Wednesday after Holy Trinity - Devotion in Exile

Lection for Wednesday after Holy Trinity
Proverbs 8:22-36      John 13:1-20

In this text from John’s Gospel, Jesus washes the disciple’s feet, but Peter does not want Him to stoop to the level of washing his feet. You see, the washing of feet is the task for the lowliest servant or person in the home. Jesus is the rabbi, the teacher, the one who should have his feet washed by Peter.

So Jesus had to rebuke Peter (yes, again), “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Of course, as Peter always seems to do, after being rebuked for this thinking, he goes to the other extreme, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” Jesus reply is to tell him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”

Not all of you? Who is He talking about? Our text tells us… For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”

He knew Judas would betray Him, but had him as a disciple.

It is interesting to ask people why Judas is the one disciple who was not clean, the one who is lost eternally? Some say that it is because he betrayed Jesus. Well, if that is true, then is every betrayal of Jesus is damning? If not every betrayal, then how bad of a betrayal does it need to be? You betray Him with a kiss so that ultimately He is crucified? How ‘bout if you betray Him by denying you know Him in front of others when the are making fun of Christianity? How about what Peter did in the courtyard of the High Priest?

But let’s go back to Judas. Is what he did in betraying Jesus worse than what Peter did? Consider it, Peter did it in front of witnesses other than the disciples and a few temple guards as Judas did. Peter did it a second time. And the third time, he denied knowing Jesus, even calling down curses upon himself. And then there was that rooster he denied.

When you consider it, Judas even confessed his betrayal of Jesus as sinful. He went to his priests, confessing that he had betrayed innocent blood. Instead of absolving him (which would then have meant that they were also guilty of harming an innocent man), they said it was nothing to do with them.

So why was Judas lost and not clean? Because He did not have Jesus cleanse Him. No, Jesus washed his feet, but he refused to be cleansed by Christ.

As Jesus went to the cross to pay for all sin, even the sin of denying and betraying Him, Judas got some rope and found a tree. Why? So that he could pay for the sin for which he felt great guilt. He did not trust Christ! He refused to be cleansed of sin by Christ. Judas denied the work of Christ, even as Christ was going to the cross to pay for the sin of Judas betrayal of Him.

When we believe that is our work to pay for our sin, we are trusting in self and not Christ. We need to be cleansed by Christ, and when we trust the work of Christ as that which frees us from sin, we are clean.

Wow, if only there were something in the Christian life that would be something like a cleaning, something involving water and the Word of Christ. If only there was a way that we could be united to Christ’s death – putting our sin to death in His death. If only there was a way that we could be united to Christ – in a resurrection like His. If there were something like that, and it had God’s promises in Christ, then we could have hope and assurance unto life everlasting.

Let us pray:     Heavenly Father, by Your grace you have cleansed us by the blood of Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Remove from us all pride that would trust in our own works as our means of salvation, and give to us humble hearts that recognize that You have graciously made us Your children, members of Your household, without any merit or worthiness in us. Amen.