John 13:4-15 Jesus washed the disciples' feet. They all understood
what this meant. He was taking the role of a servant. Peter was the one who
objected. He understood enough about Jesus to see the complete incongruity of
this action. What Peter did not understand was the great inversion in God's
kingdom (Matthew 19:30). To be in God's kingdom, we must receive gifts from
Him. God's unmerited favor - grace - is the gift by which Jesus' death saves
us. But we have to receive it.
Once Peter
understood that he had to accept this gift from Jesus, he wanted as much as he
could get. So Jesus had to explain to him in more detail, continuing the foot
washing object lesson, that God's grace is sufficient. There are not degrees of
salvation and sanctification. We either receive what God offers or we reject
it. How much of our life we allow it to affect is a separate matter. But we
cannot get more because we already have all of it. Except that Judas had
rejected it and so he had none.
Jesus continued the
object lesson with the command that just as they had received God's grace, they
needed to give grace to each other. Jesus cleansed them from sin, and paid the
price for forgiveness and also empowered them to live in His kingdom, which is
to live in His presence, and now He commanded His disciples to do the same in
Christian community. They must pay the price for each other to live in each
other's presence, including forgiving each other, and empowering each other to
live above sin. Washing each other's feet. That is God's plan for His kingdom.
And in the end, anyone who opts out will be left out. We cannot be part of his kingdom
unless we live this way.
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