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A family feud at a holiday dinner
Problems often occur when family members
get together for a special holiday dinner, and such was the case
with Jesus and the twelve disciples who were with Him throughout
His 3-year ministry on earth.
On their way to the place where they
would eat the Passover meal with Jesus, the twelve were arguing
about which one of them would be greatest in the Kingdom. When
they entered the room, there was no servant present to wash their
feet, so they left their sandals at the door and reclined
Roman-style at the table with dirty feet. Suddenly, Jesus got up,
removed his outer garment, and wrapped a large towel around His
waist. He poured water into a basin and began to wash the
disciples' feet. (John 13:5)
Peter had been watching the Lord very
intently, and when Jesus got to him, Peter drew his feet under
himself and said, "Lord... You shall never wash my feet!" Jesus
replied, "If I don't wash
you, Peter, you cannot have fellowship with Me." |
Then Peter answered, "Lord, if that's true, don't just wash
my feet, but also my head and my hands too."
Jesus replied, "He who has been washed allover needs only to cleanse
his feet. All but one of you is clean allover." Jesus said that,
knowing Judas was an unbeliever and that he was going to betray Him.
By washing their feet, Jesus was teaching
them that they did not have to be saved more than once, but that it
was necessary for them to learn the importance of naming their sins to
the Lord in order to have fellowship with Him. This principle is found
in 1 John 1 :9, which says, "If we confess (name) our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness (unknown sins)."
Then Jesus told them He had given them an
example of how to have fellowship with Him so they would know how to
teach others regarding this truth. (John 13:12-15).
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