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A Lesson for All Time |
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By His powerful example Jesus Christ taught His disciples many vital lessons. Yet the sterling example shown to them less than a day before His death is one of the least understood and most neglected by those who claim to follow Him. by Scott Ashley |
The disciples were puzzled. They had seen and heard much that was unconventional from their Master and Teacher, and on this night His actions seemed even more unusual.
The Passover, one of Israel's great feasts and a time of joyous celebration, was at hand. Yet Jesus was uncharacteristically subdued. That was peculiar in itself, but now, during their meal, He rose, took a pitcher and a large bowl and began going from disciple to disciple washing each one's feet!
What did this mean? Was this another of those puzzling occurrences that the disciples had often witnessed, unable to fully grasp what their Master was trying to teach them? Why, on this night of celebration, was He saying and doing these peculiar things? What did it all mean?
The ordinance of humility
On the night before His death Christ introduced a custom that would teach His disciples a crucially important lesson. The question for us is whether it is still relevant for Christians today. That lesson was taught through the simple act of foot-washing, the humble act of Jesus Christ as He observed the Passover with His disciples during the last night before His death. They did not understand His instruction then, but they later came to see that Christ's actions that evening were to teach them some profound principles.
What are we to learn from the events of this night? What is the significance of Christ's example?
John 13 describes the setting. "It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel round his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped round him" (verses 1-5, New International Version throughout).
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