DIGGING DEEP NO. 896 – August 17rd, 2021 HUMILITY – JESUS AND THE FATHER Jh.13: 1- 5

Jesus had entered Jerusalem on Sunday, on Monday had cleansed the temple. Tuesday was a day of conflict as the religious leaders sought to trip Him up and get evidence to arrest Him. These events are recorded in Matthew 21- 25. Wednesday was probably a day of rest, but on Thursday He met in the Upper Room with His disciples in order to observe Passover.

The emphasis in John 13: 1- 3 is on what our Lord knew, and in John 13: 4- 5 on what our Lord did. Jesus knew that “His hour was come”. More than any of the gospel writers, John emphasized the fact that Jesus lived on a heavenly timetable as He did the Father’s will. I want you to note the development of this theme: Jh.2: 4 – “Mine hour is not yet come”. Jh.7: 30 “His hour has not yet come”. Jh.8: 20 “His hour was not yet come”. Jh.12: 23 “The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified”. Jh.13: 1 “Jesus knew that His hour was come”. Jh.17: 1 “Father, the hour is come”. What was this divinely appointed hour? It was the time when He would be glorified through His death, resurrection, and ascension. From the human point of view, it meant suffering, but from the divine point of view, it meant glory. He would soon leave this world and return to the Father who sent Him Jh.17: 4. When the servant of God is in the will of God, he is immortal until his work is done. They could not even arrest Jesus, let alone kill Him, until the right hour had arrived. Jesus also knew that Judas would betray Him. Finally, Jesus knew that the Father had given Him all things Jh.13: 3. Even in His humiliation, our Lord had all things through His Father. He was poor and yet He was rich. Because Jesus knew who He was, where He came from, what He had, and where He was going, He was complete master of the situation. You and I as believers know that we have been born of God, that we are one day going to God, and that in Christ, we have all things; therefore, we ought to be able to follow our Lord’s example and serve others.

Jh.13: 3- 5 – What Jesus knew helped determine what Jesus did. The disciples must have been shocked when they saw their Master rise from supper, lay aside His outer garments, wrap a towel around His waist, take a basin of water, and wash their feet. Jesus knew that there was a competitive spirit in the hearts of His disciples Lk.22: 24- 30. He gave them an unforgettable lesson in humility and by His actions rebuked their selfishness and pride Phil.2: 1- 11. The Father had put all things into the Son’s hands, yet Jesus picked up a towel and a basin. A proverb says “The fuller the ear is of rice-grain, the lower it bends”.

It is remarkable how the gospel of John reveals the humility of our Lord even while magnifying His deity.

The Son can do nothing of Himself Jh.5: 19, 30.

For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will Jh.6: 38.

My doctrine is not mine Jh.7: 16.

And I seek not mine own glory Jh.8: 50.

The word which you hear is not mine Jh.14: 24. His ultimate expression of humility was His death on the cross. True humility grows out of our relationship with the Father. If our desire is to know and do the Father’s will so that we might glorify His name, then we will experience the joy of following Christ’s example and serving others.

The church is filled with a worldly spirit of competition and criticism as believers vie with one another to see who is the greatest. We are growing in knowledge and not in grace 2Pet.3: 18.

In Conclusion – Jesus served His disciples because of His humility and because of His love. “having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.