Saturday, 24 August 2019

A New Perspective


    “So he (Jesus) got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.” John 13:4-5

  When He was finished, He got dressed again and sat back down at the table.
  What an incredibly human moment. I have often removed my “good” clothes to keep them from being soiled while tackling a particularly dirty job. 
  But I think Jesus’ actions have a much greater significance. He took off His robes, not out of care that they would become soiled, but as a symbolic representation of what was to come; when His robes would be stripped from His battered body and He cleansed the world from the power of sin by laying down His life.
  He dried their feet as well, taking care that the towel was kept clean by keeping it wrapped around His body instead of simply laying it on the floor beside the basin.
  
  I think of the roads I have traveled, the paths of sin I have followed or been led along willingly or unwillingly. I think of the places my feet have taken me that were so far removed from God and I was utterly lost.
  But I have a God that sees beyond all this. I have a God who helps me see beyond all this and live a better life. All because of a basin full of new beginnings and the humble grace of Jesus. This new life has happened because Jesus wrapped a towel of forgiveness around my soul.
 
  An odd thing has popped into my head. The expression, “throwing in the towel” has come about because of wrestling matches. It is a symbol of surrender. When one participant could no longer fight, the towel would be thrown into the ring. The match was over.
  God never will throw in the towel. It’s why Jesus wrapped it around Himself. AMEN!

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