Today Our Daily Bread John 13 ++

Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.

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John 13:1-38
Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet
1Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He now showed the disciples the full extent of his love. F65 2It was time for supper, and the Devil had already enticed Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to carry out his plan to betray Jesus. 3Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel he had around him.
6When he came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, "Lord, why are you going to wash my feet?"
7Jesus replied, "You don't understand now why I am doing it; someday you will."
8"No," Peter protested, "you will never wash my feet!" Jesus replied, "But if I don't wash you, you won't belong to me."
9Simon Peter exclaimed, "Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!"
10Jesus replied, "A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, F66 to be entirely clean. And you are clean, but that isn't true of everyone here." 11For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, "Not all of you are clean."
12After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, "Do you understand what I was doing? 13You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and you are right, because it is true. 14And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet. 15I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16How true it is that a servant is not greater than the master. Nor are messengers more important than the one who sends them. 17You know these things—now do them! That is the path of blessing.
Jesus Predicts His Betrayal
18"I am not saying these things to all of you; I know so well each one of you I chose. The Scriptures declare, 'The one who shares my food has turned against me,' F67 and this will soon come true. 19I tell you this now, so that when it happens you will believe I am the Messiah. 20Truly, anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me."
21Now Jesus was in great anguish of spirit, and he exclaimed, "The truth is, one of you will betray me!"
22The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he could mean. 23One of Jesus' disciples, the one Jesus loved, was sitting next to Jesus at the table. F68 24Simon Peter motioned to him to ask who would do this terrible thing. 25Leaning toward Jesus, he asked, "Lord, who is it?"
26Jesus said, "It is the one to whom I give the bread dipped in the sauce." And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. 27As soon as Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, "Hurry. Do it now." 28None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant. 29Since Judas was their treasurer, some thought Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money to the poor. 30So Judas left at once, going out into the night.
Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial
31As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, "The time has come for me, the Son of Man, to enter into my glory, and God will receive glory because of all that happens to me. 32And God will bring F69 me into my glory very soon. 33Dear children, how brief are these moments before I must go away and leave you! Then, though you search for me, you cannot come to me—just as I told the Jewish leaders. 34So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
36Simon Peter said, "Lord, where are you going?" And Jesus replied, "You can't go with me now, but you will follow me later."
37"But why can't I come now, Lord?" he asked. "I am ready to die for you."
38Jesus answered, "Die for me? No, before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.
FOOTNOTES:F65: Or He loved his disciples to the very end. F66: Some manuscripts do not include except for the feet. F67: Ps 41:9. F68: Greek was reclining on Jesus' bosom. The "disciple whom Jesus loved" was probably John. F69: Some manuscripts read And if God is glorified in him [the Son of Man], God will bring.


Copyright Statement: Holy Bible, The New Living TranslationCopyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

~Lena’s Journalin’ Today~
I so wish we had time, so wish I could write this out in the Greek and you’d hear the Greek words in your own understanding and then be able to add history and culture to this word today, It is oh so rich, so full of so much.
Do you remember about 3 weeks or so ago, I’d written about John 1 where John the Baptist said, “Behold THE LAMB of God, who comes to take away the sins of the whole world”? The Jews were astounded at that statement, they wondered if John was a heretic, then as they considered the statement they asked him if he might be a prophet, because only little perfect lambs could forgive sin, but nothing ever eradicated sin’s effect on people and the edict of death that would follow sin’s penalty. Also John was speaking of a man, not an animal and they’d always used animals for the forgiveness of sin. Plus no one can forgive sin except God, who did he think he was- God, or maybe a priest? Priests were the only ones who could even make the offerings to God, for sins.
Anyway, without an understanding of the culture of the day and of the history we just read the word at face value and its value to each of us is different, depending on how much background we have.
Jesus was with His disciples in the last days of His life left on earth. He knew what He was about to do, but they had no clue. He was about to clue them in.
He stripped Himself of His garment, His mantle, His earthly ministerial coat, given Him by God to walk the earth and be who He was here, the King of the Jews. He took that off, and put on Himself a loincloth, barely covering His body. He was saying no one is going to strip me, or take my mantle or title, I’m going to lay it down, I’m going to give it up!
Then He took a basin of water, water for washing.
In the temple courts where sacrifices were made, after they were laid down and slain on an altar, there was a basin of water to wash, before the approach towards the mercy seat was made. There would be some blood on the hands, some dust on the priests’, on their feet. Their feet would carry them into the presence of God, where they’d present the evidence of a sacrificed life, where they bring the blood of lambs for the sins of people other than themselves, and their feet needed to be clean of the dust of earth.
Jesus was not a “priest” or was He? The disciples were not priests, or were they? Why would He wash them like that, as though they would be the next to approach God? This seems out of order, but they knew truth when they saw it, they just couldn’t yet explain it.
One of His was going to betray Him, lead Him to slaughter and to the slaughterers. He took off His garment for that one anyway. He knew where He had to go and what He had to do for His Father and for His Sons. He told them they’d do the same for people who’d do them the same. He said, watch Me, I’m going to show you what God sent you here to do also, not only bring the sacrifice for sin, but BE the sacrifice for sin.
Don’t say you love, BE love. Don’t tell them what to do, show them, as I’m showing you. Take off your titles, mantles, identity, for the sacrifice of love. Wash others sins away. Let them be poured out, onto the earth with the dirty water, don’t store it up after the washing, or it will become putrid. Wash then and then dump the water out.
Jesus ate the communion/Passover meal with His betrayer.
His betrayer took what was meant for communion with God and ate something else of it. It says the spirit of satan came into him. Did he know Jesus had power and had given him power over evil spirits, or was greed so deceptive that he accepted the spirit of evil? Who/what did he love? Where was his affection at? We must know that the same words meant for truth can become evil to us, if we allow the wrong spirit to enter us, but we can disallow that spirit any place in us. The spirit found a place in Judas, can he find a place in us? Or can the Holy Spirit find a place in us? God is looking for bodies to live in, so is satan. It is an all out war of recruits, who can recruit who. Who will you allow to recruit you? Even if you don’t answer it will be decided. If we do not choose Christ and God’s Holy Spirit, than by default we have chosen another.
Judas chose another. Notice in the first few verses it says that the devil had already enticed Judas to betray Jesus. Enticement is NOT recruitment. Enticement is the offer. How many offers do we take that are not offers from God, with our free-wills we can refuse all other offers. In Judas’ acceptance of the offer, his end was grave, as is any who do not choose Christ and the way of love and sacrifice.
In the presence of betrayal, Jesus showed them the full extent of His love for them. He didn’t change or cancel the dinner party, because someone in their midst was there with the wrong spirit. He extended Himself. Then He showed them, then He told them to do the same. In the extending of one’s self, the world would see your faith is real and in seeing a real faith they’ll be able to see a real God. Anyone can love the lovely, anyone can befriend the friendly, who can eat with and lay down their lives, titles, stature, for the unlovely, the angry and betraying sort?
We can, if we want to. We don’t have to if we don’t want to.
He passed the mantle of the power to do so on to us. As He ascended, just like Elijah did, and He left His mantle behind, except now more than one person can pick it up, wear it and use it. It is the power to change our own lives, the power of God’s Holy Spirit in us, for love, for the love of God, for the love of people, all people both lovely and unlovely. For whoever we will love, for whomever we will show the love of God to, unconditionally.

Daily Repetitive Verses:

Proverbs 27:17-19
17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. 18 If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you'll be honored.
19 Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
Psalm 122:1
1 When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy.