Devotions this week are based on Week 6 Temptation to Triumph: Tension: King or Criminal? (WATCH HERE)
John 13:1 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.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 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.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 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.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12 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. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
As the week progressed, the same King who entered Jerusalem in humility took on the role of a servant. On the night He was betrayed, Jesus gathered with His disciples and did something unexpected. He washed their feet.
This act revealed the heart of His kingdom. The King does not demand to be served. He chooses to serve. He kneels before His followers, performing the task of a servant, showing them what true greatness looks like.
Jesus also gave a command. Love one another as I have loved you. This love is not theoretical. It is sacrificial, patient, and active. It reflects His own love, which he gave in the Supper he started and the sacrifice he made on the cross.
The disciples wanted a reigning King, but Jesus showed them a serving King. They wanted glory, but He demonstrated humility. They expected power, but He modeled surrender.
This tension still challenges us. Do we follow a King who serves, or do we reshape Him into one who simply serves us? Do we receive His love and then extend it, or do we keep it to ourselves?
Maundy Thursday invites us to slow down and consider the depth of His love. “Give and shed FOR YOU for the forgiveness of your sins. It also calls us to respond. To receive His love is to be changed by it. To be changed by it is to reflect it.
As we receive his sacrificial love, serving others becomes an act of worship. Loving others becomes evidence of His work in us and for us.
Reflect: How has Jesus served me in ways I may take for granted? Who is God calling me to serve in humility and love this week?
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for loving me with a servant’s heart. Help me to receive Your love deeply and reflect it sincerely to others through humble service. Amen.