JESUS SPEAKING

            Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

            Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning me?”

            “Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me.  What have you done?” 

            Jesus answered him, “My kingdom is not of this world.  If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now my kingdom is not from here.”

            Pilate therefore said to him, “Are you a king then?”

            Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king.  For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.”

            Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”  And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in him at all” (John 18: 33-38.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

            The Romans had conquered all of Israel decades before Jesus arrived.  The issue of kingship was a point of contention between the Romans and the Jews.  The Jews had a strong desire to be ruled over by a king, because they hated being ruled over by the Romans; a king, they believed, would give them a sense of independence.  The Romans had divided Israel up in to five provinces ruled over by leaders who were given the title of ‘Tetriarch.’  The ‘tetrarch’ of the province that encompassed Jerusalem, Herod Archelaus, requested the title of ‘King’ from the emperor of Rome, but his request was denied in 4 B.C.  Archelaus’ brother Antipas was later denied the title of King as well.  It was commonly known that a Jewish ‘King’ would incite rebellion against Roman rule, and so the title was forbidden.  In the Old Testament, God had promised that a descendent of King David would eternally sit on the thrown.  Jesus Christ, being a descendent of David, had ridden through the gates of Jerusalem on a donkey just days earlier, signaling the people’s acceptance of him as king (but what kind of king?  It was the fulfillment of the promise by God to provide an eternal king.  The kingship Jesus had accepted was “not of this world.”  His kingdom was not an earthly kingdom, for nothing earthly is eternal.)  The religious leaders wanted a king, just not Jesus Christ; so they accused him of opposing Rome by taking the title of ‘king.’  Jesus revealed to Pilate that he came to testify about the coming kingdom of God.  His kingship had come from a higher authority than that of a Cesar; his kingship was given to him from the one true and living God.  He also testified that his subjects in this kingdom would be obedient to his words.  Pilate realized the nature of what Jesus was saying to him, and found him not guilty of subverting the earthly authority of the Roman Empire; and yet he was still crucified.

            Today, the majority of people play different roles.  A man or woman can be an architect, a parent, a business owner, a son or daughter, an aunt or uncle, a brother or sister, all at the same time.  Each role may require a different set of actions and responsibilities.  However, just occasionally there are roles that are so pervasive they spill over in to every area of life, and in to every role that a person plays.

            Being a subject of the Kingdom of God is one such role.  We firstly follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, because he is our king.  If a certain role contradicts his teachings, we don’t reject obedience to him in order to fulfill the responsibilities of that role.  Often times the role itself must be rejected so we can maintain our subjection to him.  (For instance, drug dealer and subject of the Lord are incompatible.  So drug dealing must be abandoned in order to serve the Lord.)  We are his subjects, in this world, doing his will, in a place filled with evil and disobedience.  We are going to stand out, we are going to be different, but it will be love that makes us different; it will be the Spirit of God that makes us stand out.  May God be with you, and may you serve Him, until he comes, or you go to meet him.

            “Lord Heavenly Father, we ask and pray that You be our King.  Give us a heart to be obedient to Your teaching, here in this world.  Help us to serve You with a joyful heart, and to withstand the temptations that could carry us away from our faith and trust in You.  Help us to be looking forward, always to Your ‘Coming Kingdom.’  We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.

JESUS SPEAKING

            So when he had washed their feet, taken his garments, and sat down again, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?  You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say rightly, for so I am.  If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  For I have given you an example, that you should also do as I have done to you.  Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant isn’t greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.  If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them” (John 13: 12-17.)

 INSPIRED THOUGHTS

            This foot washing took place at the last supper, just before Jesus was crucified.  The person who was placed at the lowest position at the table was given the duty of washing feet, yet Jesus, who was in the place of honor, did something unheard of; he stood up, girded himself with a towel, and washed the feet of his guests.  Peter, most likely in the lowest position (foot washer), refused at first to allow Christ to wash his feet, no doubt feeling that he was not worthy to have his master serve him.  After washing their feet, Jesus reaffirmed his role as teacher (moral authority) and Lord (master ruler of his servants) so they would not mistake his humble service with a lessened authority.  No true servant would ever make themselves more honorable than their master.  Jesus as master, had made a humiliating task an honorable thing, and as such, those who would not imitate this action would be elevating themselves above their Lord.  Jesus’ ministry was not a ministry of mere words, but of actions.  All of his commands were accompanied by personal example.  Knowledge without action counted for nothing, acknowledged by Jesus in verse 17, “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”

            I work with a man who is handicapped.  We were walking at the beach, and he happened to step in a spot of oil.  At the beach he scrubbed and scrubbed, and it wouldn’t come off.  Finally when we arrived home, we attempted to clean his foot with lighter fluid.  He scrubbed, but couldn’t get enough leverage to be effective.  The thought of touching another man’s foot with my bare hands initially repulsed me; after thinking of this scripture, I realized it was my duty and my honor to help him.  So I scrubbed until it was clean.  When I was finished, my heart was pleased because the knowledge of God’s word had come to life and was manifest in my action.  Washing a man’s feet may never have its realization in every person’s life, but this scripture becomes real whenever a person serves another human being because they love God.

            Pride is something that is detestable to the Lord; it limits a person’s usefulness to God because He has called his servants to do things the world considers, ‘unimportant, invaluable, and unworthy.’  Pride creates a hunger for money, houses, cars, boats, careers, etc., while humility allows a person to serve God without concern for selfish gain or increased social standing.  As Christians, there is no task that is ‘beneath us,’ because the way to be great in the eyes of God is to be the least in the eyes of men.  Jesus said, “You know that the rulers of the gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mathew 20: 25-28.)

            How are you giving your life up today in order to serve others?  Are you making yourself lower than Jesus Christ, who served others devoid of pride and selfish concern?  Are you involved with service at your church and in your community?  Do you pray for others, love others, and seek to help others who are in need?  Do you fellowship with those the world considers ‘throw-a-ways?’  We can all serve God more by making ourselves less!  Make yourself lowly, and you will know true freedom; you will be blessed beyond anything you could have ever imagined.

            “Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You and we ask and pray that You will free us from pride, and help us to be lowly in Spirit.  Give us a heart to serve others, and to lift others up above ourselves.  Lord, we wish to follow You, and to serve You, and to give our lives for You; please give us opportunities to humble ourselves and to be an example of servant hood to those around us.  We love You Lord, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.