The Highest and Purest Love
The Highest and Purest Love
The Highest and Purest Love
The Highest and Purest Love
We cannot be what we cannot see, nor can we give what we have not already received. Therefore, we must look to the Source of love as more than a model. We must receive all that He offers.
What is the hardest work you face?
For many of us, it is doing difficult activities we don’t enjoy, for people who don’t understand or appreciate what we are doing for them.
I once heard someone say, “business would be easy without these people.” He was just saying out loud what many of us think in our heads — far too often. But it’s true; people can be difficult. Some of the most difficult types of people are negative, passive aggressive, and know-it-alls.
Even worse, the people you do the most for can betray you, desert you, and take advantage of you.
Why in the world would we stoop so low to serve someone who does not appreciate and/or deserve our best efforts?
Go ahead and try to remember the most recent scenario where you were thinking this way.
Most of us need to understand the return on investment for our actions. Most people will not radically go out of their way to serve someone without clear and present benefits.
Our biggest barrier to serving undeserving people is actually not the people we have in mind at all. Our roadblock is that we forget the way Jesus has loved us. We forget that we are undeserving, ungrateful, and bring nothing good to the table that Jesus did not give us.
When we are aware of the way Jesus has loved us in our hearts and minds — our souls are satisfied — we are transformed — and our actions begin to model the love of the One who defines love. Loving others the way we have been loved is our greatest — joy-filled — privilege.
Receive All Jesus Offers
We cannot be what we cannot see, nor can we give what we have not already received. Therefore, we must look to the Source of love as more than a model. We must receive all that He offers.
On the night before He died, Jesus demonstrated love in remarkably lowly ways. He offered perfect love and defined love in action simultaneously.
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."
- [.no-reftag]John 13:1-17[.no-reftag]
Why Wash Feet?
Tim Keller, in his sermon “The Love of Jesus”, comments, “On the last night in which Jesus Christ was here on the earth. When He wanted to show His disciples something palpable and physical, something concrete as a way for Him to always remember what love is, He washed feet. And if you spend the rest of your life meditating on that I think that is your biggest and my biggest hope for everyone ever succeeding in understanding what love is. This is the bottom line, this is it. This is the end of the line Jesus says I want to show you what love is all about. I want to show you what I’m all about. I want to show what you’re supposed to be all about. I want to show you love.”
Let's consider the major questions Jesus is answering for His followers that night.
Who is Jesus?
Jesus is the exact representation of the Father (Hebrews 1:3). He is Lord. He is glory, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). And from these verses, we can see He is very much Teacher — The Disciple Maker — telling and demonstrating everything they need to know to be assured of His love and to be able to go and do likewise.
Jesus is love. He has always been love, and He cannot be anything but love.
“And from all eternity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have been giving themselves to each other, loving each other, glorifying each other. And therefore, many people have taught that when Jesus Christ gave up His glory and came down to serve us and to serve our needs, He was only doing for us what He'd been doing for all eternity.” - Tim Keller
Jesus defines love in words and actions regardless of what is in it for Him. He just kept loving and pointing to the Father. Jesus loves those that love Him more than they can think or imagine. And He loves those who hate Him — always doing what is best — patiently for the object of His love.
“It doesn't say having given themselves to Jesus Christ, He loved them to the end. It said, having loved them, He loved them. The reason He loved them to the end is because He loved them at the beginning. In fact, the whole relationship happens because Jesus Christ puts His love on you and it's not because you're worthy, He doesn't love you because you're perfect. He loves you because He's perfect. He doesn't love you because you're great. He loves you because He's great. His love is not a function of your holiness, it's a function of His holiness.” - Tim Keller
Jesus is after deep permanent transformation, so He is loving by demonstrating love and commanding love. He has washed us and prepared a way for us by loving us and leading us personally and perfectly.
Who are you and what do you need?
You are or were unclean. If you have accepted the love of Jesus, you have been made clean. If you have received Jesus, you know that you are a child of God (John 1:12).
“‘I have come and put myself in your place. I have died. I have come and lived the life you should have lived and died the death you should have died. I am God himself. I am kneeling at your feet. There is no other prophet who has done this and certainly no other god has made a claim that ‘I am God. I am kneeling at your feet. I’m washing your feet. I’m loving you in spite of who I am, in spite of who you are, in spite of what I’m facing. I have put myself in your place so that you can start to love other people.’” - Tim Keller
If you have accepted the love and Lordship of Jesus, then you are called to be a follower of Jesus — a follower who is commanded to love others the very same way you are loved.
“In other words, He’s saying something like this: When I send you out in my name, under my authority, and with my word, you represent me. You represent me in such a way that if someone welcomes you and your message, they welcome me. And if they welcome me, they welcome my Father. . . That’s how I planned it: receive my representative, receive me, receive my Father, become his children.” - John Piper in his sermon, “For His Sake and Your Joy, Go Low”
“Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” - [.no-reftag]John 13:16-17[.no-reftag]
Jesus is perfectly clear about our response to His love — in view of His merciful example, we present our bodies the very same way He presented His, as living sacrifices in worship to God (Romans 12:1) for the benefit of other people.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” - [.no-reftag]John 13:34-35[.no-reftag]
How are you going to love like Jesus?
Jesus is perfectly clear on how to love as we have been loved. We are to do the very same thing.
Should it be washing feet — literally? Maybe so! It should be meeting the person who needs love right where they are, doing for them what they need the most, regardless of the cost to you.
“Love is washing. Love means you get involved. . . Why would Jesus wash feet? Because He’s trying to get across that the essence of love is service and it’s an action. It's not a feeling of attraction. In fact, I’ll put it this way: in the world there is something that people call love, which is really hunger. Hunger says, ‘I love you,’ which means: You make me feel good about myself. You fill me up. You make me feel like I’m significant. I want to own you. I want to have you. I want you to make me feel like a real individual. I want you to help me become myself. . . Now Jesus says, ‘Love is washing feet. Love is out of the fullness of your heart and your life. Serving people in spite of their attractiveness.’” - Tim Keller
You can wash feet or the modern-day equivalent duty, because in Jesus, you have everything you need, and you desire to love others and be blessed more richly by Jesus more than you have concern for temporary losses. This is true because when we know Jesus is our Lord and Shepherd, we realize we lack no good thing (Psalm 23:1).
Who are you going to wash in love?
At the start of the article, you were challenged with ‘what is the hardest work?’ and ‘who is the hardest person for you to love?’ What is your most challenging scenario?
Surely it is not as bad as Judas or Peter. Surely no one has accepted a price of 30 pieces of silver for your life. Surely your person won’t deny they even know you three times in a few hours.
Go ahead and consider the exact person or people who need to be washed in love by you. What is their name or names? Write them down now and start praying for them.
What vision is God giving you about who this person or people can be if they are loved well — accepted and affirmed for who they are in spite of what they have previously brought to the table.
“Just get going. Wash feet. Washing feet has to do with showing a concern for people’s comfort, showing a concern for people’s needs. You see, it’s so practical, so you just get started. Start looking at the people around you, that you’re ignoring because you’re operating out of hunger instead of love and get started.” - Tim Keller
Go and get involved in their life in meaningful ways that will change the direction of their life. Go and seek to offer what they need for deep transformation — that’s what Jesus has done for you.
Resources:
Video: "Love Is Foot Washing" | Howard Graham
Sermon: "The Love of Jesus" | Tim Keller
Sermon: "Sent in Love" | Tim Keller
Sermon: "For His Sake and for Your Joy, Go Low" | John Piper
Article: "3 Types of Difficult Coworkers and How to Work with Them" | Harvard Business Review
Photo credit: Denison Forum (https://www.denisonforum.org/popular-culture/sports/throwing-hands-over-washing-feet-he-gets-us/)
What is the hardest work you face?
For many of us, it is doing difficult activities we don’t enjoy, for people who don’t understand or appreciate what we are doing for them.
I once heard someone say, “business would be easy without these people.” He was just saying out loud what many of us think in our heads — far too often. But it’s true; people can be difficult. Some of the most difficult types of people are negative, passive aggressive, and know-it-alls.
Even worse, the people you do the most for can betray you, desert you, and take advantage of you.
Why in the world would we stoop so low to serve someone who does not appreciate and/or deserve our best efforts?
Go ahead and try to remember the most recent scenario where you were thinking this way.
Most of us need to understand the return on investment for our actions. Most people will not radically go out of their way to serve someone without clear and present benefits.
Our biggest barrier to serving undeserving people is actually not the people we have in mind at all. Our roadblock is that we forget the way Jesus has loved us. We forget that we are undeserving, ungrateful, and bring nothing good to the table that Jesus did not give us.
When we are aware of the way Jesus has loved us in our hearts and minds — our souls are satisfied — we are transformed — and our actions begin to model the love of the One who defines love. Loving others the way we have been loved is our greatest — joy-filled — privilege.
Receive All Jesus Offers
We cannot be what we cannot see, nor can we give what we have not already received. Therefore, we must look to the Source of love as more than a model. We must receive all that He offers.
On the night before He died, Jesus demonstrated love in remarkably lowly ways. He offered perfect love and defined love in action simultaneously.
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."
- [.no-reftag]John 13:1-17[.no-reftag]
Why Wash Feet?
Tim Keller, in his sermon “The Love of Jesus”, comments, “On the last night in which Jesus Christ was here on the earth. When He wanted to show His disciples something palpable and physical, something concrete as a way for Him to always remember what love is, He washed feet. And if you spend the rest of your life meditating on that I think that is your biggest and my biggest hope for everyone ever succeeding in understanding what love is. This is the bottom line, this is it. This is the end of the line Jesus says I want to show you what love is all about. I want to show you what I’m all about. I want to show what you’re supposed to be all about. I want to show you love.”
Let's consider the major questions Jesus is answering for His followers that night.
Who is Jesus?
Jesus is the exact representation of the Father (Hebrews 1:3). He is Lord. He is glory, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). And from these verses, we can see He is very much Teacher — The Disciple Maker — telling and demonstrating everything they need to know to be assured of His love and to be able to go and do likewise.
Jesus is love. He has always been love, and He cannot be anything but love.
“And from all eternity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have been giving themselves to each other, loving each other, glorifying each other. And therefore, many people have taught that when Jesus Christ gave up His glory and came down to serve us and to serve our needs, He was only doing for us what He'd been doing for all eternity.” - Tim Keller
Jesus defines love in words and actions regardless of what is in it for Him. He just kept loving and pointing to the Father. Jesus loves those that love Him more than they can think or imagine. And He loves those who hate Him — always doing what is best — patiently for the object of His love.
“It doesn't say having given themselves to Jesus Christ, He loved them to the end. It said, having loved them, He loved them. The reason He loved them to the end is because He loved them at the beginning. In fact, the whole relationship happens because Jesus Christ puts His love on you and it's not because you're worthy, He doesn't love you because you're perfect. He loves you because He's perfect. He doesn't love you because you're great. He loves you because He's great. His love is not a function of your holiness, it's a function of His holiness.” - Tim Keller
Jesus is after deep permanent transformation, so He is loving by demonstrating love and commanding love. He has washed us and prepared a way for us by loving us and leading us personally and perfectly.
Who are you and what do you need?
You are or were unclean. If you have accepted the love of Jesus, you have been made clean. If you have received Jesus, you know that you are a child of God (John 1:12).
“‘I have come and put myself in your place. I have died. I have come and lived the life you should have lived and died the death you should have died. I am God himself. I am kneeling at your feet. There is no other prophet who has done this and certainly no other god has made a claim that ‘I am God. I am kneeling at your feet. I’m washing your feet. I’m loving you in spite of who I am, in spite of who you are, in spite of what I’m facing. I have put myself in your place so that you can start to love other people.’” - Tim Keller
If you have accepted the love and Lordship of Jesus, then you are called to be a follower of Jesus — a follower who is commanded to love others the very same way you are loved.
“In other words, He’s saying something like this: When I send you out in my name, under my authority, and with my word, you represent me. You represent me in such a way that if someone welcomes you and your message, they welcome me. And if they welcome me, they welcome my Father. . . That’s how I planned it: receive my representative, receive me, receive my Father, become his children.” - John Piper in his sermon, “For His Sake and Your Joy, Go Low”
“Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” - [.no-reftag]John 13:16-17[.no-reftag]
Jesus is perfectly clear about our response to His love — in view of His merciful example, we present our bodies the very same way He presented His, as living sacrifices in worship to God (Romans 12:1) for the benefit of other people.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” - [.no-reftag]John 13:34-35[.no-reftag]
How are you going to love like Jesus?
Jesus is perfectly clear on how to love as we have been loved. We are to do the very same thing.
Should it be washing feet — literally? Maybe so! It should be meeting the person who needs love right where they are, doing for them what they need the most, regardless of the cost to you.
“Love is washing. Love means you get involved. . . Why would Jesus wash feet? Because He’s trying to get across that the essence of love is service and it’s an action. It's not a feeling of attraction. In fact, I’ll put it this way: in the world there is something that people call love, which is really hunger. Hunger says, ‘I love you,’ which means: You make me feel good about myself. You fill me up. You make me feel like I’m significant. I want to own you. I want to have you. I want you to make me feel like a real individual. I want you to help me become myself. . . Now Jesus says, ‘Love is washing feet. Love is out of the fullness of your heart and your life. Serving people in spite of their attractiveness.’” - Tim Keller
You can wash feet or the modern-day equivalent duty, because in Jesus, you have everything you need, and you desire to love others and be blessed more richly by Jesus more than you have concern for temporary losses. This is true because when we know Jesus is our Lord and Shepherd, we realize we lack no good thing (Psalm 23:1).
Who are you going to wash in love?
At the start of the article, you were challenged with ‘what is the hardest work?’ and ‘who is the hardest person for you to love?’ What is your most challenging scenario?
Surely it is not as bad as Judas or Peter. Surely no one has accepted a price of 30 pieces of silver for your life. Surely your person won’t deny they even know you three times in a few hours.
Go ahead and consider the exact person or people who need to be washed in love by you. What is their name or names? Write them down now and start praying for them.
What vision is God giving you about who this person or people can be if they are loved well — accepted and affirmed for who they are in spite of what they have previously brought to the table.
“Just get going. Wash feet. Washing feet has to do with showing a concern for people’s comfort, showing a concern for people’s needs. You see, it’s so practical, so you just get started. Start looking at the people around you, that you’re ignoring because you’re operating out of hunger instead of love and get started.” - Tim Keller
Go and get involved in their life in meaningful ways that will change the direction of their life. Go and seek to offer what they need for deep transformation — that’s what Jesus has done for you.
Resources:
Video: "Love Is Foot Washing" | Howard Graham
Sermon: "The Love of Jesus" | Tim Keller
Sermon: "Sent in Love" | Tim Keller
Sermon: "For His Sake and for Your Joy, Go Low" | John Piper
Article: "3 Types of Difficult Coworkers and How to Work with Them" | Harvard Business Review
Photo credit: Denison Forum (https://www.denisonforum.org/popular-culture/sports/throwing-hands-over-washing-feet-he-gets-us/)