April 9-Maundy Thursday
7Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” (John 13:7-9)
Today is Maundy Thursday, the day when most Christian faiths celebrate Jesus and His disciples participating at the feast of the Passover, which in Christianity is known as the Last Supper. From this night came the tradition of taking communion. This is the first month where the Daily Devotion (DD) got ahead of the Reading plan. When you read John 13, which will not be until April 18 (unless you read it today), take some time reading this chapter. John goes into detail over the Last Supper and what Jesus was aware of. John writes “Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world”(John 13:1) and Jesus recognized that “he had come from God and was returning to God”(13:3). I often wonder how much Jesus actually knew about the next twenty-four hours He would be faced to endure. Had He seen visions of every blow and strike from the flogging He would suffer through. Did He know the passion play version or had Jesus seen The Passion of the Christ version of the future He would endure for mankind? Regardless of how much Jesus knew about His approaching torture, He still spent His final night with His disciples by leaving them with His most important words of instruction. John, one of Jesus’ most beloved friends, captures the night of the Last Supper in exquisite detail, starting with the act of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet.
Jesus explains to them the act of Him washing their feet is to serve as an example for them to take care of one another. Peter, at first, tries to refuse Jesus washing his feet. Peter, the rock that the Christian Church will be built upon, does not want his Lord to wash his feet. But when Jesus tells Peter if He can not wash Peter’s feet, he will have no part of Jesus. So Peter pleads with Jesus to not just wash his feet, but also his hands and his head as well. How often is this our response to Jesus, when Jesus seeks to serve us? Do we push Him away and don’t let Him in? Jesus comes through with an opportunity to make our lives better, a promotion at our current company, but we look for more, we seek selfish means. Jesus presents a moment when we could sit down with our kids and spend some crucial time helping them with their homework but we’re too busy reading some mindless mystery novel or watching another pointless television series. Jesus is still seeking to wash our feet. Be like the later Peter, when Jesus presents the opportunity to serve you, step out of the boat, get your feet wet and dirty. Even if you fall in, Jesus is always there to lift you up and wash you off.
Reading plan: John 7:1-34
Deeper reading plan: 2 Kings 1, 2, 3
Prayer and meditation: Pray for salvation, redemption, and resurrection. Pray for the world and the halt of the spread of COVID.
Fitness challenge: distance run day. Spend 28 minutes going for a run, getting fresh air, listening to God.
Common Sense Reborn 