had this morning: look at his feet! He has been very much in the mire you can see, for there are the traces upon him.’ That is the world’s way. Christ’s way is very different. He says nothing, but takes the basin and begins to wash away the stain. Do not judge and condemn, but seek the restoration and the improvement of the erring.”

Romans 12:10 says, "Love one another with brotherly affection.  Outdo one another in showing honor." 1 John 2:6 says, "He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked." James 1:25 says, "But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does."

Somehow we know that this is what Jesus would do, but we cannot bring ourselves to do it.  That's why Jesus said, "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them."  James said, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

Going a bit further with the foot-washing symbol, Jesus knew when He washed the disciples' feet that they would get dirty again and need a new washing tomorrow.  In our menial, tedious acts of service to which God calls us, we should not get discouraged.  Those we feed today will be hungry again tomorrow.  Those we clean up and put a fresh set of clothes on today will be dirty again tomorrow.

The need never ends.

And so we should learn to persevere in doing good works.  Do not get discouraged.   Do not get frustrated and quit.  Jesus does not quit sharing His light.  He does not quit showing us a better way.  He will not quit until we see Him in His glory.  Paul said, "Have this same mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus."

We must commit to our calling, as Jesus Himself did.

True humility is being willing to get our hands dirty

 

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.  --James 4:6

In my last posting we saw that in John 13, the author made a shift in his narrative.  He started taking us in a new direction.  He even began with a prologue, much like he did in the first chapter of his Gospel.

If we zoom out and take kind of a "bird's eye view" of the entire chapter, we see a kind of poetic structure to John's narrative.  You'll recall that in Jewish poetry, instead of rhyme and meter, there is parallelism.  That's where the lines correspond in meaning or form.  There is also a structural form known as chiasmus, an inverted or mirror-like arrangement (A-B-B'-A'), which emphasizes the central idea of a passage and creates a symmetrical pattern.  This pattern is common in Psalms and prophetic texts, guiding the reader to pivotal theological or poetic points.

Now, I am not saying that we should read this passage as a poem.  I'm only saying that there is a poetic symmetry in the text, showing poetic form emphasizing parallelism and chiastic structure.

A--Jesus knew He would go to the Father, that His time had come, but loving His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. (John 13:1)

B-- The devil entered Judas, who would betray Him. (John 13:2)

C--Jesus humbles Himself, lays aside His garments, and begins to wash the disciples' feet. (John 13:3-5)

D--Peter objects to Jesus washing his feet, leading Jesus to explain.  (John 13:6-8)

D'--Peter, realizing the significant of being washed by Jesus, asks for a complete immersion. (John 13:9-11)

C'--Jesus resumes His role as Master and Teacher, having given them an example in humility. (John 13:12-17)

B'--Jesus identifies His betrayer.  (John 13:18-30)

A'--Jesus speaks of His glorification and commands the disciples to show love one to another. (John 13:31-35)

Think of Russian nesting dolls: when you open up the first, there is another one inside, and another, and another. When you put it all together, each part fits together perfectly within the whole.  I hope that this little exercise has deepened your appreciation of John's writing and has caused you to read this passage in a new light.

Now that we have kind of shown the outline, let's focus in a bit and discuss the subject of foot washing.  In our culture in 21st century America, we don't have a proper appreciation of the art of washing other people's feet.  Why?   Well, for one thing, most of us wear shoes most of the time.  We certainly wear them when we are out in public or at our jobs.  So when we get home and undress or step in the shower, our feet are not caked with grit and grime so much.  Many cultures teach that people should remove their shoes before coming into the home, so as not to track in dirt, mud, or animal feces.  Is this a problem for our bare feet?  Not so much in this day and age.

For another thing, we are not an agrarian society.  In 21st century America, we don't walk to work among cows, sheep, and other livestock.  Cars have replaced horses as the primary mode of transportation, so unless we have a pet in the home, our lives are pretty much animal-free.  

Contrast this with 1st century life in the Middle East. They were an agrarian society; most people lived and worked around animals, and even in the city it was not uncommon to share the road with livestock.  One thing about animals--when nature calls, they will answer, no matter where they are or who they are with.  Imagine going to the Temple and having to step over piles of animal dung, even in the Court of the Gentiles where Jesus flipped tables and used a whip to drive out the livestock that they were selling at an obscene profit.

They also didn't have closed-toed shoes.  If you weren't barefoot in Jesus's day, you wore sandals.  These sandals were your only protection from what was on the ground.  That's why it was so profound when John the Baptist said he was not worthy to loosen the straps of Jesus's sandals in John 1:27. With this in mind, let's read John 13:3-11 together.

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hand, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself.  After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.  Then He came to Simon Peter.  And Peter said to Him, "Lord, are You washing my feet?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this."  Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!"  Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me."  Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!"  Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you."  For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean."

Michael Lee Aday, better known by his stage name Meat Loaf, sang this: "I would do anything for love, but I won't do that."  Yet we see Jesus, who set aside His glory in heaven to take on human flesh and walk among us as a man, set aside His robes and take a basin of water and a towel--the towel that covered Him--and perform a task that only the lowliest servant would be expected to do.

This was not a ceremonial act.  Jesus didn't merely sprinkle a few drops of water on each man, and dab at it with the clean towel.  

Jesus was all in.

If the disciples had walked in a mud puddle, Jesus washed the mud off.

The towel which covered Jesus was no longer covering Him, and by the time He had finished, it was no longer clean.

How many of us are ever willing to lay aside our position or prestige and stand exposed before a problem, and then roll up our sleeves (so to speak) and get our hands dirty to deal with that problem?  The critical test of a Christian leader, says NT Wright, "is whether the same leader is ready, without a word of either complaining or boasting, to stay behind after the meeting and do the washing-up or put out the garbage...The truly Christlike leader is known by the ease and spontaneity with which he or she does the little, annoying, messy things--the things which in the ancient world the slave would do, that things which in our world we always secretly hope someone else will do so we won't have to waste our time, to demean ourselves."

Then we get to Peter, who thought it wise at that very moment to dictate to Jesus what He should be doing.  His words might have sounded like humility, but his tone was one of superiority.  "No, Jesus," he protested.  "You shouldn't be washing my feet.  I should be washing your feet."  In the other Gospel accounts, Jesus made the point that none of them had offered to wash His feet at the beginning of the meeting.  So the unanswered question was, "Well, why didn't you?"

Jesus is making a point here, and Peter was not quite getting it.  "If you do not accept My cleansing, you have no part of Me."  We all need daily cleansing.  Commentator David Guzik writes:

Peter had to accept this from Jesus. He became a pattern for us. If we do not accept the humble service of Jesus to cleanse us, we have no part with Him. Peter preached the good news of the kingdom and cast out devils in Jesus’ name — and still needed his feet washed.  Peter saw Jesus transfigured in His glory together with Moses and Elijah, an amazing spiritual experience — and still needed his feet washed. Peter’s own feet walked on the water in an amazing act of faith — and still needed his feet washed. This foot washing was a powerful lesson in humility, but it was more than that. It also shows that Jesus has no fellowship, no deep connection with those who have not been cleansed by Him.

So Peter asks Jesus to wash him completely.  Scottish Biblical scholar and commentator Marcus Dods said, "A moment ago he told his Master He was doing too much: now he tells Him He is doing too little.”  Beware of dictating to Jesus what actions He should take; we should never superimpose our will upon His.  Many times, Jesus wants to minister to us through the touch of another of His servants, yet we refuse them, believing we are not worthy.  Other times we want God to move in a situation so fervently that we demand He show Himself in a way that satisfies our own dreams and wishes.  Both occasions mark personal sin in us, and we should be ready to root out that sin of pride within us.

David Guzik said, "Decades later, when Peter wrote to Christians about humility, he put it like this:' Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility' (1 Peter 5:5). More literally, Peter wrote: 'wrap the apron of humility around yourself.'  What Jesus did here remained in his mind and heart."

Finally, we see that Jesus also washed the feet of Judas.  The lesson here is that we should, in all humility, be a servant, even to our enemies.  Not all who come to church and hear the word and receive the ministry of help and healing walk away repentant.  We see that the devil finds a foothold even in the most intimate and meaningful spiritual event.

When Jesus answered Peter, who had asked for a new cleansing, He explained that if you are washed by the blood of the Lamb, you are clean; you need only a periodic partial clearing of the mud and muck of the world from your hands and feet, or maybe your clothes need changing.  However, not everyone that comes to Jesus walks away fully cleansed.  If the heart is evil and there is no repentance, no amount of washing will make that person truly clean.  Jesus famously said, "Do not cast your pearls before swine, lest they be trampled underfoot."  In modern parlance we might say, "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it will still wallow in mud."

To walk as Jesus walked means to put aside any pretense, any prestige, any positional authority, and serve in His name.  Even if it gets our hands dirty.