Today's study is inspired by Augustine. If you are not familiar with Augustine, I will share some interesting facts about him. He was born in 354 and died in 430 in present-day Algeria. He was very influential in the development of western Christianity. Some interesting theories that came from Augustine are original sin, Filioque Clause, and the concept of the Church being the City of God. I am not doing Augustine justice by summarizing his teachings as much as I have. One could read for hours on Augustine!
It is Day 61 in my study. The study verse is brought to us by the King James Version.
John 13:14-15) If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you and example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
Jesus washed the Disciple's feet and they were already clean so what does this mean for me (or all believer's)? We have already covered the principle of serving others. What other lessons are included in the words of Jesus? In typical fashion, His words are multi-faceted. I think the other lessons are also important.
Before you get bored about reading yet another study based on the washing of feet let's see what else we can learn from the above verse. Besides the lesson in foot washing I think it is important to think about living a life full of introspection. He was teaching the Disciple's to look into their own lives to see where sin lived in them. Because we are human we sin. Believers are included in this. Personally, I do not believe I get through a day without sinning. Even after initial salvation we have to always look inside ourselves to see the rottenness. Conversion and repentance are a vital element to the Christian journey. We are not exempt from sin and its consequences. He is teaching His men that they still need cleansing.
Psalms 32:5) Then I confessed my sins to you; I did not conceal my wrongdoings. I decided to confess them to You, and You forgave all my sins.
It is important to remember who said the above words. It was King David. The second verse of the famous song "Hallelujah" speaks of King David. "Your faith was strong but you needed proof. You saw her bathing on the roof. Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you...," "Hallelujah" written by Leonard Cohen. King David was a man after God's own heart. David loved God, but knew he still needed to repent.
Besides the lesson of service and being quick to repentance, I believe Jesus is teaching about forgiveness in John 13:14-15. He intercedes between myself and God. Actually, Jesus is the bridge between myself and God the Father. The muck I mentioned a few days ago is what the Bridge goes over. When Jesus washed the men's feet he is saying, "I forgive you. Now go and forgive others." There are many reason forgiveness is difficult. Some hurts are just so deep. True forgiveness comes from the Holy Spirit.
One of my favorite Bible teachers (and authors) is Joyce Meyer. She was sexually abused by her father for fifteen years. He used to take her to the graveyards and rape her. He did this so if someone noticed the stopped car they would assume they were visiting a grave site. Joyce found Jesus Christ at age nine. She told her mother she was being raped by her father and her mother did not believe her. The abuse began approximately at age three. Eleven years later her mother walked in as a rape was occurring. She backed away, returned hours later, and pretended nothing happened. Can you even imagine?! Joyce thought surely her mother would do something to stop the abuse, but she was wrong. The abuse continued till Joyce was eighteen when she moved out. Many years later she moved her aging parents close to her so she could care for them. He eventually became a believer in Jesus Christ. He and Joyce prayed the Sinner's Prayer together and she baptized him soon after.
Most of us never have to experience this level of evil. We all get our feelings hurt and experience many other levels and types of hurts. Forgiveness is a choice. Joyce's journey of forgiveness is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Pride gets in the way of forgiveness. Any amount of unforgiveness places a root of bitterness in our hearts...from big hurts to small. Many times the person who hurt us doesn't know they hurt us, doesn't care, or doesn't know how badly. Joyce went to her father twice and told him she forgave him. He asked why because he did not think he did anything wrong. Forgiveness offers freedom.
Ephesians 4:31-32) Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort. Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ.
As you can see, when we study God's word in detail we are blessed with Spirit-guided insight. I think it is amazing how I can read a verse one day and get one thing out of it then the next day read the same verse and get something completely different out of it. I would encourage you to study God's Word.
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