Friday 14th November
Read John 13:12-17
“When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ‘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 Very truly I tell you, 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.” (NIVUK)
Jesus returns to His role as their Teacher and begins His instruction anew, indirectly referring to His comment to Peter that he will understand ‘later’ (v7). In doing so it may imply that the ‘later’ He pointed Peter to was only about 15 minutes in length! However, Jesus’ further comments, both immediately and later that evening, reveal that He was referring to a time after the resurrection.
For the point, as the early church clearly grasped, was that what Jesus had done for them was deliberately lay aside His glory to serve them humbly and completely. This is the example He is setting for them so that the nature of their future fellowship with one another is grounded in His example of servanthood towards them.
“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (Philippians 2:1-4) (NIVUK)
