Pastor Pat Edwards 2/12/2006
Grace Baptist Church in Bountiful, Utah

The key to doing anything well is learning the basic mechanics, the movements that the rest of the activity are built upon. There’s a story about Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers when they ruled the world of professional football. After a particularly bitter loss where he observed some critical mistakes he held a special practice. With the team lined up he walked to the center of the field, held up a football and announced in a loud voice, "This gentlemen, is a football." He went back to square one, to blocking and tackling and even how to hold a football. When I competed on the pommel horse if I was having trouble learning a new trick the coach would often have me practice double leg circles, the basic skill required on the horse. If I lost the ability to swing my legs smoothly and rhythmically over the horse I struggled with the tricks that grew out of that basic movement. After my 4-part sermon ended a week ago Jeanne Noyes came into my office. She asked me if I changed my mind halfway through the series. She said it sounded like I was going to suggest big changes but then I recommended the same old things. I told her that I know Grace has to make some big changes but as I studied and prayed and prepared I realized body life, discipleship, whatever terms we want to use, are still screwing nuts on bolts, still the obvious. What new thing can we develop to replace prayer? service? worship? witness? Nothing can replace these vital parts of life with Jesus but they can take new forms. We can’t ignore the basics but if we can find a better way to do them we will. Jesus said the process of making disciples involves "teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." But the big changes are not form and style and volume; the big changes are a recommitment to give ourselves fully to prayer and worship and service and witness. Changing the forms might attract people but unless there’s a recommitment to the basics the people we attract won’t become disciples.

For thousands of years much teaching was done orally as rabbis and pastors read the Word of God to the people from a single copy of scripture. Then the printing press made it possible for believers to have their own Bibles and books to read. Recent generations have taught the Word using radio, TV, movies, audio and video recording devices, computer software, the internet and overhead projectors. So we’ll be open to using whatever helps people learn and obey but the focus will always be to "obey everything I have commanded you."

With that in mind I have chosen a series that will take us to the celebration of Easter. It will cover Jesus commands from John 13-17, his final words to the apostles before his arrest on the night of Passover. So let’s try to hear those commands with renewed interest and attention to discover how the Lord wants each of us to obey.

1It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. 12When 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. 14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Jesus doesn’t have an identity problem. He doesn’t wander through life wondering what his purpose is. He is who he is and nothing he does can change that. And one of the primary purposes in his life is to serve but his service is given and not required. Foot washing is only a change of activity and not a change of status. He is still Teacher and Lord and that’s what makes his behavior so surprising. Again his service is voluntary, not required, but the service is unusual for one in his position.

Jesus knew who he was SO... he washed their feet even the feet of the traitor. The last thing we expect when we read Jesus is very aware of who he is and what he’s doing is for him to wash feet. We expect him to teach them some final truths or perform another miracle or two to convince them he is God the Son. We even expect him to get frustrated at how dense they are but no, he doesn’t do any of those things - instead he humbly and lovingly washes their feet. Foot washing was so demeaning that it was not required of Jewish servants, only gentile ones but here’s this Jewish teacher and Lord washing feet.

John writes that Jesus "showed them the full extent of his love." Note that John writes Jesus showed them rather than telling them. He provides an example for them - and us - to follow, a particularly unpleasant one, and certainly not the typical example of how a teacher or Lord serves his students or subjects. That should make us think twice before we offer any excuse that we’re too busy with important things or too valuable or gifted in other areas to take time to wash feet or the cultural equivalent.

Jesus concludes the foot washing by telling them they are "blessed if you do them." It’s not enough to have knowledge of goodness; it must be practiced. Over the years I have known several people so busy gathering knowledge as they rush from Bible study to Bible study that they have no time to serve, no time to minister. Gathering tidbits of biblical minutiae takes precedence over living an obedient life. And consequently they miss the blessing.

We aren’t going to look at every verse in this chapter but we need to remember that Jesus isn’t stupid or gullible; he’s not being taken advantage of; he’s aware of the traitor but that doesn’t change who he is or what he does. In fact he tells them what will happen and he even knows they will all betray him before the night is over. The big difference is that Judas truly gives up on Jesus and never returns while the rest do return even though they deserted him in a moment of fear. Since we’re looking at commandments that we are to obey and teach others to obey we’ll move to verse 34.

34"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

What’s so new about that? It’s the qualifying statement "as I have loved you..." It’s new because this form of love doesn’t tell us to "love your neighbor as yourself" but to put others before ourselves. It is willing to sacrifice self to bless others. Self-fulfillment, pleasure and other aspects of love become secondary or even disappear when the primary concern is the well-being of others. Tuesday night we watched Frontline and the topic was slavery. I almost turned it off because the stories were so disturbing. At the end my anger with the perpetrators was so great that I would have consigned them to the pit of hell immediately. But then Jesus spoke to me through his Spirit. He reminded me that even the worst of these slave traders were made in his image. He didn’t give up on me and he doesn’t want me to give up on them. His love will cause me to pray that they will not be condemned to hell but instead discover the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ so they can be redeemed from the pit, so they can be remade in the image of the Savior. History tells us that’s what happened to John Newton who left the slave trade after coming to Christ, became a minister and is best known for writing the hymn, Amazing Grace. That kind of love marks us as disciples of Jesus. And it’s a radical departure from the recycled definitions of love that are becoming popular again. An article I read several weeks ago showed the changing definition of love as portrayed in three critically acclaimed movies, Casablanca, The Bridges of Madison County and Brokeback Mountain. After describing the final scene of Casablanca, Regis Nicoll writes, By setting aside personal happiness for what is good and noble, Rick Blaine rises as Casablanca's unlikely hero. In his triumph of virtue over passion, Blaine shows us the sacrificial aspect of true love... Next Nicoll describes the adulterous affair in The Bridges of Madison County, filmed two generations later. After her death an adulterous wife leaves her children final directions and words of advice, "Do what you have to, to be happy in this life." Nicholl comments, Unlike Casablanca, where love is the sacrifice of personal happiness for the highest good, in Bridges personal happiness is the highest good. The road was now cleared for an even more radical view of love...

Nicholl writes, ...the "love" on Brokeback Mountain develops after two down-and-out cowboys, Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar, give into an unguarded moment of passion on a cold night in 1963. With no hint of prior disposition, both men awake the next morning confused, not knowing what to call what happened. ...Brokeback's tagline rings: "Love is a force of nature." You can't resist it anymore than you can resist gravity. The celluloid road from Casablanca to Brokeback Mountain reveals just how far we "progressed" in our understanding of love. In just a few decades love has changed from sacrificing personal desire for the greater good, to indulging in personal desire for happiness, to obeying personal desire...or else! That means loving like Jesus is obviously going to look brand new to a lot of people who have accepted this "everything old is new again" definition of love.

Do you see that what Jesus models and commands is a "new" form of love? That we must love each other that way if we are to be obedient. So today I’m reminding many of us and perhaps teaching others for the first time to love one another as Jesus loves you. So let’s do some analysis. How have we disciples been loving one another as Jesus loves us? Jesus loves us by putting us first, by personally sacrificing for our good. How have I done that in the past week or past month? Obviously none of us have given our lives to save another since we’re all here but most love doesn’t occur on that scale. Acts of love are most often demonstrated in the smallest ways every day. Give up time you had set aside for yourself to help another person. Maybe you babysat so some mom could have some personal time. Even though you were tired maybe you did the dishes or picked up the house so your spouse wouldn’t have to. Maybe you took the extra time to give someone a ride home. Maybe you gave up a lunch or didn’t buy a new shirt in order to send a special gift to a mission project. Maybe you gave something away to someone who needed it rather than selling the item in the classifieds. Maybe you visited someone when all you really wanted to do was take a well-deserved nap. Maybe you gave up a Saturday morning to help someone with a project or maybe you lovingly confronted a brother or sister about a problem even though you knew they’d probably become angry with you.

Of course love can’t be an occasional thing, it’s daily. Jesus didn’t occasionally love the disciples, he consistently loved them. Everyday they felt and experienced his love and care. As we seek to grow as his disciples I’m going to try and give some very practical ways to love others through your sacrificial service. Two weeks ago several of you volunteered to be friends to the disabled attending a program our church offers. With the sudden influx of babies our nursery needs to gear up again. We need men and women who will care for these babies during Sunday School and worship. If you are able will you do that once a month or less? IHN needs painters and the Murphys will need help taking down the nativity in the foyer. Those are tangible acts of love.

Will you ask yourself this question and then try to answer it right now, "How will I love someone this week as Jesus has loved me?" Will you pray, "Jesus show me how to love that way. Show me who to love in my life right now. Show me how to obey your commandments so I may know your closeness and pleasure with me."