John 13.1-20_Loved to the End
Passage: John 13:1-20
John 13:1-17 – Loved to the End
Project Self means we are sovereign over our own lives, and all of our energy, passion, learning, striving, imagination, and resources should be directed toward the end goal of fulfilling our personal dreams. It’s easy to see how deeply this is embedded in our culture, but it’s not as obvious that many people use Jesus as a means to further their advancement of their Project Self. – Jon Tyson, Sacred Roots
“A dispute arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest” – Luke 22:24
Jesus finally gives up on words. He has spoken the truth to them: the greatest must become the servant. Now he will enact the truth for them. All of us must see the truth lived out and not simply spoken if we are ever to fully understand. Significantly, after this moment, they never argue about who the greatest is! – Michael Card
v/1-3 – Love – Jesus heart
Can we we imagine a more perfect or “finished” display of God’s love than the death of his son for his disciples and the world? – Frederick Bruener
4-11 – Service – Jesus Life
The Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and gave his life as a ransom for many – Matthew 20:28
“Staged portrayal of whole life & dramatization” of Philippians 2 which is his ultimate act of love & service:
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name. – Phil 2:5-9
12-17 – Humble Service – Jesus Call
Jesus, having washed his disciples feet, declares that he has established a pattern for them to follow. Why is this so hard? Why does he have to go on to insist that the slave is not greater than the master, that the person who is sent is not greater than the person who sent them? Because we are proud. – NT Wright
We live in a world that so often looks at the church and, seeing hypocrisy, exclusivity, and stringent rules, says “I don’t want any part in that.” So, together, as Christ’s church, may we put the brilliance of Jesus on display in such a way that elicits only one response from a watching world, “I have to be a part of that.” – Jon Tyson, Sacred Roots