In the summer of 2018, I cried out to God to know the more profound things of Him. He began to show me, and he continued to answer that prayer. In my message of stuck that you find throughout this blog (if you’ve been keeping up!) I have shared snippets of my pain (my stuck) and my breakthrough.
Now that Passion Week has unfolded, I am engrossed in Jesus’ eye-opening lessons. The plan I started this week, The Final Lessons: A Holy Week Plan from Youversion, shares the story of Jesus’ last acts before His glorification and the responses of those he touched. I’ve read these accounts thousands of times, as I’m sure you have, too! But this time, they came alive and washed over me like a flood. And you know me, I had to write my insights down.
From the first four days:
- Sacrifice. John 12:1-8 – Here is the story of Jesus at Bethany with his friends. Four characters caught my eye:
- Lazarus, seated. (This alone preaches!) You know the story. Before this gathering, Jesus raised him from the dead. Now, His best friend sits with Him. Enough said about that.
- Martha, serving. I see that her sacrifice is wrapped up in her serving. What a spiritual gift to serve. And yes, sometimes serving can take our eyes off Jesus because we get so caught up in the details and the help we need. But when our eyes are on Jesus, we offer a sacrifice that is right in our serving.
- Mary, pouring. I see that her sacrifice is the outpouring of her heart. It boggles the mind that she took a 12-ounce jar containing expensive perfume – the equivalent of a year’s wages – to anoint Jesus! But that’s the thing: when we think with our intellect, we will get boggled. That’s why scripture says Do not be anxious, (Matthew 6:25). Anxiety and boggling of the mind go hand in hand. This was her expression, her most prophetic expression of praise and sacrifice. The outpouring of her heart said, “Take it all, Lord.”
- Judas Iscariot, despising. I see here that Judas’ mind was anxious, boggled – whatever word you wish. But he wasn’t worried about his own life. The contempt with which he said, “Why was this perfume not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor?” (v5, AMP) was not from a place of loving self-sacrifice but of selfishness. Hmm… do you despise how someone worships when singing, dancing, serving, giving, teaching, leading, praising??? Be careful!
- Worship. John 12:12-19. It is verse 13 that got my heart aflutter. The word “Hosanna!” moved me. If you understand the meaning and the prophecy of their praise in the text, it will cause you to jump, too! The shift from “Save me!” to “Salvation has come!” was evident on the lips of those with the palm branches. They no longer cry “Hoshiya na” but shout “Hosanna!” A joyous, knowing exclamation that Jesus is the Deliverer! So make your praise of “Hosanna” personal. He has come to save!
- Serve & Love. John 13:1-17
- Peter’s response as he watched Jesus prepare and wash the feet of his friends: “Lord, are you going to wash my feet? You will never wash my feet!” was perhaps steeped in a lack of awareness of what love does. Or, he did not understand that the one who teaches does so by showing. Or, perhaps it didn’t make sense to him that Jesus would do this act. It made him uncomfortable, and Peter shouted his “…never…” And, maybe Peter felt undeserving to be loved and served this way. But Jesus, in his loving way, consistently demonstrates how backward-thinking our hearts can be. And when we hear Jesus, really hear Him, and allow His word to wash over us, a release happens that reminds us of our love for Him. To quote a line from “Extravagant” by Bethel Music, which, in my opinion, so eloquently describes why Peter responded the way he did:
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It’s extravagant, it doesn’t make sense. We’ll never comprehend, the way You love us. It’s unthinkable, only heaven knows just how far you’d go to say you love us.”
- Jesus’s response to Peter: “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me,” and “Anyone who has bathed needs only to wash his feet…” shows me that the Word cleanses me. He is the living Word. His Word over me is active, and His promises speak life abundantly and make me whole. We need only be washed once. Salvation is a one-time act of justification by faith. But here is the thing with the feet part…
- The “feet” needing to be washed refers to our role in the body of Christ. When you walk through life, your feet will be defiled as you walk. Therefore, you’ll need to wash them or have them washed by others. In other words, you will be hurt, you will need to forgive, you will need to show mercy, to confess sin, and so forth. Does this make sense? Furthermore, v 15 provides an example that we are to model in serving and building up others in humility and love, as Jesus did that day in the Upper Room.
- When people refuse to allow Jesus (others) to wash their feet, they miss out on His beautiful partnership. How are you allowing the Word to wash your feet today? Or are you?
- Betrayal. John 13:21-30, 36-38; Matthew 27:3; 14:22-32; Romans 8:38-39
- There were two that would dishonor Jesus. One is deceived by the roots of greed, fraud, and thievery, which leads to betrayal. The other was rooted in doubleminded angst that led to a denial. One was remorse-filled and betrayed Jesus. The other was guilt-ridden and denied our Lord.
- In Matthew 14:29, Peter’s action (doubt) foreshadowed what he would do, which is to deny Jesus. A flaw called doubt in Peter was hemmed in at the root. We know later that this would be cut out and cast to hell due to Peter’s response and acceptance from Jesus and by Jesus. But the point I bring out here is a picture of doublemindedness. It is a tactic of the enemy to get us to take our eyes off of Jesus. Doubt is rooted in being double-minded. And, well, doubt is a cousin of fear.
- Here is the victory: Paul writes in Romans 8:38 of being convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. This is the washing of the feet that Peter would experience. I like this quote from Jack Hayford, which reads:
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The Holy Spirit is able to recover, reclaim, restore, renew, and rebuild whatever has been broken. He will bring full restoration to your life, your personality, your character, your mind – to whatever part of you has been crushed, ruised, broken, stained, tarnished, or ruined.”
- Peter, as we know, was restored, made whole, and went on to do great things in partnership with Christ.
- What roots must be cast out of your heart that prevents you from walking victoriously?
Finally, as I finished this post, it struck me that scripture was not included in the 4th day of the plan. I think to include it would have made a great connection to the washing the feet scriptures and the betrayal scriptures. It would have further articulated our victory in our role in the body of Christ. It would have increased our awareness of the importance of Passover, being with family, talking about that part of history, and explaining what it all means. “Little Children,” Jesus starts, in the same way the Jewish dads would address their kids. And then learning about this new command – after Judas departed from among them, mind you – would bring weight to why Jesus demonstrated the washing of the feet. That passage is John 13:31-35, with a highlighted stress on verse 35, which reads, “By this, all men will know that you are My disciples if you have a love for one another” (MEV).
God will answer you when you come to Him humbly. He wants to give you fresh eyes and new insights. So, stop sitting and get up to see it. Then, wash someone’s feet.
#BethelMusic
#Extravagant
#HolyWeekLessons