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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
December, 1934
through it to the open country. You are that bird. Your pride makes you deal with high things up there in the roof. Among the lofty mysteries you are blind ing yourself. There is no escape for you there, nor rest, nor even life. You seek a way through the glory of your own painted righteousness; this will be death to you if you persevere. Drop down upon the floor of honest confession and lowly peni tence. Come to the ground by self-humili ation. When you get lower ideas of your self, you will see just before you the open door, Christ Jesus. As soon as you see Him, use the wings of simple faith, and you are at liberty, and no more a captive doomed to die.— C harles H addon S pur geon , in Cyclopedia of Religious Anec dotes, by Lawson. Why Jesus Washed Peter’s Feet J ohn 13:1-17 Memory Verse: “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mk. 10:45). Approach: The last time that Jesus had supper with His disciples, He had many forget that He had taught His disciples to love their enemies. He didn’t want His disciples to grow proud, either, or to think that they were better than any one else. They were to remember that they were “all one in Christ Jesus.” It was hard for Jesus to explain all of this to them, so He gave them an example. Lesson Story: After they had eaten, He took a basin of water and a towel and started to wash the disciples’ feet. In that country, where men wore bare foot sandals as they walked along the road, their feet needed washing often. It was a servant’s work to wash the feet. Yet Jesus, the Master, washed His disciples’ feet! When He came to Peter, Peter refused to let Him do it. “Thou shalt never wash my feet,” he said. It didn’t seem right to Peter that a master should do the work of a servant. But Jesus had to teach His disciples that they must be willing to serve, even as He was willing, so He said: “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.” Jesus served us even to the point of giving up His life for us. We, His dis ciples, must be willing to go this far, too. Jesus said: “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” Object Lesson S oiled F eet Objects: A mirror, a candle, and a piece of cardboard about two feet square. (Take a piece of paper the size of the mirror and cut out a heart-shaped piece near the top, and two pieces the shape of feet at the bottom. Paste the paper over the mirror. Leave the heart clear, but smear mud or water colors on the feet) Lesson: There is a candle burning back of this cardboard, although you do not see th in g s to say to them. Most of all, He wanted them to have the same hum ble spirit that was His. He knew that when He was gone back to heaven, His disciples would have many hard things to do. There would be many enemies that would tempt them to
Pointe and Problème The lesson title, “Peter’s Lesson in Hum ble Service,” has some justification, but it fails to reach the deepest meaning of the passage in John 13:1-17. The primary les son here is the Lord’s own service for us. In fact, each one of His acts in the upper room pointed forward definitely to some distinct aspect of His blessed threefold ministry on our behalf. There were three acts, which we shall consider in the order of their fulfillment in the antitypes : 1. In that upper room, our Lord gave to His disciples the bread and the cup. This act speaks to us of His past ministry on the cross, where His body was given and His precious blood was poured out, that we “might ransomed be.” For He came not to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many. In this ministry, He dealt with the guilt of sin. 2. In that upper room, He washed the feet of His disciples, a perfect préfigura tion of His present ministry for us, carried on from His throne in the heavens. For He still holds the basin; He is still girded ■with the towel; and He stands ready to cleanse the soiled feet of His wandering children. And He says to us, as He said to Peter, “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me” (v. 8). Note the exact word : not “in me,” but "with me.” The former words speak of life in Christ, the latter of fellowship with Christ. The past ministry of cleansing by blood at the cross gave us a part in Christ that we cannot lose. But we need the present daily ministry of cleansing to maintain our fellowship with Christ. In this ministry, He sanctifies and cleanses continually “with the washing of water by the word” (Eph. S:26). The past cleansing by the blood is never repeated; the present cleansing by the water of the Word must be often repeated. “He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet” (John 13:10). 3. In that upper room, He ate a supper with His disciples (not the Passover feast ; cf. vs. 1, 29). This beautiful act pointed forward to the coming Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:6-9). And here a future ministry of our Lord will begin. He will make us “sit down to meat” and will “gird himself” and will “serve” us (Lk. 12:37). Through eternity He will minister unto us as a Bridegroom to His bride, for surely He will do as much for the bride as for the servants. What will it mean to be “served” by an infinite God? The imagination staggers at the thought I Surely the thought of what Christ has done, is doing, and will do in the future should make us love Him and obey Him in all things. This is the great lesson of the upper room. Golden Text Illustration “Alas,” cries one, “I wish I had the rest you speak of, but I cannot find it, though I study hard and work much.” Hearken to a parable: A little bird of the air found itself in a church. It was anxious to find its way into the open air, and so it flew aloft among the great timbers of the roof, where it was half buried and almost blinded by the dust which lay thick on the beams. There were no seeds, nor fruits, nor water in that dry and thirsty height. It then made a dash at the win dow, glorious with many colors; but it found no way of escape. It tried again and again, and at last dropped stunned upon the pavement of the aisle. When it recovered itself a little, it did not again fly aloft, but, seeing the door open upon the level of the floor, it joyfully flew
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