Ezekiel 18:20

The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.


Devotional

This exhortation, given by the Lord God, came to Israel during a time when they were proliferating a proverb amongst themselves that said: 

     ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,

     And the children’s teeth are set on edge’ vs 2

Now the proverb was attempt on their part to accuse God of dealing unjustly with them. Of His bringing to bear their fathers sins upon them; and thus in response to how they thought God was dealing with them, they thought it only fair that God should not repay them for their sins, but rather He should repay their descendants (see Ezekiel 18:19-32).  
Therefore the Lord God through His prophet Ezekiel refutes their misunderstandings of His dealings with them (and all people, Ezk.18:4). Thus through Ezekiel God makes it clear that it is not the sins that ones parents have done that ultimately brings His judgment on oneself, rather it is what we have done, or not done, that brings God's judgment on us when it is nessecary. And thus God says if a son (or daughter) sees the sins which their father (or mother) commits and instead of following them turns away from the sins of their parents, and thus chooses to do what is right in the sight of God, that person shall live, they shall have God's favor. For that person is doing what is just and right in the sight of God why then should they be punished? Now regarding this principal consider King Hezekiah who was by all accounts one of the most Godly of all of Judah's kings, though a man who came from an ungodly home. Nonetheless as Hezekiah grew and he saw all the evil that his father had committed when he reigned (see 2 Kings 16:1-4), instead of following it, Hezekiah forsook his fathers ways, and instead choose God's way (see 2 Kings 18:1-8; 2 Chr. 29:1-31:21). Therefore God made Hezekiah to prosper greatly during his own reign (see 2 Kings 18:6-7), even when God's imminent judgment was looming over the entire nation for their disobedience towards Him.
Now this principal also applies to ones children; for just as God does not punish children for the sins of their parents, so to God does not punish parents for the sins of their offspring. Thus God says through Ezekiel if a person has a child that is a thief, a robber, an adulterer, or one who sheds innocent blood, or mistreats the poor etc. God's wrath rests on that child/person who commits whatever sins they commit, not on their parent/s. "For the soul who sins shall die."
God then takes it a step further and says, if a person is living just and right in His sight, but then turns away from doing what is just and right, and instead sins, then that person is guilty in His sight, they have sinned, and thus God says they shall die (Ezk. 18:20; also see Ezekiel 3:16-21 as this parallels the principals here). Now these exhortations are given in light of Israel's relationship to God through the Old Covenant. A Covenant that clearly has strict punitive measures attached to it if one fails in it. Nonetheless the Scriptural and unchanging principal remains: "the soul who sins shall die". For on one hand there is the Scriptural warnings (in both the Old and New Testaments) of God's wrath and judgment finding everyone who sins (consider Rom 2:4-16). Yet their is also His New Covenant Promise of new and everlasting life to everyone who repents and believes in the Lord Jesus Christ. For just as each person will ultimately suffer God's judgment for their own sins, so also each person will live or die eternally, based on their own faith in, or rejection of, Jesus Christ as Lord of all.
 

Now the Israelites in one sense were being punished for the sins of their fathers (that is those sins that their fathers committed, and which they themselves were continuing on in, and thus they were being punished for those things in their present tense. But only because the Israelites were unmoved out of them. They like all people everywhere have the option to turn from their sins, turn to God, and be healed of them as Jesus commands us all to do. For in reading the O.T. one can clearly see how many times God sent His prophets to warn them, and testify against them, to turn them back from their sins to Himself so that their own iniquities would not be their ruin (Ezekiel 18:30-31). For God has no delight in the death of anyone (Ezekiel 18:32). But rather that they would listen to Him (Jer 7:1-27). And thus we read of Jerusalem's horrible plight in the Book of Lamentations as Jeremiah the prophet mourns the punishment of God's people for their and their fathers sins (Lam 5:7).

Now I don't no where your at in your faith journey, but know this that above all else, that God loves you! Unconditionally and absolutely God loves you! Not because what you have done, or not done, or even can do. God simply loves you because He is love, and He made you in His image to both love Him and know Him. Therefore He wants you to be in a loving relationship with Himself, so you can personally and powerfully know Him as well. For God knows absolutely everything there is to know about you (all the good, as well as all the bad) and still He loves you. That is paramount. Yet as with O.T. Israel there is a barrier to our being in a relationship with God and experiencing His love and that is our sins. For it is both our sin nature (which we inherited from Adam) as well as the sins we have committed and continue to commit as free will individuals that keep us separated from God. And thus we cannot know God personally until our sins are dealt with. Now in order to deal with all our sins once and for all, God sent His Son the Lord Jesus Christ to suffer and die a horrible crucifixion death in our place so that God could look on Jesus' suffering and death as fulling His justice and judgment on our sins, and so Jesus is not only our Savior He is our Substitute having died in our place for us. That is why in the Old Covenant a sacrificial lamb was offered and put to death in place of the offender, so that God could look on it's shed blood and be satisified with His justice having been served. For Scripture says that without the sheeding of blood their is no remission of sins (Heb 9:22). Therefore the Lord Jesus Christ willingly died in our place, so that whoever looks to Him, trusting His death on the cross for them, will have remission of all their sins and eternal life.
That is God's Promise in God's Word to all people everywhere (John 3:15-16). For again God has no delight in the death of anyone. But rather wants all people to come to know Him through His Son. Therefore I implore be reconciled to God! For God sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to suffer and die for us all, to take God's punishment for all our sins on Himself, by His being crucified for them so that we by faith in Him can have new and everlasting life! For that is how God now deals with all of humanity through His New Covenant ushered by the Lord Jesus Christ. If you believe and would like to seal your decision for the Lord Jesus Christ and receive His life, why not pray a simple prayer in faith asking Jesus Christ  to come into your heart and life to be your Lord and Savior, for once that is done, trust me everything else in this life is a bonus!

Therefore simply pray this a prayer, a prayer based on what Billy Graham commonly uses:  Dear Lord Jesus I know that I have sinned and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You were crucified for my sins so I could be forgiven and reconciled back to God. Therefore I now invite You into my heart and life, to be my Lord and Savior, both now and forever amen.

 

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Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982

 

Jeremiah 29:1-9 Abbreviated Version

1 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the elders who were carried away captive—to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 (This happened after Jeconiah the king, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.) 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying, 4 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. 7 And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. 8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. 9 For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord.

 

Devotional
There are those dreams and visions which come from God; and there are those which come from man. And here the Lord warns the captives in Israel not to listen to the dreams of their own hearts. That is their desires to soon return back to their native land; when this is clearly against the Word of the Lord. For the Lord had said that for seventy years His people would be in Babylonian captivity and so not until His Word is fulfilled should any of His people presume upon something else. And so Jeremiah writes this letter to the people to encourage them, to build houses and plant vineyards, and to make marriages for themselves and their children, for their sojourn in Babylon will be long. Thus they are to pray for the city and its well being for in its peace they will have peace. Thus God has not forsaken His people, but He will bless and prosper them while they remain there and continue on in His Will for them. And so He will multiply and increase them while they are there so that when they return they will be able to inhabit the land again as His people in His inheritance for them (Jer 29:11-14).

Again there are dreams then that originate within the heart of man, dreams that are not of God, dreams that will never have the blessing or favor of God. What are the dreams in your heart? Do they have their origins in God and His Word? Or are they just dreams that come from within you; dreams that will ultimately take you out of the Will of the Lord for You.

Scripture Quotations

The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982

Jeremiah 29:1-9

1 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the elders who were carried away captive—to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 (This happened after Jeconiah the king, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.) 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying, 4 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. 7 And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. 8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. 9 For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord.
 

Devotional

There are those dreams and visions which come from God; and there are those which come from man. And here the Lord warns the captives in Israel not to listen to the words of their prophets (that is the prophets they raised up for themselves) nor the dreams of their own hearts (vs 8-9). For these were really just saying what the Israelites wanted to hear; that they would soon return to their native land from which God through Nebuchadnezzar had removed them for their ongoing unfaithfulness to Himself. For the Lord had said that for seventy years His people would be in Babylonian captivity and so not until His Word is fulfilled should any of His people presume upon anything else. And so Jeremiah writes this letter to the people to encourage them, to build houses and plant vineyards, to make marriages for themselves and their children, for their sojourn in Babylon will be long. Thus they are to pray for the city and its well being, for in its peace they will have peace. For God will bless and prosper His people while they remain there and continue on in His Will for them. And so He will multiply and increase them so that when they return, they will be able to inhabit the land again as His people in His inheritance for them (Jer 29:10-14; 30:18-22; 31:1-40 etc.). And so there's lot on going on there in the Book of Jeremiah; both of God's judgment on His people for their sinning and forsaking Him (something the we seem to always get hung up on when we read the Old Testament Scriptures). Yet if we keep a balanced perspective (that God is both a God of justice and mercy, Jer 9:24) we also see there is God's Promise of a bright future for them, when He returns them to their native land from their Babylonian captivity; that's initially. But also there is God's promise when He will write a New Covenant with them; a covenant not like the one He made with their fathers in the wilderness when they came out of Egypt; but a covenant by which He can secure their and our eternal peace with Himself (Jer 31:31-37; 33:1-26, vs. 14-16).
And so at the heart of this New Covenant is the heart of God, transplanted into our own, by the indwelling of God's Spirit in us all who believe in Jesus, God's Son. That is the essence of the New Covenant, ushered in by Jesus Christ's death on the cross. For through Christ's death, God has secured the legal means by which He can redeem us all to Himself, because of what the Lord Jesus Christ has first done to fulfill all of God's righteous requirements under the Law given through Moses. Something that we could never do for ourselves (as the Old Covenant Israelites so clearly demonstrate throughout the Old Testament Scriptures). For the Law was never given as a means for either the Israelites or mankind in general to earn salvation for ourselves. The Law was given so that through our own failures God's grace and glory could be magnified, when we having come to end of ourselves, turn to Him and put all of faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation (Gal 3:10-14; 19-25).
And thus we now have, by the grace of God, remission of all our sins because of Jesus' broken body and shed blood at Calvary. For that is where God has made atonement or payment for all our sins. But we also have, because of the Lord Jesus Christ's Resurrection and Ascension back to the Father, the Holy Spirit of God indwelling and uniting us all who believe in Christ; (of both Jews and Gentiles as Jesus sent Him into the world for that expressed purpose); so that we all might have new and everlasting life with Himself (which is both a current reality, and yet a future promise to be fulfilled in the Kingdom of heaven). Therefore unlike the Old Testament Israelites who were always looking forward to these things; we now have and enjoy them. That is the rich privileges and promises of God as His born again children because of what Jesus Christ has first done to redeem and secure us to Himself (John 1:12; 3:3-5; Gal 3:26-29). But we also have His Glorious life and Spirit's empowerment within us, for living life, rich, full and abundant as His people here and now, but also we will always have Him and His Everlasting Life within us as we wait for God's consummation of all things. An amazing amount of goodness and kindness that God our Father has bestowed upon us!

If you are now seeing your need for God; for His Son Jesus Christ's Substitutionary Crucifixion death at Calvary to save/liberate you, from all your sins, and thus redeem you from the eternal damnation that comes from those things (Rom 6:23); from unbelief (John 3:35-36); please while you can be reconciled to God, calling on the Name of the Lord Jesus (Rom 10:9, 10, 13); "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Cor 5:21

If you do not know how to do that, a simple payer in faith, asking Jesus to save you, to come into your heart and life to be your Lord and Savior is all it takes to find remission of ones sins and eternal life (Rev 3:21). Simply pray in faith something like this:
Dear Lord Jesus I believe You are God's Son and You came to earth as a Man and died on the Cross for all my sins, so that You could restore me back to God the moment I believe in You. Therefore I now invite You into my heart and life, to be my Lord and Savior, placing no conditions on You other than wanting to be Your disciple whatever the cost, I pray this Lord Jesus Christ in Your Name, amen.

If you have made that all critical and destiny changing decision for the Lord Jesus Christ please let know. Send me an email and I will correspond with you as best I can to help you grow in your relationship with Christ; as well as answer any questions you may have. May God's rich life, grace, blessings and peace be with you as so journey on home with Him in Christ.
In Christ's love
Tom

Meditation Passage:
Psalm 119:41
41 Let Your mercies come also to me, O Lord— Your salvation according to Your word. 


Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982

Mark 6:41-44 Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

41 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and asked God’s blessing on the food. Breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples to give to the people. 42 They all ate as much as they wanted, 43 and they picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. 44 Five thousand men had eaten from those five loaves!

 

Devotional

Often times in ministry we bind ourselves to mammon rather then to love as if more resources is where our success lay. If only we had this or that… Jesus’ young protégée’s are no different. Jesus had intended to spend some respite time with the disciples, but when the crowds recognized Him they quickly followed. And soon a great multitude was gathered. Now what happens next is foundational to understanding the passages significance “…and He had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So He taught them many things.” vs. 34 Jesus’ first response was to have compassion on the thronging multitude who came to see the Great miracle worker from Galilee. His second response was to begin to teach. For He sensed their spiritual hunger and filling that need first is paramount to restoring broken and hurting people back to God. And in this Jesus’ teachings, while upholding the Law, were rooted in grace and truth (John 1:17). Almost always then He taught about the Kingdom of God and not just the Law. He often spoke in parables using symbolism that captivated His audiences, and it was through these that He both revealed, and kept secret Kingdom mysteries. For a people reared on religion Jesus was more then just a great teacher. Israel was filled with gifted rabbis and scribes. Yet Jesus transcended all their understandings of the Law, and seemed to speak as the very Authority of God’s Word. If people were not captivated to silence by His teachings, they were compelled to praise by His miracles. Jesus to even the most immovable was a Man whose words and deeds were mighty. Yet acknowledging His Might as He ominously taught is no substitute for ones repentance and faith (Matt. 11:20-30).

Initially then Capernaum and its surrounding regions was where Jesus conducted most of His early ministry. He taught in their synagogues and did many mighty deeds there. And it is that region where Christ’s declaration of His Person and fourfold witness is first cited in John’s gospel. That being the witness of John the Baptist (John 5:31-35); the witness of Christ’s own works (John 5:36); the witness of Christ’s Father (John 5:37-38); and finally the witness of the Scriptures themselves which they say they believed, yet remained unmoved by to come and find life through the Incarnate Word of God amongst them (John 5:39-47). Instead they honored each other in God’s Name, yet would not receive Jesus' Testimony (vs. 40-44). They laid claim to Moses (through whom God gave the Law) yet Moses wrote about Jesus Christ that He is the Prophet to come (vs. 45-46). Yet they largely rejected Him. So before His departure Jesus openly declares their own unbelief to them, saying: “But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (vs. 47). So Jesus leaves them and moves by way of Jerusalem to the eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee, to a region barren of synagogues and religious trappings. He has an object lesson to teach His disciples that will transcend more then just miraculously feeding five thousand people with bread, but that He Himself is the Bread of Life and they (His followers) must not only feed on Him, but also feed all people with Him. That lesson still applies today. For in a world of spiritual hunger and despair there is only One who can satisfy the soul. Therefore Jesus’ miracle here on the desolate heights surrounding the Sea of Galilee is more then just an impromptu act of mercy. It is pre-conceived, and its true purpose is to bring forth Christ’s Testimony, a testimony that was rejected in Capernaum’s regions, but a testimony so powerful when it is simply received by faith can radically change ones outlook, life and destiny (John 1:12). That is: the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God the Savior of the world (John 3:16).

 

Therefore it will be in the midst of this impromptu gathering, with it’s soon to be setting sun, that Jesus will plant another seed of faith in the disciple's hearts. But that’s the future. For now the disciple’s growing uneasiness at the crowd’s size, the late hour, and Jesus’ relaxed demeanor about it all, initially blinds them to all the potential for God working amongst them. So with some anxiousness and a bit of trepidation they approach Jesus, and ask Him to send the multitudes away, that the people might buy themselves bread from the surrounding villages. Now Jesus’ response is not to send anyone away to search for food. Instead He says to the disciples, “You feed them” vs 37 which was the last thing they would’ve expected to hear given the circumstances. Even taken at a glance the implications of His Words are staggering, feed them “with what?” they asked. “It would take a small fortune to buy food for all this crowd!” is their reply. Nonetheless they conduct a quick search and all they can amass is seven loaves and two small fish donated from a young and faith filled boy. Now what? I mean you can’t feed multitudes from crumbs (seven loaves divided by five thousand portions equals crumbs). Yet it is through these kinds of “perilous moments” that God permits in our lives that He wants us to overcome our fears and do for others as He’s done for us. For the Lord doesn’t hear their fretting, for He simply say’s: “You feed them.” Now Jesus’ could have agreed with the disciples; given into their anxiety; and let them send the crowds away. But Jesus has no intention of letting the disciples off like that. Personal growth always means overcoming personal fears. When Jesus say’s “You feed them” He’s talking to us all. He’s saying don’t send people away hungry, have faith and feed them. Share the Bread of Life both in words and deeds. Though you start off with only a child’s offering, give some here and little there, and He’ll not let it run out. But feed the people with what you have (rather than waiting for what you don't have) for the more you give, the more that ultimately remains, because God wants all people fed and when they are filled; for us to pick up the fragments and make sure that nothing is lost. That is the ongoing miracle that Jesus’ continually demonstrates through believers lives; He takes what little we have and through it feeds multitudes. Our part is simply to keep looking to Him in faith, and going forward in faith, not noting what we don’t have, but what we do. That in a nutshell is the life of faith.

 

Therefore in the gospel Jesus never says’ go out with a hoards of resources and harvest. Instead He says trust Me to work through you with what you have. Invest your time, your talents, your money, in essence your life and I will multiply your fruits. Five thousand people okay maybe that’s a bit daunting for a first time effort. But how about a timely visit or an invite for a coffee, or just a simple hello to get things moving. An encouraging word or a sincerely kind gesture just might feed someone who is hungry today, and change a life’s course forever.

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982

 

 

Mark 10:1-12 Jesus Teaches on Marriage and Divorce

Then He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again. 2 The Pharisees came and asked Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” testing Him. 3 And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her.” 5 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. 6 “But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 ‘and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 “Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” 10 In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter. 11 So He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. 12 “And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”


Devotional
Jesus having left Capernaum now moves south into the region of Judea on the other side of the Jordan. It was from this region where Moses before entering the promise land assembled the children of Israel; the first covenant people of God. So it seems fitting that here in this area, Jesus being prompted by the Pharisees, that He would address the issue of marriage; which in many ways (for those who believe and are married) is a marker of one’s own faithfulness to God. They on the other hand made frequent use of the Laws ordinance that permitted divorce (Deut. 24:1-4) “for some sort of uncleanness being found in her”. Something various priestly elements in Israel had loosely qualified amongst themselves over time, in order to avoid committing adultery, which was utterly treacherous and devastating on their part, both towards their wives and children (Malachi 2:13-16). Nonetheless in the course of giving a stern rebuke of their justifying both their greed and themselves before God, Jesus also says to them in Luke’s gospel: “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.” Luke 16:18

Making it quite clear that in no way does the Lord Jesus Christ endorse dissolving a marriage “for just any reason” as Matthew records their inquiry (See Matt. 19:3-9). Therefore with the Pharisees “inquiry” Jesus gives us what should’ve been their, and now must be our, understanding of marriage. That is, it is only to be dissolved (though it need not be) if one of the spouses is unfaithful towards the other spouse; in which case the sin of adultery rests with the offender (Malachi 3:5); not with the party who remained faithful to the marriages covenant relationship. For in the eyes of the Lord marriage is sacred and binding. We see this clearly throughout the Scriptures, as the Lord frequently uses the marriage relationship to describe His own covenantal relationship with Israel. And so here, especially by Jesus’ citing from Genesis the creation account (Gen. 1:27); where He quotes the Scriptures which state: in the beginning God ‘made them male and female’ Vs. 6 Not "male and male" or "female and female" thoroughly Indicates to us who believe, that God’s intended purposes for having two distinct sexes was not just for the propagation of the human race, but for the establishment of the human family and it’s relationship’s (and thus greater society) through heterosexual marriages. For Jesus says 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 ‘and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 “Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” vs.7-9

Therefore it could not be clearer; what God has joined in matrimonial union, let no man separate. Now the fact that in marriage they (that is the man and the woman) become one flesh, moves beyond just sexual union and intimacy (though that is a part of a marriage union, as the Apostle Paul warns of a believer becoming “one flesh” with a ritual harlot by committing sexual immorality with her, see 1 Cor. 6:14-20). Rather the one flesh union is a joining of their whole person’s (within their natural distinctions and personalities) into one. And because they are one flesh in matrimony they have emotional as well as physical ties to each other, which is what God intends for them. For the marriage bond is to be the upmost of all human relationship bonds. Only ones commitment to the Lord is to excel it (Luke 14:26). Thus there is to be an exclusivity there, an intimacy there (both emotional and physical), and thus a deep trust and faithfulness and appreciating love there. Out of which a family is to be born and reared. Show me a well adjusted marriage, and I will more than likely show you well adjusted people and children. That’s how important a healthy marriage is to the well being of the individual, and the children who are raised in it, and thus society overall. For a healthy marriage builds both self esteem and a sense of security in both the husband and wife and their children. And by being commitment to each other, in the good times and the bad, husband and wife in many ways exemplify how God deals with all His children who keep their trust in Him (Ps. 34:22).

Now notice Jesus’ Words, that He says: “a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife”. Not his same sex "partner". Therefore homosexuality is only propagated by those who are either ignorant of God's ways. Or those whom having rejected true knowledge of God, God has given over to a debased mind (consider Rom. 1:18-32). For homosexuality is thoroughly condemned in the Scriptures, being called an abomination to the Lord (Lev. 18:22-23; 20:13, 15, 16; Deut. 23:17-18); something that does not change in the New Testament. Therefore those who claim faith in Christ yet would seek to justify moral perversion in the eyes of God, are neither Christian nor known to God. For all such things are a perversion of the marriage union, and what God has designed us as distinct sexes for, and what marriage is also to reflect. That is the covenant relationship of Jesus Christ to His church. Therefore heterosexual marriage is to be hallowed by those who believe (Eph. 5:31-32), as it also reflects our covenantal relationship to Christ. As the Scripture universally teaches: “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” Heb. 13:4 Those then who seek to undermine that pillar of life, love and society place themselves on a various perilous and unstable footing. Again that the two become one flesh in matrimony indicates the complete union of them, and the care they must have for each other, which then begins the family cycle; of raising children and preparing them for adulthood and thus perpetuates a healthy and caring society, something that readily falls away when perversion is pursued. As was the case in Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 13:13; 18:1-19:29); which itself is said in the N.T. to be an example of God’s eternal wrath against all such things; “as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” Jude 7

Now in regards to the Pharisees initial response to Jesus' question by saying: “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her.” Vs. 4 This is true (See Deut. 24:1-4), Moses did indeed permit writing a certificate of divorce and putting her away. But what they fail to mention was on what grounds, for some type of "uncleanness". Which if not some moral failing appears to me to have been applicable in situations similar to the women who had a constant flow of blood in the gospels (Mark 5:25-34) whereby she and everything she touched would have become unclean. And thus such a marriage union would have been unworkable under the Law of Moses (consider Lev 15:19-33). Yet according to various schools of thought of the day could be a serious sexual transgression, or just about any sort of displeasure a husband found in his wife. Which clearly then went against the Laws intention to preserve a marriages sanctity, not create loopholes for those men who grew tired of their wives could by it find "lawful" grounds for divorcing them and marrying another. Therefore the provision for divorce was only given, as Jesus said because of the hardness of their hearts. For it is also clear in that same statute that a man who divorced his wife could not again remarry her, if she had remarried another man. Even if the other man died; for to do so was an abomination in the eyes of God, to remarry her after she had been defiled by another man. Jesus thus rebukes their missuse of the Law which they were employing to suite their own desires, by saying: ...“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. 12 “And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” vs. 11-12

Thus by so saying Jesus effectively ends a person divorcing their spouse and marrying another for any reason as some of the Priestly elements in Israel were inclined to justify doing. And in light of such things, what does Jesus’ teaching say to our culture which has so embraced the notion of personal “liberty” and “rights” to the extent that personal responsibility and faithfulness to ones marriage spouse and family is often being forfeited for pure selfishness and self seeking pleasure. Infidelty once held as an abhorrent and treacherous act is now openly embraced. Yet marriage is never an act of convenience in the eyes of God, but one of commitment. Now in Matthew's gospel Jesus' Words are stated a little differently, there it says: “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.” Matt. 19:8-9

Again Jesus is quite clear the only just stipulation for one pursuing a divorce is that the other spouse committed sexual immorality and thus broke the marriage covenant. For to do so for any other reason, and then go on to marry another, is as Jesus warns to commit adultery. Same with someone marrying a divorced person. Which effectively ends their (or anyone else’s) using the law of Moses statute to justify divorcing their wives for any reason, except for their spouse committing sexual immorality. For to do so now after Jesus Christ has clarified the matter, is only to commit adultery in the eyes of God by doing so. Similarly marrying a woman who is divorced is also to commit adultery because she is already bound (in the eyes of God) to another man.

Which opens up a whole bunch of questions. What about believers who unlawfully divorced their spouses before they came to faith in Christ? Clearly Jesus Christ was crucified and has risen from the dead and ascended back to the Father so that He might first atone for our sins then justify us all who believe in Him. So in regards to whatever lawlessness and or sinful deeds that were done beforehand, these are completely forgiven the moment we believe in Him (Rom. 4:7-8; Col. 2:13-15). In regards to sin after conversion 1 John 1:9 promises “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Thus there is provision for us to repent as we are being transformed into Christ likeness by the Holy Spirit; who has also sealed us for the day of redemption (Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30). For we have Jesus Christ continually Advocating for us before the throne of God (1 John 1:16-10; 2:1-2; Heb. 4:14-16) when we turn from our sins and turn to God (2 Cor. 7:10).

Therefore the Scripture teaches that we are to make a distinction between those who willfully give themselves over to their sins, and those who have fallen into sin, but need and want restoration (Gal. 6:1-2; Jude 22-23). For the gospel is not a message of sinlessness approving one before God. But faith in the Lord Jesus Christ crucified and raised from the dead, whose Spirit is the transforming Power of God; who first makes alive, then progressively transforms us who believe into Christ likeness. Therefore whatever obedience one may have towards to the Gospel of Christ this must not make them look down on others, since it is only the Lord Jesus Christ's Righteousness that makes us who believe in Him approved before God (the Father (Luke 18:9-14; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 2:21). Only when a person who confesses faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; yet willfully carries on in their sins; are we to shun and put away from ourselves (1 Cor 5:9-13).

For we must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ and give an accounting of ourselves. And thus everyone will be rewarded according to what they have done in the flesh. Thus there is strong motivation for us all to obey Him here and now (Prov 16:6; 2 Cor. 5:10-11). As well God’s hands are not tied by His extending to us His grace through faith in His Son. For as a loving father chastens his children, so God the Father also chastens us, which produces the peaceable fruit of righteousness in all of us who have been trained by it (See Heb. 12:3-11). Finally if believers have spouses who do not believe and want to dissolve the marriage believers then are under no obligation, for God called has called us to peace (1 Cor. 7:15). However believers are to never divorce their spouses simply because they are unbelievers, for who knows they may one day be won for Christ (1 Cor. 7:16). Therefore believers are to do what they can to keep their marriages both pure and themselves peaceable within them (Heb 12:14).

 

Scripture Quotations
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

 

 

John 9:13-16 Sabbath Observance

13 They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. 14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. 15 Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.

 

Devotional

Now this man whom Jesus healed of his blindness, a blindness from birth, was healed as Jesus said so "...that the works of God should be revealed in Him." John 9:3 Therefore all that follows after his healing is the result of men either believing or not believing that Jesus is from God. Therefore with the blind man having been miraculously healed by Jesus, so that none can deny what has happened to him, though some try to deny that he was even the one born blind (John 9:8-12), and so with his being healed and this creating quite a stir in his community, the previously blind man is now taken by them to the Pharisees so that they might examine him. And that is where we pick up the story.
Now it's interesting to see the division that immediately arises within the Pharisees ranks over the blind mans healing. For some will immediately dismiss the mighty work of God in the mans life simply because Jesus healed him on the Sabbath. And so because of their hardness of heart towards Jesus (and thus God) they do not understand the Sabbath's purpose; that it was given to give man rest from his labors; and not enslave him to the observance of it according to doctrines and commandments of men. Nor do they understand that God likewise does not cease to do good (i.e. "work") simply because it is the Sabbath (consider John 5:17). As Jesus said at the start of this chapter: ⁴ I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. ⁵ As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." John 9:4-5Therefore Jesus in seeking to do the works of God, and be the light in the world to lost and perishing mankind, must also work on the Sabbath, just as His Father does. Yet that is what is so offensive to them, that Jesus would dare to work (i.e. heal) a blind man on the Sabbath, and thus violate their understanding and interpretations of it. And so they being blinded to grace and goodness of God and His witness to them, through Jesus' gracious work in healing the blind man, will only say of Jesus having done so: “This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” vs. 16 Now the other faction within the Pharisees, though likewise not willing to justify Jesus because He healed the blind man on the Sabbath, can neither condemn Jesus as a sinner as their colleagues before them did, since they say, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And so there breaks out a division among them. Now we know how the rest of the story plays out as they will continue to strive with Jesus (and then the healed blind man) to try to dismiss God's work amongst them before they condemn them both as sinners. And so that is what legalism ultimately brings, not God's light nor God's life into men's lives, but instead condemns those who do obey it as sinners, and thus condemns those who should not be condemned. Now what would you say if someone did not preach or endorse your favorite ordinance in which there is Christian liberty, like with Bible translations, or with tithing, or even keeping the the Lord’s Day as one would observe it or not; would you dismiss everything about them and their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and their obedience and good works towards God simply because they don’t hold your point of view on some non-essential matters (Rom. 14). Would you say like the Pharisees "This Man is not from God, because He does not keep..."For in holding to their own ideals the Pharisees eyes were darkened and their hearts hardened to who Jesus really is, and the value He places on all people. How about you and I would we reject someones testimony because they "violated" some principal that we hold dear (not that Jesus commands) but we hold as incumbent on all believers. Again maybe it's a favorite Bible translation; or maybe it's a form of worship music; or again maybe it's the "Sabbath day"; not that there is a Sabbath for New Covenant believers to observe (other than the Sabbath rest that God commands that was foreshadowed in the Old Covenant and is now realized in the New that we all cease from our "works"; by which we try to make ourselves approved to God through them, and rather trust fully in Jesus Christ's finished work at Calvary for our souls redemption, and thus enter Christ's rest, see Heb 4). Or maybe it's some sort of ideal like pacifism, that has superseded (in your mind or heart) Jesus Christ's crucifixion for every persons redemption and reconciliation fully back to God simply by their faith in His Person crucified and risen from the dead. Whatever it is, it is wrong when one accepts or rejects another believer by their holding to, or not holding to, one's own ideals.

Again the Pharisees rejected the wonderful and merciful Work of God done through the Lord Jesus Christ simply because Jesus did it, rather intentionally I might add, on the Sabbath. Which they had made into a impossibly difficult and burdensome day to observe, with all of their self imposed ordinances that they heaped up on all those trying to observe it. Yet the Sabbath was to be a day to bring rest and refreshment to both man and beast (Deut 5:14), and what could be more in accord with that than to make a man completely whole on it, as Jesus Himself declared and did. And in so doing Jesus foreshadowed the regeneration of us all by His Spirit, when we as new creations in Christ having our souls reconciled back to God will also have our bodies made completely whole and into the heavenly Mans image when we are together with Him in heaven (1 Cor 15:48-49). Thus Jesus thoroughly kept the Sabbath (and honored God through it) by healing a blind man on it.

I hope then that wherever you are in your faith walk with Jesus Christ, whether strong in conscience or weak, that you will not allow your conscience or liberty to be a cause of enmity or disunity amongst brethren.

Scripture Quotations

The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982

Be Reconcilated to God & Each Other

2 Samuel 14:14
“…Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.”

 

Devotional
When a believer sins there is a rift in the relationship with God, and often times their fellow person. Though a first response maybe to conceal ones sin, or if offended, to seek to punish or banish the offender, God’s response is neither. For Jesus suffered for all our sins so that He could through grace and truth devise a means of reconciliation for everyone in need (Matt. 9:13; John 1:17). Indeed it was our sins that broke Christ’s body and shed His blood at Calvary where God’s justice was served. Therefore if we are going to follow Jesus we must be open to reconciliation towards all individuals, whereby upon a person’s repentance restoration can be secured (Luke 17:3-4). If people refuse to repent then that’s a different matter (Matt. 18:15-20). For the Lord Jesus has already provided the righteousness for us all (2 Cor. 5:21). That God’s Righteousness, not mans, might be made known and granted to all (Job 33:23-30; Rom. 3:19-28). So that all who receive God’s grace by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ's Person might have cause to praise God forever (Psalm 145; Luke 15:7, 10).

---

 

Scripture Quotations

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

 

John 13:1-20

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, "Lord, are You washing my feet?" 7 Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this."8 Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." 9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" 10 Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you." 11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean." 12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. 18 "I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 'He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.' 19 Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He. 20 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me."
 
Devotional
If God put all things in your hands; all authority and all power, how would you respond? That question thankfully is unanswerable, because He hasn't, nor will he (though some people try to live like He has). Nonetheless let us lay aside our weak attempts at humor and return to the text and see what was in the heart and mind of Jesus when God did just that. As verse one states it, these events took place before the Passover; the finial meal the disciples will eat with Jesus before His Crucifixion; where He will usher in the New Covenant, and where He will also give the piece of bread that He dipped (signifying His mortal body) into the hands of Judas Iscariot, who will then go out; having already agreed to betray Jesus to the chief priests; and gather together all those who will arrest Jesus in Gethsemane. And so Jesus' knowing that His hour had come (that the time of His betrayal and arrest,  leading to His Crucifixion death for everyone who believes in Him had come), "...that  He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself." vs. 1-4
Now there is quite a bit there in verses 1-4 so I'll take them one at a time:

1) "that Jesus should depart from this world to the Father" vs. 1

Jesus' Mission if you like was never to be brought into this world and then remain in this world. He came into this world by the Holy Spirit; being born through the virgin Marry as a Man; but God's redemption plans were never that Jesus should remain the Son of Man on earth then immediately rule from that position. For Jesus had to become a Man first to take the place of Adam; the first man created, and who sinned, and by whom sin entered the world. Thus Jesus became a Man, the Son of Man, to become the feudal head of all mankind, so that by His atoning death on the cross for all our sins remission, both their atonement and His Righteousness could be applied to everyone who believes in Him (Rom 5:17; 2 Cor 5:21). For the Scriptures states that: just as sin came through one man (i.e. Adam) resulting in the condemnation of all mankind, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift of God came to all mankind resulting in justification to life (See Rom 5:18-19). Thus Jesus' coming to earth as the Son of Man was first to purchase our redemption from sin and death by His own Crucifixion death and shed blood (John 3:16; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Heb 9:22). That then being accomplished, Jesus had to return to the Father (again in fulfillment of Scripture, and thus God's plans) waiting until all His enemies are made His footstool (Psalm 110:1; Mark 12:35-37). Thus we have Jesus' Resurrection from the dead, for His, and our victory over death. For since in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. Thus Jesus having risen from the dead, having ascended back to the Father after forty days of Resurrection life on earth with the Apostles, did so too wait until all His enemies are made His footstool (see 1 Cor 15:20-28; Heb 10:12-14). The interim bringing in His Promise of the Holy Spirit's outpouring into the world, by which God convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:5-11); but more specifically for us who believe in Jesus, it is the Holy Spirit who brings us to life, and baptizes us into Christ's Body the moment we believe in Jesus, and thus it is He who brings new and everlasting life with Christ into us all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor 5:17). Therefore it is critically important that our faith and hope always be rooted and grounded in God's Righteousness through Jesus Christ's Finished Work alone (Rom 3:21-28, vs. 26; 4:4-5; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-7 etc.).

2) "having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end" vs.1

That Jesus loved His own, that He loved them to the end" should be of great consolation for us all. For if you believe in, and thus belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, you can be assured that His love for you is not conditional. Consider if you will, in the Gospel Jesus' disciples were anything but perfect; neither their motives, nor their words and behavior could be described as "perfect".  Indeed if it were not for Jesus' oversight, intercession, and correction, the disciples (like us, individually and collectively) in of themselves would be a much maligned group for their conduct. Yet through it all we do not find Jesus forsaking or abandoning them. Instead we often find Him using their failures to teach great spiritual truths to them and to us all (consider Matt 10:35-45; 16:21-28). Now you could say that Holy Spirit was not yet given and they were still unregenerate men; that is still natural men, not yet born of the Holy Spirit, and thus not yet empowered by God. True, but even after Pentecost and the Holy Spirit's outpouring into their lives, there are failures in their lives, just as their are (and will be) in mine and yours (consider 1 John 1:6-10). Now the point I'm trying to make is  simply that once God the Father has set His love in you, because you have come to believe and trust in His Son Jesus, neither the Lord Jesus Christ, nor God the Father will ever withdraw His love from you. The proof being that God seals us all who believe with His Spirit, whose first fruit is love, for the day of redemption (2 Cor 1:21-22; 5:5; Eph 4:30). Thus we can love God in all our circumstances of life, because it is He who first loved us; and continues to do so throughout our lives; as we learn to live by faith and in obedience towards Him (consider Rom 8:31-39; 1 John 4:17-19).

3) " And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him" vs. 2

It was the devils' desire to destroy Jesus from the beginning. And so having failed to lure Jesus into disobedience to the Will of God through the Temptation of His Person (Luke 4:1-13); the devil then waits for an opportune time and seeks to use one of his own; not one of Christs; but one of his own, through whom he can hasten Christ's death (Luke 22:1-6). For Judas Iscariot though selected by Jesus Christ along with the twelve, was never of Christ, but rather he was selected by Christ because he was to fulfill the Scripture, as the one who would betray the Son of Man (John 13:18).

4) And so "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself." vs. 3-4

Now Jesus knowing then that God the Father had given all things into His hands (that is all things on earth and all things in heaven), will now give us a tangible example of what it means to follow Him, (that is service, not self serving ambition, and this on the eve of His own Crucifixion). Now in doing so Jesus will also teach us; through the Apostle Peter an important lesson on our needing to have our whole person's washed by Christ's Person, which only comes by faith in and obedience towards Jesus Christ's Person (1 Tim 1:5; 3:9; Titus 1:15-16; Heb 9:11-15; 10:21-22; 1 Peter 3:21). First then, that Jesus after the supper rose from His place and took a towel and girded Himself is by all estimations of culture norms then, and now, not what people of prestige and honor do, especially after being exalted to highest position in the presence of their subordinates. Yet that is precisely what Jesus did, having received all things from the Father. His first act is not too demand His exceedingly high and prestigious place amongst them, His first act as Ruler of All, amongst them all, is not to reach for the throne, but for a towel! And thus the Scripture says after Jesus poured water in a basin and girded Himself with the towel, He began the wash the disciples feet, one by one, and then dry them with the towel (vs. 5). Now what Jesus was doing was considered then the lowliest of all duties; something relegated to household servants, slaves, or sadly the wife in ancient times, and not something the master of a house would ever even contemplate doing. Nonetheless Jesus quite deliberately and methodically wash's the disciples feet and dries them with the towel, before coming to Peter. And it is when Jesus comes to Peter, that Peter says to Jesus: 6... "Lord, are You washing my feet?" 7 Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this." 8 Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." 9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" 10 Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you." 11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean." 12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

 Vs. 6-11 Now Peter's initial resistance to Jesus washing his feet is commendable because Peter held the Lord in very high regard, and thus in no way wanted his Master to stoop too what seemed to him a position far beneath His Privileged Person. A natural response, yes, but not in accord with either the Lord Jesus Christ's Person or His Gospel. Since Jesus specifically came forth from God as God's Servant; to bear our sins on the cross (see Isaiah 53). But also to lead and guide us in our new lives, as His servant minded and oriented people (consider Mark 10:42-45; Phil. 2:5-11). And that is what Jesus is emphasizing here, both our need for our persons, to first be wholly washed by His Person, that is our sins washed away by His shed blood, which happens the moment we believe in Him, we are washed by His blood, regenerated by His Spirit, cloaked in His Righteousness, and thus we can confidently say with every other believer that we have been made clean by Christ alone. Then that being done in us and for us, for us to follow Jesus as He has done and commands here, and go and wash each others feet. Now you can take that literally, as if we are to literally wash each others feet; which I know of some Assemblies that do that, and that is fine as they are following Scripture, as long as they don't make that into their own form righteousness; that is by doing so they are more right in the sight of God than any other Assembly or believer who does not follow suite (consider Rom 10:3-4). For again there maybe times where such circumstances of life require that our feet need to be washed by another. My grandmother for years had to care for and often wash and bandage my grandfathers ailing and infected toe to try to preserve it. Not a pretty duty, but she did it with great dignity, care and love. So I see Jesus' Words here not just as a command to "wash" each others feet, (as a sort of ritual obedience to Him) rather to serve one another through love (Gal 5:13). For that is where Jesus says His blessing rests; not on those who seek to be served, but on those who serve others in His Name (consider Mark 10:45). For that is the heart of Christ that bleeds through this passage of the Scriptures, that as He has done in His love for His own, willing serving them, so should we serve each other. Therefore we should not see ourselves as so exalted or privileged as to be above any duty that would benefit another believer. This maybe foot washing if you live in Africa where I'm sure dusty feet are the norm, or it maybe something as simple as washing dishes after dinner to give your wife or parents a break if you don't own a dishwasher. For I don't want to limit the scope of Jesus' Words and their implications and blessing here for us. Rather I want us all to learn to gain the heart of a servant towards each other, to see each other as equal brethren, and to manifest our love towards each other in innumerous tangible ways that will benefit one another. That is what Jesus is teaching here, through His example of foot washing, and it is His example that we as followers of Christ want to emulate in our own lives as well.

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1982