Another tough question...

I love questions - most of the time anyway.  But not just any question, it has to be a good one.  The kind of question that everyone is willing to answer, or the kind that completely stumps everyone, or even a question that has no answer at all - just makes you think.  Those are the questions that I love! 

In my quiet time this morning Jesus didn't disappoint either!  He has a doozy of a question for us.  John 13 tells the account of Jesus preparing himself and his disciples for his death.  This is coming rapidly!  His arrest is just around the corner so they need to get ready!  So how do you think he prepared them?  Hold a week long seminar...take them out in the field for some training exercises...chastise them for not having the faith they need to have?  All of these are possible but none are what Jesus actually does!  Instead, he washes their feet!  One word sums up what that must have been like - gross!

Anyway - after he gets done washing their feet he asks a question.  It's the doozy that I was referring to earlier.  He says, do you understand what I have done for you?  Whoa!  That's some deep stuff.  Jesus can't answer that question for us.  We alone need to come to grips with what that's all about.  Jesus just washed their feet. So on some level they might understand that now their feet are not quite as dirty as they were before. But I'm pretty sure that Jesus wasn't referring to what simply was physically done for them - there's got to be something deeper going on.  He's showing them that the outside washing is just a symbol of a better washing that's being done. 

This more complete washing that takes place is what happens when God's Spirit moves into our hearts and makes his home there.  You and I experience this through baptism.  A little water put on the head doesn't physically do much of anything.  There's nothing special about the water.  Nothing special about the person who puts the water on the person.  The power lies with the one who gave us this gift.  The power of baptism comes from God.  When Jesus washed their feet he was reminding them that they have the power of God in them.  He's reminding them that the old stuff of our lives - our old thoughts, words, and actions have been washed away.  In the same way that the dust from the Galilean streets was washed from the disciples' feet so also is their sin about to be washed away. 

We have the same promise today!  It's the promise that God has already washed away our sins.  He's already taken care of that stuff.  He promises that when we lay it bare before him.  When we expose the guilt and shame of our brokenness that he will put us together.  Not only will he, but he has!  By dying on the cross Jesus has washed the stains of our sins away.  They don't exist at all in us.  He removes the shame from us and he remembers them no more.  How cool is that! But when he rose from the dead he gave us an additional blessing. Having washed our issues down the drain, now he gives us the assurance that no matter what this life deals out - heaven is ours.  It's ours because of the love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness of Christ. 

We've been washed clean.  Do you understand what that means?  That means that nothing we can do will make God love us any less.  It means that while I didn't deserve it - Jesus put himself in my place and died my death, and bore my pain, and took my punishment, and paid my debt, and washed my filth.  And I didn't even have to ask!  Do you understand? 

Lord - you've done so much for me.  I understand and acknowledge so little of that before you.  I don't live like that's made any difference.  Today I simply thank you.  I am not going to dredge up my past because you've taken care of it.  I'm not going to say I'll do better because even at my best I'm not worthy.  Today I'm just going to worship you, thank you, and praise you.  AMEN.