The Word Made Plain

Guest (Male): Welcome to the Word Made Plain with senior pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia. Currently, pastor Tony is teaching in the book of John. Please open your Bible to John chapter 13 verses 1 through 11.

Tony Clark: All right, let's dive into the word of God together. Turn with me in your Bibles to John chapter 13. Father, we pray that as we dive into your word, we pray that your word will sink deeply in our hearts. Lord, that you would write your word upon the tablets of our hearts. Lord, that we might not sin against you, and we pray that you would bless us with your presence and your understanding of your word today in Jesus name. Amen. John 13 looking at verses 1 through 11. The title of this message is lasting love.

Lasting love. Now, our world is obsessed with love. Every other song or movie or TV program seems to be about love. And everyone is hoping and wishing and praying that their love will last. However, the kind of love the world is so often looking and searching for is exotic, sensual, sexual love, which is what the definition of the Greek word eros is. It is eros is love that is temporary, is physical, and so often selfish. The love that lasts is called that Greek word which is a lasting and selfless love, not a selfish love. It gives and expects nothing in return.

It seeks the highest good for another person. It serves the other person whether the person appreciates it or not. It's unconditional love with no strings attached. This is the kind of love God has for us, and Jesus is going to demonstrate it to his disciples that we will see in this chapter. Look what he says there in verse one. Now, before the feast of Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come, that he should depart from this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

We're going to break this verse down. I want to I want to draw your attention to the first phrase of this verse. Notice it says now before the feast of the Passover. Stop right there. In this verse, John places the events of the evening just before the Passover feast, which was the annual Jewish festival commemorating God's deliverance of Israel from Egyptian slavery and bondage. The name was derived from the death angel passing over the houses of the Hebrews that had the blood of the lamb on their doorpost. And he went on to kill the firstborn of the Egyptians according to Exodus 12 and verses 7 through 13.

Now, this Passover in this chapter would be the last one authorized by God. Or from this point forward, there will be a new memorial. Or not one remembering the lamb's blood on the doorpost, but the blood of the lamb of God Jesus Christ on the cross poured out for many for the forgiveness of sin according to Matthew chapter 26 and verse 28. Or this Last Supper Jesus is having with his disciples gave him an opportunity to use the elements of the Passover meal to transition from the old covenant Passover to the new covenant Lord's Supper that we call communion according to 1 Corinthians 11 and verses 23 to 26.

Look at the second part of this verse. It says when Jesus knew that his hour had come, that he should depart from this world to the Father. John is repeating what Jesus said in chapter 12 and verse 23 that his hour had come. Oh, up until this point, we constantly read about Jesus saying his hour had not come. Well, up until chapter 12 verse 23, he finally said his hour had come. And so he knew that the time had come for him to depart from this world to go to the Father. Now, Jesus was in full control of what was happening to him.

He wasn't a victim of evil circumstances like we would like to think. No, he he knew that his hour had come for these things to happen to him. Jesus wasn't caught by surprise at the event at the events that were taking place in his life. But what blows me away is according to Luke's Gospel Luke 22 verses 24 to 30, the disciples at this time were arguing over who would be the greatest in the kingdom. Oh, this tells me a lot about Jesus because if it were me, I would have chewed them out. And I would have said how could you guys be so insensitive?

I am about to go to the cross to die, and you are arguing over who would be the greatest in the kingdom? I would have disowned them. I would have been like you get out of here. Not Jesus. Notice how at the end of this verse, he calls them his own. Notice that it says having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. Oh, that phrase to the end means to the uttermost. Uh, the Greek word for end is telos and and it means perfection or completeness. And it signifies that Jesus loves his own with the fullest completeness measure of love.

And there is a general sense that God loves the world of lost sinners according to John 3:16. But there is a love that he has for his own which is a love that surpasses knowledge according to Ephesians 3 verse 19. And this is the love that is referred to here in this verse. He loved his disciples with a love that had no limits. A love with no strings attached. A love it loves no matter whether the person being loved loves back. And the Greek word used to describe this kind of love is what I mentioned in the introduction is And that that love is a is a love that is so strong it surpasses knowledge as I mentioned before.

And even though they were arguing over who was going to be the greatest in the kingdom, we know what was fueling that argument was pride. And even though they were filled with pride, Jesus still loved them to the end. Oh, the same thing is true for us today. Jesus is going to love us to the end. He is not going to stop loving you. And maybe right now you're going through some tough time and you are questioning his love for you. And but this reminds me of what Jeremiah 31 verse 3 says. He says I've loved you with an everlasting love.

He's going to love us to the end. The Apostle Paul picked up on this kind of love and loving us to the end in Romans 8 in verses 35 to 39 when he said who can separate us from the love of Christ? Then he lists a bunch of things we as humans think can separate us from the love of Christ. He says shall tribulation shall trials and tribulation or every time we go through tough times, we're tempted to question God's love for us because in our finite human minds, we say if God loves us, then why is he allowing us to go through this?

And Paul says shall tribulation separate us from the love of God? Then he says shall distress? That which you're worried about, that which is stressing you out shall that separate you from the love of Christ? He says shall persecution? Being persecuted for your faith? And sure that will cause us to question God's love for us because we're like Lord, I'm trying to live for you and and and you allowing me to be persecuted? Do you love me? He said oh, persecution shall not separate us from the love of Christ. He says shall famine? Meaning being hungry.

Says you know, so often we we like okay, uh well God said I shall supply all of your needs according to his riches and glory in God. I'm hungry. Oh, this is something we as Americans know nothing about. We got more food in our cabinets to prepare for World War III. Bunch of food and and cans spoiled. The the date is past the expiration date. We so in America, we don't know much or about famine and being hungry. But will hunger separate us from the love of Christ? No. What about nakedness? That means homelessness. Oh, surely if I'm homeless, God must not love me.

Oh, no. Jesus he made it clear. He says the birds of the air have nests, and the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. Jesus said I understand what it means to be homeless. And we have these false teachers that will come and say Jesus was rich and had a big old house and stuff. Jesus said the Son of Man has no place to even lay his head. I have no place to call home. And here it is. This can't separate us from the love of God. Shall peril, shall sword, shall war separate us from the love of God?

And all these things will cause us to question God's love for us. But Paul says none of these things can separate us from the love of Christ. He will love us through all of these things or as we're going through these things, he will constantly be pouring out his love on us. Or something else I would like to bring to your attention as they are reclining around the table arguing over who will be the greatest. They also had their dirty, nasty feet in each other's face. Oh, you got to understand when you think of the Lord's Supper, you think of the painting that is so famous that they're sitting at a banquet table and they all right next to each other.

Jesus in the middle with the with the like the sun behind them or something a halo or something behind them, and he's kind of like this and the disciples kind of doing their thing. That's not how it was. They will have a table very close to the ground, and they would be reclining like on one arm there. And as they're reclining, someone is laying this way, somebody else is laying that way with their feet right where you are reclining, and they had their dirty feet in each other's face. I say dirty feet because it was the job of the servant to wash the feet of those coming into the owner's home.

And because each of them wanted to be the greatest, no one was willing to humble themselves to do that job and wash the feet because you remember they were arguing over who was going to be the greatest. And so the greatest would never wash anyone's feet. And so as all this they sitting around reclining feet all dirty, you know, sand, dirt all on the feet. What happened next? Look at verses 2 through 5. And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus knowing that the father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside his garments, took a towel, and girded himself.

And after that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded. In these verses, we see Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Looked at these prideful, bickering disciples and loved them so much that he laid aside his garments according to verse 4. Took a towel and washed the disciples' dirty, nasty feet. What is mind-boggling to me This is what amazes me is that he washed Judas's feet. The one according to verse 2 who would betray him. Please understand that if you're plotting to betray someone that you have now become Judas.

And to bring it closer to home, please understand who put that thought of betrayal in your heart. The devil himself. Oh, betrayal is a terrible thing, and it hurts the person being betrayed. If you never been betrayed, you don't want to experience this. But understand where the origin of betrayal comes from the devil according to verse 2. He betrayed God in heaven according to Revelation 12 verses 1 through 4 and Isaiah 14 verses 12 through 15. He put it in the heart of a his of fail to betray David in 2 Samuel 17 verses 1 through 4.

He put it in the heart of Judas to betray Jesus here in this verse. And even though Jesus knew Judas would betray him, he still loved him enough to wash his feet. Oh, the same is true with us even when we act like Judas and we betray Jesus, he still loves us and washes our feet, which means that he forgives us. And so as he is washing the disciples' feet and wiping them with the the towel that he was he had according to verse 5, he comes to Peter in verses 6 and 7, and look what he says there.

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. The word then that starts verse 6 is the Greek word on. And it can be translated then, but it is a Greek conjunction and can also be translated therefore, which creates a sense of expectancy. It is as if this is what was being said. What will happen when he gets to Peter? And this also shows that Jesus had obviously washed the other disciples' feet by this time.

And their mouths were probably wide open that their master took the job of a servant. Something that none of them were willing to do. So here is Peter who was never at a loss of words. Says in verse 6, Lord, are you washing my feet? Jesus tells him in verse 7, what I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this. Jesus intended for this push this foot washing act to go beyond the act itself. Oh, he was showing them that humble servants is to characterize the life of believers. The question is did Peter understand this later like Jesus said he would?

Oh, yes, he did because in 1 Peter 5:5, he draws upon the lesson he learned, and he said be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility. Oh, the way that this verse is constructed in the Greek language, it reads like this. It says put on the clothes of a slave. The way that you can tell whether you have a servant or slave's attitude or a servant's heart is to ask yourself, how do you feel when you're treated like one? Oh, ladies, this is a truth that can hit you hard as well. Maybe you're working outside the home, then you come home, you have to clean, you have to wash clothes, you have to cook, and you begin to murmur and complain and say what do they think that I am their maid or their slave?

Or man, your wife ask you to help her clean or vacuum, and you look at her like she's crazy and say that is your job. So you can always know whether you have a servant's attitude or a servant's heart is how do you feel when people treat you like one? See, all of us who are believers are called to put on the clothes of a slave. And Jesus showed us how in these verses he laid aside his garments. And he took a towel and washed their feet. And man, this is especially for us. We must lay aside our garments of entitlement and serve our families and serve those on the job.

And so often, especially on the job, we feel because we've reached a certain level that now we have a desk job that I no longer get my hands dirty. Sometime we have to lay aside our sense of entitlement, our sense of position and and show the people that are under us that we can serve. Serving should be the the attitude of those characterized as Christians because our founder Jesus did it himself. He's the ultimate one who laid aside something. Jesus laid aside all of his glory of heaven to come to this earth and put on human flesh and to show us what servanthood is all about.

He said I didn't come to be served, but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many. So Jesus showed us he showed us here and showed us disciples by washing their feet. Something they were not willing to do. Jesus laid aside his prerogative of being God in human flesh, and he washed their feet. So often we have to lay aside our pride and lay aside our I'm the king of this house. And we kind of lay it aside to serve those who are in the house. It's easy to talk about you know, hey, you you serve me.

But Jesus said I didn't come to be served. He said I came to serve and to give my life a ransom for many. And so if we going to be like Christ, we have to lay aside our prerogatives of what we feel is right. Like I'm done with that. I've reached this title or I've reached this position, and I no longer get my hands dirty. It's nothing like to me the the the the best leaders in the military were those who who were once the you know, they were once enlisted. And and because they know what it means to be a private.

They know what it means to be a lance corporal or or sergeant. They know what it means. And so here it is. Jesus laid aside being God in human flesh and showed them what servanthood was all about when he girded himself. With a laid aside his garment and put on a towel and got a basin and washed their nasty feet. What amazes me above all, he washed Judas's feet. The one who was betraying him. Can you wash the feet of the Judas in your life? The one who has betrayed you, the one who has done you wrong, the one who who is was out to destroy you, can you now turn around and wash their feet?

The only way you'll be able to if you lay aside your garments of entitlement, your garments of your right to be right. That's the only way you're going to wash the feet of Judas in your life. You got to be willing to lay it aside. Oh, can you wash the feet of that that ex-spouse that took you for everything that you had? Can you turn around and wash their feet? Oh, see, we can easily say whose feet we will wash sitting here in church. But when we leave here, can we go and wash the feet of that spouse that treats us like dirt?

Those children who don't appreciate us. See, this is for us fathers, mothers, you can wash your children's feet until the rapture. And it doesn't matter how they treat you, you love them with an unconditional love. Us fathers, we not like that. We didn't have them growing inside us. They didn't grow inside us. And we can easily, you know, give them the hand. You will love them forever just to to the moon and back as some folks say on Facebook. But we as men, we we we we're not wired like that. You going to treat me like that?

Okay, fine. Poof. Talk to this hand. We got to lay aside got to lay these things aside. Look at verses 8 through 11. It says Peter said to him, you shall never wash my feet. Jesus answered him and said if I do not wash you, you have no part with me. Simon Peter said to him, Lord, not my feet only, but my hands and my head. And Jesus said to him, he who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean, and you're clean, but not all of you. For he knew who would betray him.

Therefore, he said you are not all clean. Now, in verse 8, we see Peter objecting to Jesus washing his feet. See, his pride had blinded him to what Jesus was doing. I say pride because they were arguing over who would be the greatest. So he objects to what Jesus was doing. Jesus corrects Peter's misunderstanding of what he was doing by saying at the end of verse 8, if I do not wash you, you have no part of me. Implying only those who have been washed by Jesus have a relationship with him. Oh, washing is a biblical metaphor for spiritual cleansing according to Numbers 19 and verses 17 through 19 and Psalm 51 verse 2 and Isaiah 4 verse 4.

Then Peter in verse 9 goes overboard as usual and says Lord, not my feet only, but my hands and my head. Oh, even though Peter misunderstood and thought that Jesus was referring to a physical washing, either way, whatever Jesus was offering, Peter wanted it all. And we got to love Peter for that. And then Jesus said in verse 10, he who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean.

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