Well we've arrived in Jerusalem. This is a painful part of the journey to walk through with Peter, and yet at the same time it was the time at which salvation was possible, at which Jesus showed the full extent of His love. So please determine to be resolved. Let's make it personal. Let's follow the Lord through our studies by seeking Him in prayer. And then...

Please read John 13:1-17.

As we've mentioned earlier in this study, The 5.2 Project is a life-style of worship, based on the concepts “know what you know, live what you know, share what you know.” Check out verse 1 again. It gives us a glimpse of something that JESUS KNEW. There was no story preluding this seemingly random thought. It was simply a moment of Jesus fixing His eyes on His Father, and what on what He knew... “He now showed them the full extent of His love.”

Now read another thing that Jesus knew... and lived... and shared. It's found in verses 3-4. And then the Savior King literally got down on His knees. He knelt before others, in worship to His Father.

He bowed down to serve those who would soon deny and betray Him. He didn't flinch, didn't show one sign of not being willing.

This passage is often referred to as “Jesus washing the disciples feet”... but the only two characters mentioned here are Jesus, and Peter. Jesus knelt down and began to wash Peter's feet, and Peter was horrified! Can you blame Him? It seems to be an appropriate reaction at first glance. Peter has acknowledged Jesus as God and is well aware of His own unworthiness in the presence of Jesus.

Jesus was rockin' Peter's boat... again.

Simon and the others had worked hard to define who they believed Jesus to be, and it seemed that the more they reached conclusions, the more Jesus revealed to them that His ways were not their ways. No one had ever expected the King to serve, or to suffer. All in this one day Jesus was showing unquestioning willingness to do both. And Simon was disappointed. He was confused. And Jesus knew that.

Jesus replied, “You do not understand now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Matthew 13:7

And still, Simon said no. He didn't want to dishonor Jesus, he wanted to honor Him! And yet, he wasn't following. Jesus gave Him an ultimatum and showed the immediate necessity for Peter's discomfort. And then, again, Simon threw himself recklessly forward and said “Then, Lord, not just my feet but my head and my hands as well!” (v.9).

I think it's important to [stop] here and take notice of something. It is important to realize our inability to fully understand God. Period. Kierkegaard once said “Life must be lived forward but it can only be understood backwards.” Very often things can only be understood in hindsight. Simon Peter was resolved to follow and was learning difficult lessons time and time again that he wasn't able, and he wasn't supposed to understand everything. He was supposed to follow. It was absolutely true that the picture of a Savior and King kneeling to wash the feet of a disciple seems inappropriate. Yet, it was... “the full extent of His love (v. 1)” and what if Simon had missed it?

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

One way to show reckless resolve is to realize that His ways are higher than ours, and that we just need to step forward and be willing to walk on the water. Being still with our thoughts, our concerns, and our picture of how we think our circumstances should look, listening, and just following.

Jesus was teaching Simon about servant-hood. He wanted Simon to know how to love others, he wanted Simon to know that the greatest form of love is to be willing to serve and to suffer for the sake of others. He was preparing Simon to face Jerusalem. He was preparing Simon to face His arrest. He was rockin' the boat... and with the greatest demonstration of love conceivable, He was showing Simon how to follow Him, even and especially... in Jerusalem. He would face people who wanted to hurt and betray him. Jesus leading Him as a servant. Jesus was leading Him forward in Jerusalem, to the cross.

Then He called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said, “If anyone would come after me, He must deny Himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Mark 8:31

Did you catch that? If you want to [“Come after me”]... If you really want to follow... deny yourself [be willing to realize that I'm God, and my thoughts are higher than ours, and I love to to the point of the ultimate sacrifice!] …. take up your cross [follow me even to Jerusalem. It's not about taking my cross... and it's not about watching my cross, I need you to take up YOUR cross] and follow me [I'll go before you, I'll pave the way, and I'll never leave you.]

Wow. What a wonderful Savior.

So let's be resolved. These are hard things we have been, and will be addressing. The road to Jerusalem, the lessons on servant-hood, the denial, and the crucifixion. But what a blessing to realize that just like Simon, He has prepared us for these things in this study! We are to fix our eyes on Jesus! We can trust our Savior's character... over and despite our circumstances! Rather than being like Simon sitting at the table and panicking about how what is happening to us affects us, we can fix our eyes on the Savior who is showing us “the full extent of His love” and just... follow.

For Discussion: What are some of the ways that Jesus shows His love to us?