Jesus Did These Things For You and Me: 31 & 32

31. Jesus washed His disciples' feet. John 13:5

Jesus rose from supper, laid his garments aside, took a towel and girded himself. This, immediately following the confirming statement of John that, “Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.”

He knows who He is. He knows His place with The Father. He knows where He is going. Yet, still, He chooses to kneel and wash the feet of those who serve Him. What a picture of the humility we too should emulate.

The act was fleshly, but the result was spiritual. Here we are shown the importance of becoming clean, pure, and sinless. Here we are told to allow the water of life to wash away all self-exaltation, any worldly honor, and attempts to glorify oneself.

What better messenger than that of the Messiah, the One who did this…

for you and for me.

32. Jesus sat and ate with the disciples. He gave them the cup of wine as His blood and the bread as His body. Luke 22:17-23

It was the Passover Meal. The bread unleavened. The wine  poured and scripture read. Psalms were sung. This occasion was for remembering the wonders God performed in Egypt. This appointed time would soon be for remembering a more greater and most permanent exodus.

This would be Jesus’ last Passover meal before the crucifixion. His body unleavened, without sin. The wine poured out as His blood soon shed. Were Psalms sung in heaven as the angels looked upon the events of this week? As the Passover Lamb prepared  His body and His blood, the “exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem” referred to in Luke 9:31b had begun.

Matthew 26:26-28

As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat, this is my body and He took the cup, and gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Mark my words- I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.

Then They sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.”

Jesus and His disciples would have sung,

“I will lift up the cup of salvation and praise the Lord’s name for saving me. I will keep the promises to the Lord in the presence of all his people.

The Lord cares deeply when his loved ones die. O Lord, I am your servant; yes, I am your servant, born into your household; you have freed me from my chains.

I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people – in the house of the Lord in the heart of Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord!”

In the heart of Jerusalem, He fulfilled His vows. In the presence of all His people, He was the servant. As a cup of salvation, He kept His promises.

Jesus did this for you and for me.