Posts Tagged: ex-pastors
“JUST MESSENGERS—BUT WHAT A MESSAGE (AND WHAT A SENDER!)”
My wife had me read out loud John 13 this morning. (Her women’s Bible study group is working their way through John’s Gospel.) She had me go back and reread vss. 12-17.
“12 After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing?
13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am.
14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.
15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.
16 I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message.
17 Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.” (New Living Translation)
My wife and I are older than we’ve ever been up to this point. We often wonder about our significance these days. Sometimes we take turns doing this. At such times, the person who isn’t struggling can comfort the other one. At other times, we are both in the same feelin’-like-we’re-washed-up funk at the same time. At those times we are in real trouble.
What does this have to do with John 13? A lot!
John 13:12-17 comes right after John 13:1-11. Amazing how that works, isn’t it? So, what was going on in John 13:1-11?
Jesus was busy knowing what was about to take place, but also knowing where he came from and where he was heading for. So, what did he do with this knowledge? He washed his disciples’ feet.
That doesn’t sound very dramatic, does it? It isn’t. It was a just a nasty task that needed to be done.
It was also a nastily necessary lesson for his disciples. He wanted them to do the same kinds of things for others, beginning with their fellow disciples.
In the ancient world, it was the old, broken-down servants who were charged with washing guests’ feet before a meal. I imagine that was because, even these servants could wash feet. Perhaps these servants were already bent over. Why not have them bend a little further, and wash some feet? After all, you can at least scoot around and wash feet when you’re already close to the floor.
Being a used-to-be pastor is not easy. It is easy to remember how honored you were when you were a pastor. Resentment and self-pity are continual pitfalls. (Of course, remembering how honored you were to be God’s messenger involves choosing to forget all the times you were anything but honored.) My wife mentioned this lack of a sense of being honored, and said, “But the message, and the One who sent us with the message are the main thing, aren’t they?”
I just hate it when my sweetheart hits this close to the truth!
Anybody need their feet washed?
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
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- “Delighting in Being Told What to Do?!?” February 23, 2024“Psa. 112:1 Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! 2 His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures […]
- “Character is the Real Lesson” January 19, 2024I am often confused about what lesson I’m really supposed to be learning. For example, this morning I was trying to knock out several Spanish lessons. My intentions were a lot better than my internet connection. I’ve done three lessons. Or rather, I’ve done two lessons. One of them I did twice because the internet […]
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- “Searching for the Noble One” December 26, 2023My wife and I were reading Luke, chapter 2 on Christmas Day. Luke 2 talks about the shepherds being told to look for this very special child—in fact, this King—in a stable. I prefer the word “barn”. I grew up on a farm. I know what a barn is. A stable is entirely too biblical […]
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