By Rev. Dr. Rick Chesher
Last month I wrote about a selfless act that Yashua did that just astounded me. If you remember it was about Yashua washing His disciple’s feet. Not just the foot washing but also the timing, it was the same night He was going to be arrested and He would be nailed to the execution stake (cross) the next day. The amazing thing is He knew all that would happen and instead of figuring a way to get away He stayed and ministered to His disciples.
There is another lesson in this same passage of Scripture that I have, recently, become aware of. This passage has to do with Peter and when Yashua came to wash Peter’s feet that same night. You will find this part in John 13:6-8, and we find Peter asking Yashua, are you going to washing my feet? The next thing he says is never, you will never wash my feet.
A little over 2 weeks ago I broke my ankle. When I was in the hospital the doctor told me, when you go home you need to keep your foot elevated and keep ice on it. Now I knew this was very good advice, just not very practical for me. I have all of these things I have to do that only I can do, and it was not going to afford me to be able to set around and keep my ankle elevated and iced.
We were starting a roofing project the very next week on the building, and in just two days from that point of being in the hospital I was going to need to preach and teach. This is something, with my foot up, that was never going to happen. Did you hear the language used there, it sounded very similar to Peter’s words.
Sometimes it is much easier to serve that it is to be served, especially by those that we consider greater than ourselves and also those we have been caring for and have a responsibility for. Now I was in this position of having to let people that I have felt responsible for, and yes those I have great respect for serve me, which by the way are the same people.
Sometimes the things that happen in life are lessons for us, and for others as well, and sometimes we need to pay attention to the lesson given. We find that 2 Corinthians chapter 1 talks about this in some length. Paul says in this passage that the way Yahweh comforts us is the same way we are to comfort others. This means two things: one is, that when things happen to me in life, I need to pay attention to see how Yahweh comforts me. Second, it means the way He comforted me in that situation is the way I need to comfort those going through similar situations. And yes sometimes it is a lesson of humility.