Pinterest

pinterest-site-verification=36e5e61a0a19bbf109eceb6b444d911d

Thursday, April 21, 2011

SERVICE AND SACRIFICE

John wrote the last of the four gospels, and was the favoured disciple.
Why was he the favoured??
Well, likely he and his cousin Jesus, played together as children.
Probably, their relationship was very close.

Imagine it, two little boys in different households living close to each other.
Cousins  and best friends.
John's mother Salome was Mary's sister.
Salome was the wife of Zebedee and the mother of James and John.
In all the Bible accounts of the life of Jesus, I have always prefered John's.

He had a knowing of the spirit of God within Jesus...
And His very first statement was....
"In the beginning was the WORD.
And the WORD was with God.
And the WORD was God."
John 1:1

John was the only person to relate how Jesus washed the feet of His disciples.

Why would he do this??

Washing His Disciples' Feet

"Just before the Passover Feast, (my cousin) Jesus knew that the time had come to leave this world and go back to the Father.
Having loved his dear companions, he continued to love them right to the end.
It was suppertime.
The Devil by now had Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, firmly in his grip, all set for the betrayal.


Jesus knew that the Father had put him in complete charge of everything.
He knew he came from God and was on his way back to God.
So he got up from the supper table, set aside his robe, and put on an apron.
Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron.

When he got to Simon Peter, Peter said, "Master, you wash my feet?"
Jesus answered, "You don't understand now what I'm doing, but it will be clear enough to you later."
John 13

So why did John relate this happening??
I would love to hear your thoughts on this??
Mine is, he was in awe, that his cousin showed such humility!
Most kings sit on a throne and are served.
Jesus, prostrated himself in a lowly position.

Who are we to ever consider ourselves as better than someone else??  The example of Jesus was the opposite.



When someone is in need we are to help them.
When someone is hungry we are to feed them.
Or thirsty, give them something to drink..

Share with others.
Laugh with them.
Cry with them...
And, carry them.
Service and Sacrifice is the story of Easter.
Believe and share in ETERNAL LIFE.








15 comments:

  1. I think you've got it just right, Crystal. Bless you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautifully put. Yes, believe and share in eternal life - right now! Believe and share and participate in the new creation that God is bringing in! God is love, and God loves everyone, and ALL things are being reconciled to God.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It keeps coming back to humility, doesn't it? Best I can tell, God loathes arrogance and man's love of the things of this world. Jesus was a strong yet humble man....an impossibly rare commodity.

    Thank you, Crystal Mary.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Crystal Mary -

    I enjoyed this. Thank you.

    Galatians 6:2 - KJV
    Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good question - I never really thought about that. I guess Jesus did show humilty when he did that -a nd it made a lasting impression on him - because Jesus is the one that should have had his feet washed (and I know he did earlier). I am going to think about this.

    Blessed Easter to you.
    sandie

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great post Crystal Mary,

    Who ever is first will be last and the last shall be first...humility.

    Blessings,
    Ken

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dear Crystal Mary,

    A great post! You know the Matthew 19:30 is my son Jaiden's favourite Scripture... It has been since he was five. Wow.

    "But many who are first will be last, and the last first."


    May you and your loved ones be blessed this Easter weekend! May Christ’s message of eternal life fill you with love.

    ♥... Kerrie

    ReplyDelete
  8. John recorded the event because it suited his purpose in the writing of his gospel.

    Matthew was not led to record it by the Holy Spirit since Matthew was writing to Jews who were waiting for a King. A King would not stoop to wash the feet of others, so Matthew wisely chose not to include it since it didn't aid his purpose.

    Mark was not led to record it by the Holy Spirit probably because he was not present. Also, even though his gospel focused on the servant aspect of Christ, the Romans owned slaves they did not act as slaves. Mark's target audience would not have grasped the significance of this event.

    Luke was not led to record it by the Holy Spirit probably because it also did not suit his immediate purpose in confirming Theophilus in Christ's life. Luke wasn't present either, although through his research and interviews he was probably well aware of it. As a historian he chose what was pertinent and could not include everything.

    The events in the upper room were restricted to the apostles. John was very close to Christ and seemed to be a very sensitive disciple.

    Since the Scripture is God-breathed, or inspired, each writer using his own personality, background, experience, education, et cetera was moved by the Holy Spirit to record things pertinent to their immediate purpose. Since the gospels are not biographies but gospels, we have much material recorded as well as not recorded.

    Good question! The issue is will we live out the lesson? Line forms to the right, please remove your shoes...

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great post Crystal Mary thank you for sharing this today. I too think it's about humility and service. Humbling ourselfs so that we can serve other's in the name of Jesus. I believe that Jesus was trying to show us that we are all one in Christ and to treat other's as you would want to be treated yourself, and That one person is no better than another no matter who you are or what you do. Have a very blessed Easter.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Nice blog. Have a nice Easter weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh so humbling...will we follow? Praise You Jesus, Your Holy Name be praised forever and every!

    Blessed Easter Crystal Mary,
    <><

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love the way you share with us
    Thank You
    Happy Season of Joy, Season of Freedom
    to You
    Love & Love,
    -g-

    ReplyDelete
  13. I always enjoy reading your posts and this is another one with wise words.
    Have a Blessed Easter, friend across the ocean.
    Terra

    ReplyDelete
  14. If you have ever washed someone's feet at an Easter or Passover service,you know how humbling it can be.It causes you feel just a little of what Jesus must have felt as he was washing the disciples feet.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Yes, It is a wonderous feeling to wash the feet of another, and to experience the same to yourself..
    Praise God for the risen Lord.

    ReplyDelete

Please take the time to leave a comment. I enjoy reading your replies. Often you encourage or teach me something I need to know. Life is full of wonderful surprises, so go ahead and AMAZE me today.

Dio ti ama così siamo connessi.