May 31st, 2024
by Robert Presson
by Robert Presson
“... having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” — John 13:1, NKJV
I could read John 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 every day for the rest of my life. Seeing Jesus and hearing His words in this place never ceases to amaze me. It consistently leaves me in a state of awe. Here in John 13:1, it says, “having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” One translation says, “He showed them the full extent of His love.” In other words, there was more of His love to be revealed. Even though the disciples had experienced the love of Jesus, they were now experiencing it in a new dimension. In an intimate setting, at the Last Supper, He was about to teach them about the Holy Spirit, console them over the fact that He was leaving, and He would also wash their feet. There were His disciples, about to receive a humble foot washing from Jesus.
There was Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Thaddeus, Simon... and Judas.
Jesus took off His outer garment, put on a servant’s apron, and took the lowest place. The King of Glory, submitted to the will of the Father, was doing the work of a slave. The Highly Exalted One, at whose name every knee shall one day bow, bent His own knee and made Himself lowly and undignified in the presence of the very disciples who in a few short hours and would betray, deny, and abandon their precious Rabbi as He would be nailed to a cross for their sins... and for mine, and for yours. None of that kept Him from loving them. In fact, He intensified the revelation of His love for them in that hour.
I want you to know that there is always more of the love of God to experience. There is always a greater revelation of His love. If I were to ask you what the deepest doctrines in the Bible were, you might tell me the Trinity, or predestination and election, or the relationship between the church and Israel. And I would disagree. If you want to go deep, pursue love. It does not get deeper than love.
“The greatest of these is love” — 1 Corinthians 13:13.
I could read John 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 every day for the rest of my life. Seeing Jesus and hearing His words in this place never ceases to amaze me. It consistently leaves me in a state of awe. Here in John 13:1, it says, “having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” One translation says, “He showed them the full extent of His love.” In other words, there was more of His love to be revealed. Even though the disciples had experienced the love of Jesus, they were now experiencing it in a new dimension. In an intimate setting, at the Last Supper, He was about to teach them about the Holy Spirit, console them over the fact that He was leaving, and He would also wash their feet. There were His disciples, about to receive a humble foot washing from Jesus.
There was Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Thaddeus, Simon... and Judas.
Jesus took off His outer garment, put on a servant’s apron, and took the lowest place. The King of Glory, submitted to the will of the Father, was doing the work of a slave. The Highly Exalted One, at whose name every knee shall one day bow, bent His own knee and made Himself lowly and undignified in the presence of the very disciples who in a few short hours and would betray, deny, and abandon their precious Rabbi as He would be nailed to a cross for their sins... and for mine, and for yours. None of that kept Him from loving them. In fact, He intensified the revelation of His love for them in that hour.
I want you to know that there is always more of the love of God to experience. There is always a greater revelation of His love. If I were to ask you what the deepest doctrines in the Bible were, you might tell me the Trinity, or predestination and election, or the relationship between the church and Israel. And I would disagree. If you want to go deep, pursue love. It does not get deeper than love.
“The greatest of these is love” — 1 Corinthians 13:13.
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