In the passage above, Jesus is not telling us to start a tradition of feet washing
ceremonies (which can be very
symbolic at its core meaning) as
much as He is telling us that He is the Word of God.
As we come together with
each other and we speak from the words the Holy Spirit gives us for one another
so that the Word spoken can wash over
each person and cleanse the soul (mind) to make us pure.
Many scriptural references support this notion, Paul
takes up this thinking in Ephesians 5:
"He did this to make the Church holy by cleansing
it, washing it using water along with spoken words. Then he could present it to
himself as a glorious church, without any kind of stain or wrinkle—holy and
without faults."
Ephesians 5:26-27 (GW)
The full context of this passage in Ephesians 5 is the relationship between Christ, Husbands, and Wives, and the Church. In essence,
Paul is speaking of Christ and the Church and the relationship between Jesus
being the Bridegroom and the Church being the Bride and using the Husband and
Wife as comparisons.
In the passage for today, we re-visit the topic of Jesus
being the physical embodiment of God, the eternal God who took on flesh and
became human.
In referencing ancient Jewish culture, there were two aspects of
God's nature which were culturally understood, Yahweh was considered both the
ethereal Word of God who was the Spirit, and there was the embodied
manifestation of God who was physical (which at times appeared as the "angel of the
Lord").
There were
many attempts to convey the heart of God to the people in the Old Testament
times. Somehow the message of love often got lost or misapplied when the fears or pre-dispossessions of those conveying the message added their own words to
God's message; this corrupted the intent of what was supposed to be a message
of love for His Bride and ended up becoming something else quite different.
"Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible
God. He is the first-born Son, superior to all created things. For through him
God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things,
including spiritual powers, lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the
whole universe through him and for him. Christ existed before all things, and
in union with him all things have their proper place".
Colossians
1:15-17 (GNT)
My point is that the message always comes from Jesus. As
Christ abides in us we as the messengers, we need to see Jesus and His love for His
Bride as the context for every message.
When we speak to one another as
Christ-followers we are to connect with His heart of love as a husband does for
His wife. It was often the missed part of the communication in the Old
Testament and why Jesus had to come bodily and finally set the record straight
of God's love for humanity.
God makes it very clear that Jesus alone is to be
heard above anyone who came before Him.
"Then it happened, as they were parting from
Him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; and
let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for
Elijah"—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came
and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. And a
voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear
Him!""
Luke 9:33-35 (NKJV)
So when Jesus says, "Believe me, servants are not greater than
their master. Those who are sent to do something are not greater than the one
who sent them" Jesus is
referencing everyone who came before Him only had only a small part of the message.
Jesus is declaring that He is the master over all and that His Word is to be
heard and obeyed above all others. However, this is not Jesus exerting his power or authority as
much as He is revealing that He is a jealous Bridegroom who profoundly loves
His Bride. Jesus wants us to know the depth of the love He has for His Church.
He tenderly washes us with His Words of love and cleanses
us, so there is no spot or stain left behind (there is no sin which is not washed away), as we receive His Words they become life to us and the embodiment of Christ within us, we are transformed and become like our
Bridegroom.
A fascinating thing I have noticed over the years, that
when a husband and wife love each other, they tend to take on each other's
characteristics and become very similar, so it is with Jesus when we receive
the living Word we become like Him in so many ways.
"What God has said isn't only alive and active! It
is sharper than any double-edged sword. His Word can cut through our spirits
and souls and through our joints and marrow, until it discovers the desires and
thoughts of our hearts. Nothing is hidden from God! He sees through everything,
and we will have to tell him the truth."
Hebrews 4:12-13
(CEV)
Here is the love of God in action in our lives. His Word
is given with the tenderness and care as a loving Husband would showing deep care and
concern for the well being of His wife. His only desire is for His Bride, and
that the true desires and thoughts of His Bride are for Her Bridegroom alone.
He desires to be everything to Her.
“In this new creation life, your nationality makes no difference, or your ethnicity, education, or economic status—they matter nothing. For it is Christ that means everything as he lives in every one of us!”
Colossians 3:11 (TPT)
The
story of Jesus washing the disciples' feet has so much more to it than meets the eye,
for it is telling the story of the love that God has for each one of us.
Be Blessed;
Stephen Barnett
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