{"id":2354,"date":"2021-05-30T18:30:42","date_gmt":"2021-05-31T01:30:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/?p=2354"},"modified":"2021-06-06T03:21:34","modified_gmt":"2021-06-06T10:21:34","slug":"abiding-in-the-lord-john-ch-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/blog\/abiding-in-the-lord-john-ch-13\/","title":{"rendered":"Abiding in the Lord: John Ch. 13"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

(Translated version, original article written in Chinese by Pastor Mickey Hsiao)<\/em><\/p>\n

Worship<\/strong><\/h3>\n

By singing praises and hymns, awake your soul, open your heart to the Lord, and prepare yourself to welcome the presence of God and receive the Word of God that will be given to you.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thanksgiving<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Petition with thanksgiving to God for a wonderful day and pray sincerely for a focused Scripture reading time! (Do not rush into reading the Bible without starting with prayers!<\/strong>) (e.g., you may start with a simple prayer like this: “Dear Lord, what will you be speaking to me today?)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Scripture Reading<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Get the following items ready in advance: your devotional notebook, paper, pen, and\/or electronic devotional articles so that you can easily write down the Bible verses, questions, and thoughts you have noticed! You are encouraged to open your Bible and vocally read out the scriptures (Try to practice this reading method daily or once a week)!<\/p>\n

Scripture Reading: John Ch. 13 (ESV)<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Meditation<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Take a moment to quietly reflect on today’s Scriptures. Through such exercises, let God’s Word be gradually written into our hearts and be inscribed to our mind.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Devotional<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Read the devotional articles prepared by CBCLWA (*Read the Bible first before reading any devotional materials.<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(vv. 1-17)\u00a0According to the\u00a0scriptures of this chapter, Jesus first washed\u00a0the feet of his disciples, and then commanded\u00a0them to wash\u00a0one another\u2019s feet.\u00a0Jesus\u00a0then\u00a0prophesied that he would be betrayed. We can see that it was\u00a0Judas\u00a0who\u00a0let Satan\u00a0enter\u00a0into\u00a0his heart step by step. Finally, Jesus\u00a0foretold\u00a0that he was\u00a0about to\u00a0leave\u00a0his disciples and\u00a0he gave a new command\u00a0to his disciples to love one another.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From the process and dialogue in which Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, we see that Jesus,\u00a0despite of his noble status as\u00a0the Son of God,\u00a0willingly\u00a0prepared\u00a0water and towels for his beloved disciples\u00a0and washed\u00a0their feet\u00a0\u2013\u00a0which is the body part that is\u00a0the most easily\u00a0dusty, the hardest to wash, and\u00a0the lowest part of a body. The disciples certainly felt wrong about such a move\u00a0of Jesus, but Jesus insisted on washing their feet\u00a0one by one.\u00a0Jesus\u2019 action\u00a0symbolizes\u00a0the following:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • The filth of man needs to be cleansed by the Lord:\u00a0Jesus said:\u00a0<\/span>\u201cIf I do not wash you, you have no share with me.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/b>If we were not redeemed by the blood of Jesus (1 Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 1:5),\u00a0we would not be able to meet\u00a0and build relationships with the holy God because of the filth of\u00a0our\u00a0sin (1 John 1:7).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • The noble king\u00a0and\u00a0the humble servant: Remember when disciples argued with each other along the way about who was\u00a0greater? Here Jesus said:\u00a0<\/span>\u201cFor I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/b>We should follow the example of Jesus\u00a0regardless of our personal identity or status. Just like what the Lord has done, we should not\u00a0be\u00a0hesitant\u00a0about what the Lord has\u00a0commanded\u00a0us to do. Remember that the Lord once said:\u00a0<\/span>\u201cIf anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the\u00a0Father\u00a0will honor him.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/b>(John 12:26)\u00a0<\/span>\u201cA servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/b>(John 13:16)\u00a0Even the most distinguished king is willing to bend over to serve the man, what else will we not\u00a0be able to tolerate and not do?\u00a0May we\u00a0all\u00a0understand\u00a0this\u00a0and then just get up and\u00a0do it.\u00a0Jesus said,\u00a0we will be blessed if we do it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    (vv. 18-30)\u00a0What\u00a0caused Judas to finally choose to betray the Lord?\u00a0Regardless of Satan\u2019s act,\u00a0he was the one who ultimately\u00a0made\u00a0his own\u00a0decision. Or we should say that he allowed\u00a0Satan\u00a0enter\u00a0into his heart! There are a few things\u00a0worth noticing:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Jesus loved him:\u00a0<\/span>\u201chaving loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.\u201d<\/span><\/b>\u00a0(John 13:1b)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Jesus washed his feet: Although Judas’ feet were washed, his heart was not all\u00a0for Jesus.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Jesus\u00a0had given\u00a0him opportunities\u00a0to repent: Jesus\u00a0had\u00a0repeatedly indicated,\u00a0<\/span>\u201c\u2026Not all of you are clean.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/b>(v.11)\u00a0<\/span>\u201c\u2026He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0(v.18)\u00a0<\/span>\u201c\u2026one of you will betray me.\u201d<\/span><\/b>\u00a0(v.21)\u00a0And\u00a0Jesus said\u00a0expressively,\u00a0<\/span>\u201cIt is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/b>(v.26)\u00a0<\/span>\u201cWhat you are going to do, do quickly.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/b>(v.27)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      It was Judas who, after\u00a0following Jesus for\u00a0more than three years, refused to repent\u00a0in the end. After eating the\u00a0bread\u00a0Jesus had\u00a0dipped,\u00a0Judas\u00a0chose to\u00a0betray\u00a0the Lord Jesus and his brothers,\u00a0and\u00a0he\u00a0went out\u00a0immediately!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      Judas\u00a0had\u00a0followed Jesus and served along with his brothers as\u00a0disciples\u00a0and he was assigned to a treasurer for the group. Yet,\u00a0no one among the disciples knew that His heart was open to Satan, except\u00a0Judas himself and\u00a0God\u00a0who knows!\u00a0When\u00a0we follow the Lord and serve in different\u00a0ministries\u00a0along with other brothers and sisters,\u00a0others cannot\u00a0always\u00a0detect what is wrong with us and only we ourselves are clear about who we are. And of course, God\u00a0already\u00a0knew\u00a0everything about us. If you realize today that you\u00a0have faults,\u00a0repent! God is willing to give you a chance\u00a0to\u00a0repent so that you won\u2019t continue to fall.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      (vv.\u00a031-38)\u00a0After Judas left, Jesus\u00a0was sure that\u00a0“the appointed time” was\u00a0about to\u00a0come\u00a0and it would be\u00a0a moment of glory<\/span>.\u00a0\u201cNow is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at\u00a0once.\u201d<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0In that situation,\u00a0Jesus gave his disciples a\u00a0new command\u00a0for them\u00a0to love\u00a0one another. Why\u00a0was\u00a0it\u00a0called\u00a0a new command?\u00a0From the scriptures we\u00a0can\u00a0see:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      • New ways:\u00a0Jesus said that\u00a0for them to love one another, they would need to follow\u00a0the way\u00a0of how\u00a0the Lord loved them.\u00a0Jesus says,\u00a0<\/span>\u201cjust as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/b>This means that we need to sacrifice for\u00a0one another\u00a0and deny ourselves for the sake of others\u00a0(1 John\u00a03:16). It’s hard to\u00a0deny yourself to love others by your own\u00a0strength,\u00a0It\u00a0will be easier if we\u00a0ourselves\u00a0are filled\u00a0by the sacrificial love of Jesus\u00a0first!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
      • New\u00a0effect:\u00a0In verse 35,\u00a0<\/span>\u201c\u2026if you have love for one another\u201d<\/span><\/b>, as in Ephesians 4:3\u00a0“<\/span>eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Jesus said<\/span>\u00a0\u201cBy this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/b>How do\u00a0people\u00a0recognize us as disciples of the Lord?\u00a0Is it to recite the\u00a0doctrine? Observe rituals?\u00a0Or order\u00a0a uniform with “I am a Christian” printed on it? None of them! Jesus said that as long as we live to love\u00a0one another, we will be recognized as Christians!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Pray<\/strong><\/h3>\n

        Give thanks to God for His enabling us to read the Scriptures and for our response for living out the Word of God today! (e.g., You may start with a simple prayer like this: \u201cDear Lord, what\/where are you going to lead me to today?”)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":2111,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[73,71],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abiding-in-the-lord","category-pastor-mickey-hsiao"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2354"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2383,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2354\/revisions\/2383"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}