As teens, we couldn’t expect somebody else’s parents to feed us and house us and buy us clothing.
We couldn’t expect those other parents to pay our car insurance deductibles when we got into vehicle accidents.
And we certainly couldn’t expect those parents to forgive us when we did careless, sometimes rebellious acts that caused us problems at school or even with the law.
You see, those expectations applied to parents whose DNA flowed through our veins or whose names were on the legal documents they signed to declare us as their adopted or foster children.
We were part of them by blood or by public declaration.
That’s why they interceded for us, sometimes even at great personal cost.
They didn’t have to have us as their children.
They could have chosen options that would have prevented such.
But there we were. Beneficiaries of their choices to care.
I was reminded of this principle this morning during my devotional time in the Word.
Jesus didn’t have to show love to the apostles.
He chose to.
They didn’t have to serve Him.
They chose to.
At least, after Jesus explained why they needed to do so.
With one exception named Judas.
John 13 describes Jesus’ washing of the apostles’ feet.
They were surprised, of course, that the King of Israel would do Gentile slave work.
Peter resisted at first.
But then Jesus dropped a bombshell that still rings in resounding fashion.
“Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” (John 13:8)
There are all sorts of theological applications to this verse, but I want to focus briefly on just one.
Our place in Christ’s family is a result of His washing us.
It’s that simple.
The specific context of John 13 involved the washing of feet. The meaning of Jesus’ words was spiritual, not physical.
Let’s make sure that we’ve been washed in the blood of the Lamb, via our verbal and baptismal confessions.
Let’s make sure that our subsequent sins have been washed away by the blood via sincere repentance before God and apologies as needed to those we’ve offended.
Let’s make sure that selfish, shady habits that stain our testimonies are dissolved away by floods of Bible reading and prayer.
Life is so much better when we’re part of Christ’s family. Let’s make sure that we’ve been washed by Him in conversion and sanctification.
As always, I love you
Martin
