My Hour Has Come

Jesus, the day before His death, knowing that His hour had come to depart from this world, instructed His disciples to prepare them for His death.  Jesus began to wash His disciple’s feet, teaching them the ministry of servant hood.

It says this in John 13:6-10, “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.’”

Washing feet was usually a servant’s or slave’s job and Peter may have been confused when he saw his master washing dirty feet.  Jesus spoke these words to them in verses 13-17, “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.”

I wonder if, at this time, Jesus was thinking about how He would shed His blood and how His blood would be used to wash and cleanse people’s sins.

At that time animals were being sacrificed for the sins of the people, but the blood of the animals was just a covering over of sins.  Shortly the disciples, and everyone else that would believe on Him and be born-again, would have to be washed and purified from their sins which could only be accomplished by the sacrificial Lamb of God, which was Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, the author and finisher of our faith, the righteous and holy one, praise His holy Name.

It says this about the blood of the animals in Hebrews 10:1-4, “For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.”

Like I related earlier, I can’t say this for sure, but when Jesus was talking to Peter in the verses I mentioned earlier, verses 6-10, He may have been thinking about His death and His shed blood being poured out for all mankind for the forgiveness of sins.  I don’t think the disciples fully understood this at the time but until we are washed, cleansed and purified of our sins we have no part with Jesus.  

Jesus demonstrated by His own example what kind of people we should be; he was more than willing to serve.  This is a good lesson for pastors and others who are in authority that they are not in their position to lordship over people; they are to be willing to humble themselves and to be servants also.  Jesus also taught about being a servant in Matthew 20:20-28, Mark 10: 35-45 and other places in God’s Word.

It says this in Matthew 20:25-28, “But Jesus called them to Himself and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.’”

Jesus taught leadership from a new perspective, instead of using people, we are to serve them.  Jesus served others and gave His life a ransom for them.  A real leader has a servant’s heart, realizing the worth of other people, not looking down on others and having a willingness to humble himself and doing whatever job that needs to be done.  A true leader isn’t full of pride and all puffed up, but is one who walks humbly before his God.  Everyone who is born-again should have this same attitude, being willing to serve and not to just be served.  What about you, are you serving or are you only seeking to be served?  Something to think about!  God bless and have a great day!!