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T h e
K i n g ’ s ' B u s i n e s s
February 1932
(tiniernaiional LESSON COMMENTARY O u tlin e and Exposition By B. B. Sutcliffe B lackboard Outlin es G olden T ext Illu stration s Children’ s D ivision In H oly Places By Bessie B. Burch By Alan S. Pearce By Helen Gailey By Herbert H.Tay
fall (cf. John 6:70), but it was one step toward it. Our Lord has authority over all things (v. 3). Hence, the disciples are safe in His care, no matter how much Satan may rage and scheme. The Saviour recognized from whom His authority came and to whom He was responsible for it. Having received authority from the Father, provi dences are under His care, and nothing can come to the disciples without His per mission. This truth should be held close to the Christian’s heart and uppermost in the Christian’s mind, as a guard against the Satanic suggestion that the untoward events are by chance and are ungoverned by tKe Lord. II. T he M anner of the F oot W ashing (4, 5). In verse 4, we see the form, and in verse 5, the work, o f the servant. The Sovereign takes the place o f the servant. He who was ever in the form o f God now assumes the form o f a servant. In this capacity, He learns obedience (c f. Heb. 5). He does not learn to be obedient,- for He was ever that; but He learns what obedience is as He takes the servant’s place. The washing o f feet was an ancient mark o f hospitality, as we learn from the story of Abraham (Gen. 18:4) and the story o f Simon (Lk. 7:44). The towel and ba sin have been adopted by one organization as symbols o f readiness for service, and these could scarcely be improved upon. But it is not so much the service that is here in view, as it is .the humility that is required in one to engage in the humblest task when, by all human standards, one should be acclaimed a leader. By perform ing a lowly and menial task, our Lord graphically teaches the greatness o f hu mility as a Christian virtue. III. T he M eaning of the F oot W ashing ( 6 - 11 ). Note how the Lord deals with the ig norant Christian (vs. 6-8). H ow patient-, ly He tolerates the objections of Peter, and how gently He handles the easel He said, “What I do thou knowest not n ow ; but thou shalt know hereafter” ; that is, Peter would understand the meaning later —and this is true o f all the experiences through which the saints are led. How ever mysterious they may appear at the present moment, the understanding will come in God’s own good time. The Lord’s explanation to Peter is plain: “ If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.” There can be no fellowship, no real companion ship, with the Lord without daily clean sing. In verses 9 and 10, the Lord reveals the true character o f this ceremony. There are two washings referred to in the Bible: one by blood (1 John 1 :7 ), and one by water —that is, by the W ord (Eph. 5:25, 26). These two speak of the altar and the laver in the tabernacle o f old. The washing by the blood is done once for all; it needs
MARCH 6, 1932 JESUS WASHES HIS DISCIPLES’ FEET J ohn 13:1-15
I. T he R eason for the F oot W ashing (1-3). The disciples were in need of teaching concerning both themselves and their Lord. Jesus knew that He was about to depart from this world; His death was no surprise to Him. He came into the world to die. Moreover, His death was not against His will; He had said beforehand, as far as His life was concerned, “ I lay it down o f myself,” and “no man taketh it from me.” But before that death should be accomplished, He desired to give to His own all that they would need after His de parture. “Having loved his own, he loved them unto the end,” that is, “to the uttermost,” as the margin reads. Tn spite o f all their failures, their backwardness in coming to a knowledge o f the truth, their unbelief, and even their open sin, Jesus continues to love His people with an affection that never cools and never ceases. He loves them and will love them forever. They are His own peculiar property, first, as the gift o f the Father; second, as the purchase for which He gave His precious blood; and third, as persons voluntarily surren dered to the Lord. They are forever His own peculiar care: to guard from every danger, to guide amid obstacles, and to provide for their every need. The. activity of Satan is revealed in verse 2. W e should note here the person ality, watchfulness, and malignity of Sa tan. He has all the personal characteristics o f knowing, thinking, planning, etc., and he is always on the alert to hinder and to defeat the purposes o f God. In this verse, there is also a revelation o f Satan’s dupes —blind fo God’s purposes and power as well as to their own eternal welfare, ig norant of the mastery that Satan exercises over them, and corrupt with the corruption o f Satan added to the corruption o f the human heart, so carried away by their own desires which deliver them into the grip of Satan that they can actually betray the Lord of glory. Judas was a great profes sor, but he was merely an imitation pos sessor of true Christian life. This incident does not mark the beginning o f his down- BLACKBOARD LESSON
Golden Text: “ The Son o f man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). The Washing of Feet I n the days of Christ, Palestine was a part of the Roman Empire. It was ruled by Roman governors and gov erned by Roman laws. Although the Jews were the hardest people in the Roman Em pire to bring into subjection, yet many Roman customs prevailed even in Jerusa-
salem. One custom w h i c h prevailed to some extent was the manner o f bathing. O n l y t h e v e r y wealthy Roman could afford to have a bath room in his house. The cities provided public baths for the majority of the peo
ple. After spending a social afternoon in the bath with his- friends, the Roman wrapped his cloak about him and walked home in the evening. O f course, in that walk, his feet would become soiled again. To become entirely clean again, it was necessary then only to wash his feet in a small' basin when he arrived at his home. Thus the custom o f washing feet became • common. It is quite clear, however, that Jesus’ principle purpose in washing the disciples’ feet was not to remove the dirt from them. It was clearly a ceremonial washing which had spiritual significance. As such, it has been in use even to the present day. There are many evidences of ceremonial cleansing among the Orientals today. Most notable are the ablutions o f the Moham medans before each o f their daily prayers. At one time we were traveling with a Mohammedan guide. About sunset, we chanced to pass a pool o f water. The guide asked us to walk on slowly while he stopped for a minute. W e walked on, watching him as we did so. After remov ing his cloak and shoes, he washed his hands and feet, his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth in the water. A fter this ceremonial cleansing, he considered himself prepared to commune with Allah. Outline and Exposition In chapters 13 to 17 o f this gospel, there is a marvelous body o f truth with which the teacher should be familiar. Here the Lord instructs His disciples concerning their satisfaction (13, 14), their ser vice (15), their strength. (16), and their security (17). Our lesson is a part of the first section; that is, it deals with the disciples’ satisfaction. Here the Lord reveals something o f the pride o f the hu man heart and the paramount need of humility.
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