What's up, Pursuers? Pursuers! What's up, Pursuers?
I am the right Reverend Benjamin Smith. So, it
took me a second to get the Savannah accent you
were doing. When you started with the word right.
Sounded like you said rot. And I'm like, what
is he about to say about himself? Ben, Ben, no,
you're good, dude. Don't say that about yourself.
But no, no, you're the rot reverend. Rot reverend.
Dude, there are some denominations where they
will refer to their pastor as the righteous reverend
or his excellency and stuff like that. Fully
aware, yes. I don't know, man. That's not me,
man. I'm a dude. Listen. Please don't start doing
this. Don't. I don't even want to do the joke.
Like, no. No. I'm just a dude pursuing Jesus.
Sean is also just a dude pursuing Jesus. We're
all dudes. Or dudettes. I'm a dude. You're a
dude. She's a dude. That's a good burger. You
don't know the movie Good Burger? No, Sean. That
is a full on 90s movies. Nickelodeon 90s. Kenan
and Kel. Wow. Nickelodeon 90s movie. Good Burger.
It's a great one. No, it's Nickelodeon. It's
safe. We're good. Are you going to get to apologize
for referencing another movie at the beginning
of our next podcast? Because I enjoyed that.
I enjoyed Googling Good Morning Vietnam and being
like, well, whoopsie doodle. Nice job, Sean.
Hey, you just brought it back up. I just talked
about Good Burger. This is on the internet forever
now. Yep, yep. Oh, man. Well, hey, I've been
thinking about ways to start this episode. And
just based off of the text you and I talked about.
And I wanted to ask you this question. I have
answers to questions. If you had one day left
and you knew that you were going to die, what
would you do? Different people take it different
ways. I think my question is best encapsulated
in the words of the prophet Nickelback. If today
was your last day, tomorrow was too late, would
you say goodbye to yesterday? I'm not familiar
with that one. What are you talking about? Listen,
I've probably heard the song. You grew up with
Nickelback's heyday. I grew up with Nickelback.
I'm just saying, but listening to you sing it
right now does not ring any bells of my memory.
Well, clearly you have some homework for the
rest of your day. Clearly. But do you want my
answer now? Yes, I do. I do want your answer.
I didn't know if you were going to break out
in a song again. No. No, I mean, that is the
easiest answer. Easiest answer to you. Yeah,
absolutely. I'm getting my family in a vehicle
and we're driving to the beach and we're spending
it on the beach together. I'm going to spend
time in the ocean. Yep. I'm going to spend time
hunting for seashells. I'm going to spend time
laying down watching my kids play. Man. That's
what I'm going to do. That is a beautiful, beautiful
way to spend that, and a beautiful, beautiful
answer. I'm admittedly shocked that there is
not Mexican food in there. There's not some tacos
or something. You didn't ask meals. You didn't
ask for meals, and meals would be a part of it,
but the activity would be the beach. I got you.
That's a very, very good answer. I feel like
mine would definitely involve the mountains,
so I understand that feeling. I see that. You're
a beach bum. person. Is there an equivalent of
a beach bum phrase for a mountain? You could
say mountain man, but that's sexist. We don't
do that. Were you listening to Galatians 3? You
got mountain man and mountain mama. It doesn't
have the same feel as beach bum. It characterizes
a culture. That doesn't care. Mountain Man. But
even like Mountain Man, when I think of Mountain
Man, I'm not thinking of you. You know what,
Sean? That's so rude. But I see what you're saying.
Bro, I'm thinking of the dude on the heck in
the bra and toilet paper. Yes, I like the flannel,
blue jeans, boots with the axe. The mountain
man did our intro for the last podcast. Welcome
to you. That was funnier than I meant it to be.
Thank you, Sean. Thank you. I hate every bit
of... Oh, man. And that's a good intro, too.
So I have to keep it for our people. And that
was me slapping the table, by the way, because
I cracked myself up so much on that one. I wasn't
knee slapping laughing. I was slapping the table.
That is the noise you guys heard. Yeah, that
certainly wasn't like your spine creaking from
old age. That's a low blow, man. I'm sorry. You
know, it's a common one here in the office, though.
I am the old man in the office these days, and
it is what it is. It is true. It is true. Well,
but so the whole reason that I bring up, like
if today was your last day, what would you do?
Yeah. And good answer is because of our text
today. This falls at an interesting place in
the Passion Week. Remember, because this is like
Jesus's last week on earth is kind of where we're
sitting in our reading. Now we're in the last.
Yes, in the last days, like last three, four
-ish days. This is the text from August the 9th.
It's John 13, 1 through 20, where Jesus washes
the disciples' feet. I think we should read this,
honestly. For my purposes, I'd like to do like
1 through 11. Maybe we can jump into 12 through
20 later on. But you mind if I read that? No,
please go ahead, man. Let's get it right on the
same page. All right, this is John 13, 1 through
11, 1 through 12, whatever, wherever we land.
Now, before the feast of Passover, when Jesus
knew that his hour had come to depart out of
this world to the Father, having loved his own
who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
During supper, when the devil had already put
into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son,
to betray him. Jesus, knowing that the Father
had given all things into his hands and that
he had come from God and he was going back to
God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer
garments and, taking a towel, tied it around
his waist. Then he poured water into a basin
and began to wash the disciples' feet and wipe
them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, Lord,
do you wash my feet? Jesus answered him, What
I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward
you will understand. Peter said to him, you shall
never wash my feet. And Jesus answered him, if
I do not wash you, you have no share with me.
Simon Peter said to him, Lord, not my feet, but
also my hands and my head. And Jesus said to
him, the one who is bathed does not need to wash
except for his feet, but is completely clean.
You are clean, but not every one of you, for
he knew who was to betray him. That was why he
said, not all of you who are clean. To bring
it full circle here, the reason I asked you that
question to start with is because verse 1 and
verse 2 frame this text in an interesting way.
When Jesus realizes his time is limited, not
realizes because he already knows, but when Jesus
recognizes, okay, his hour has come to depart
out of this world, the thing that he thinks is
most important to do is to wash his disciples'
feet. That was like the heading that just completely
floored me when I was studying this passage.
To me, it's that phrase, it's the second half
of verse one. Yeah. Having loved his own who
were in the world, he loved them to the end.
I feel like there's a whole sermon just in that
one little phrase. What do you get from that?
What do you get from that? I mean, to think,
okay. Once again, you even just alluded, and
we fully realize, and I talked about it Sunday.
Jesus is fully God. Right. He's fully human,
but yet he's fully God. He knows, right? He knows,
and it says that Jesus knew that his hour had
come, meaning he fully realizes what he's about
to go through. Yes. In fact, we even see that
here in a couple of verses of when he's in the
garden, and he is sweating blood. Yes. Because
he knows. what's about to happen. Which is a
real documented medical phenomenon. It's a thing.
Yes, absolutely. And so, knowing all of this,
in this moment, he's not concerned about that.
He's not overwhelmed, freaking out. What is his
biggest concern is loving his disciples in the
end. Focusing... Once again, it's this example
of servant leadership. Loving others before ourselves.
And even though he could make this moment all
about him, that's what I think from a worldly
perspective. He's like, man, what is one of the
last things I want to do for my disciples? Let
me leave them with this incredible example. An
extraordinary example. And I think that the love
that he had for his disciples is also the love
that he has for us. He loves us. To the end.
For many reasons, including that I've got some
friends who are genuinely suffering. Life circumstances,
infertility, a lot of different things. But the
way that Jesus loves us in suffering has been
kind of one of the heads -up display concepts
or theological things of mine lately. Even Jesus
in the garden before the Father, I want this
cup to pass, not my will but yours. I talked
about this on Wednesday night to our Wednesday
night service. Why would Jesus ask God for something
that he knows God is not going to grant? Because
once again, fully God, he knows that this is
the time, verse 2. He's aware that he's about
to go back to God. Jesus isn't. This isn't defiance.
No. This is him joining God in relationship with
his pain. Yeah. And that love is the thing that
pushes him forward. But, dude, in that moment
in the garden, Jesus is holding his Father's
hand. What I love about it is it shows the example
of honesty in prayer. Dude. You know? Yeah. And
it's one of the things that I try to talk to
my students and even the church now. When we're
young in our faith and we think of prayer, one,
we feel like the prayer has its own little language.
We've got to say the right words and do the right
things. But then we even move on from that. We
feel like prayer is only... It's not about being
honest with God. It's just about, oh, God, you're
so wonderful. Or, God, thank you for this food.
It's performance. Exactly. That's a great word.
Absolutely. But seeing this, and I like taking...
going to this, I like taking people to David
and the Psalms. Like you see the range of emotion
that is expressed. And then even hear from Jesus,
the honesty of this prayer. This is what God
wants. God wants us, all of us, our mountaintops
and our valleys. He wants all of us and everything
in between. And there's something to be learned
here too. with kind of the harmony of service
and honesty, look at what Jesus does as he's
about to serve. He takes off his outer garments
and he wraps a towel around his waist. Jesus,
and so like culturally here, that's the role
of the lowest servant in the house. The dude
who washes feet, like that is if you were at
the bottom of the totem pole. Because nobody
wanted this job. Ain't nobody wants that job.
But it is only when we... take off whatever we
have trying to beautify us, whatever we have
trying to be worthy in and of ourselves, whatever
performance mindset we put on. It's only when
we take that off that we can one, have genuinely
relationship with the father and to serve out
of a Christlike mindset and not out of performance.
I just, I feel like, like, like, like for, okay.
So for service, right? If we're looking at Jesus,
the example of like when Jesus goes to serve
the disciples, He puts himself in a low place,
a place where his status doesn't matter, where
his preferences don't matter. That is something
that I feel like can be most easily lost in a
church context. Explain this one. I'm going to
use worship leadership because that's just near
to me. Absolutely. Maybe we can pivot to something
that's more universally applicable. There is
a temptation as a worship leader, and maybe you
feel this as a preacher too, that when I get
up there, I have to be on. I flip a switch, and
then Ben is in worship leader Ben mode. The Lord
really convicted me of this a couple of years
ago, where the way I talk changes. My disposition
changes. Even the way that I worship. in that
state when I get on stage. That has not been
taking off his outer garments and putting himself
in a servant perspective. That's been putting
on another layer of clothes. That's been putting
on an air of somebody who is close to God and
is very mystical and all these things. When in
reality, at that time in my life, my private...
Yeah. The way that I worshiped God looked very
different from my public worship. Yeah. And I
think that that hypocrisy was well intended initially,
like to some degree, right? Like all motives
are mixed, right? Like there are no true pure,
I'm doing this exclusively for good. We are humans
and we deal with the pride and the different
issues, yes. But I saw other worship leaders
act in a certain way. And so I felt like I had
to put that on to do effective ministry. And
maybe it's like that when we talk to people who
aren't believers. We engage with them and we
have to put on our Christian whatever, whatever,
and stand up a little straighter and make sure
that they know that we're different than them.
Or, oh no, I don't associate with that, or I
don't do that, I'm a Christian. But if we're
putting ourselves in the place of a servant,
then the way that we come across, like the way
that other people perceive our performance is
the last thing on our minds. Yeah. No, I see
exactly what you're saying. And I do think, and
I'll be honest, from my perspective, I would
assume worship leaders probably deal with this
a lot. I mean, because it is a performative -based
ministry. There are skills involved, you know,
especially, I mean, with the instruments and
even vocals, right? And so there are things that
it can be so easy to get focused on the technicality
of the songs and of the stage. that it can be
very easy to put on your garments. I see exactly
what you're saying now. But I do see that also
as the context of a pastor. Yes. The way that...
Mine's a little bit different. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Right? So I see exactly what you're saying. I
have always been on the mindset. One of the things,
and it's... From Jesus, even before I became
a pastor, because I was in the secular world
of work before I became a pastor for a long time.
And I was in managerial roles for many years.
Assisted to the regional manager. No. I was the
manager of a warehouse. And so I had people working
underneath me and everything. But I took... In
that environment, I wanted to be a servant leader,
a servant manager. And so I wanted to lead like
this where I wanted to do the things that people
did not want to do. And sometimes that involved
cleaning a warehouse bathroom. And I was willing
to do that when the actual janitor was not there.
So going back to being a pastor now, so when
I became a pastor, I've always like, I've been
very honest with who I am, and I don't want people
to see me on a pedestal. And I think that's one
of the things I think our people see very quickly
in me is I'm very honest with my flaws. I'm very
honest. I want people to realize I am human because
I've been around churches and pastors where the
pastor is put on a different level and like,
oh, yes, we know he's a sinner because we're
all sinners, but... but he's different. It's
like this unspoken thing. Isn't it funny how
we can directly say one thing, but internally
believe another entirely? So I think the thing
that I've... I had this amazing older lady come
up to me when I was young in ministry, because
I had a sermon where I focused a lot on my mistakes
and my failings and everything. And she encouraged
me to see who I was in Christ. Kind of like one
of those same things. I knew these things, but
I was starting... I think she helped save me
from false humility. Yeah, yeah. Like where I
was going down this road of, I'm going to keep
saying all this stuff, but really see how bad
of a person I was kind of thing. And so... I
have no idea where I was going with that. I went
down a rabbit trail a little bit and now I need
you to bring me back. Remind me, remind me. It's
not a rabbit trail at all because that's still
performance. Not the way that you intended it.
Performance, that's the word I couldn't remember.
But it's both ways. No, but that's what that
was. Yeah, exactly. That was my point is that
I don't want someone to be focused on one side
of it where the performance can look different
for different people. Right. It's not just about
putting on your best. You could perform. And
put on your worst. Exactly. Um, and, and just
like Jesus to, to have it somewhere in the middle,
you know, um, because putting on Christ, uh,
prevents you from erring on both sides. Yeah.
You're not putting on your best because Jesus
is your best. And you know that apart from him,
you can do nothing, but you're not putting on
your worst because you know that Jesus has redeemed
you. You're the heir of his promises because
of what he has done. Hey, let me ask you a question.
Hit me. So verse six, it says he came to Simon
Peter. Yeah. I haven't done a word study on this,
but between verses five and six, to me and how
I'm reading it in the English, it doesn't sound
like Peter's the first one that washed his feet.
I would agree with that assessment. So how do
you think the other guys responded? Like there's
not anything written here, but what do you like?
Because Peter, we see him and we see his response.
Do you think they were just in shock and didn't
say anything? Or what are your thoughts? So writing
myself directly into the New Testament narrative
here, shock is one of those things. I think for
me also it's like, oh, Jesus says he's going
to wash my feet? What am I going to say, no?
I also get where Peter's coming from. He's like,
Lord, I'm not worthy. It's kind of like the unwritten
thing. Given that this is the Gospel of John
and John the Apostle is the one who wrote it,
like classic John not including himself in the
narrative. He's like, oh, yeah, the other disciples.
But, you know, and it is kind of funny because
so many times Peter ends up being the guy that
you're like, oh, Peter. Yeah. You know, which
he is that human character for us as a leader
of this group, and we see his mistakes. Honestly,
when I read this and I read his reply, when he's,
you know, are you going to wash my feet and Jesus
says these things? Like, I understand. Like,
I fully understand because of the culture, as
you just said, the lowest position of the house
was the one that did this. And then you have
Jesus, who at this point, the disciples... fully
are committed that he is the Messiah. Yes. Like,
they realize he's God. Peter is one of the first
people to say it. Yes. And then Peter has seen
him in his glorified state on the mountain. And
so Peter knows, like, without a shadow of a doubt,
who he is. And yet, and he's like, no, no, no.
I know. who you are, you're going to wash my
feet? I'm like, man, I can see Peter's headspace
from my perspective. Absolutely. And so here's
the crazy thing. Peter's right. Yeah. Peter is
not worthy for Jesus to wash his feet. No. None
of the disciples are worthy. Jesus sums it up
in verse 8. Jesus answers him, if I do not wash
you, you have no share. Dude, we hit this every
episode and I'm here for it. Jesus is the one
who makes Peter worthy. And because Jesus is
the worthy one, Jesus gets to decide what he
does with that worth and who he wants to include
in his kingdom. And so he locks eyes with Peter
and says, you want to share with me? Do you want
to share in the kingdom? This is how you get
it. I have to wash you. And that's the gospel.
Yeah, man. I mean, And this is why this is something
that we still just talk about so much, and it's
still affecting people so much, is because this
is such a beautiful picture of God. Yeah. God
putting himself in one of the lowliest positions
for the people that he's about to die for. Yes.
What an incredible picture of love that he has
for us. And it's, I mean, this is one that is
just overwhelming. And it's overwhelming to think,
he is about to be put on a cross. He is about
to, Jesus' body is about to go through some physical
pain that is just... Agony. Agony. I mean, even
like, I mean, they had to invent a word for it.
Excruciating means out of the cross. Out of the
cross. I mean, it was that bad. And so... Jesus
is about to go through that. As we talked about,
he knows he's about to go through that. And yet
he takes off his outer robe, gets the towel,
gets the water, and just walks around and washes
their feet. Like, man, this just... Once again,
I even said it on Sunday where I just preached
this past Sunday that I am just overwhelmed this
past week to be called a child of God. And it's
things like this. To realize that my God loves
me so much that not only, yeah, he sacrificed
his life for me. That's something that I will
never get over, and I continue to not be over.
Right. But he also wants a relationship with
me. That's what this is all about. He wants the
dirty parts of me. He wants the clean parts of
me. He is there for me. And I love one of the
other things that really stuck with me from this.
I love the imagery of being washed. And you see
that elsewhere in scripture, the Lord tying all
these different missions of washing together,
but like the theme of being washed. Yeah. Because,
like, I will confess, like, sometimes I feel
so dirty. Like, whether that's just, like, a
product of being in the world and the things
that I end up getting subjected to because I'm
a human living in a human world, sometimes it's
being around people who are just going through.
And I feel like that rubs off on me somehow.
Sometimes it's my own dang sin that puts me in
the same stupid place where like, Lord, I'm dirty.
I'm guilty. I'm ruined. That's the word that
hangs over me when I feel like I've screwed up
is ruined. And so picturing this scene where
Jesus... washes the feet of the disciples. He
approaches one of the nastiest parts of these
people. And he takes on the role of a servant
and he chooses to make them clean. We have a
share in Christ. He washes us. He continues to
wash us. It reminds me of the book of Revelation
where like John, same John, same John, sees sees
this multitude of saints and their robes are
white. And he's like, how did this happen? And
the angel tells him, this is the host of believers
who have washed their robes in the blood of the
lamb and made them as white as snow. It's a beautiful
image. And it's not just a literary device, but
it's real lived history that we get to take part
of when we submit to Christ's lordship. You know
one other thing that absolutely knocked me on
my butt? theologically speaking, about this passage.
Oh, what's that? So today is August 9th, or that's
the one that we're reading. August 10th, literally
like tomorrow's reading, as it were, is when
Jesus talks about Judas betraying him. You want
to know what that means for our reading today?
Jesus washed Judas's feet. Yes, he did. Like,
like, like knowing full well what Judas was about
to do, that Judas was going to be the linchpin
in the plan for Jesus to die, for Jesus to lose
all of his friends, for Jesus to be publicly
flogged and executed. And Judas is already at
this point too, where he has made the deal. Yeah.
It says it in verse two, right? Like that just
floored me, dude. Like, like, like he sat at
the feet of the dude who he had walked with for
three years. But also who he knew from before
the foundation of the world would betray him.
A friend. Yeah. There's a poem that I found by
an African -American pastor from Tennessee from
like the 1800s. His name was George Marion McClellan.
And he actually ended up as like a principal
of a public school. But he was a pastor as well,
bivocational. And so he wrote this. And so it's
poetry. The rhyme scheme is a little different
from an older day. It goes like this. Christ
washed the feet of Judas, the dark and evil passions
of his soul, his secret plot and sordidness complete.
His hate, his purposing, Christ knew the whole.
And still in love, he stooped and washed his
feet. Christ washed the feet of Judas, yet all
his lurking sin was bare to him. His bargain
with the priest and more than this, and Olivet,
the Mount of Olives, beneath the moonlight dim.
aforehand knew and felt his treacherous kiss.
Christ washed the feet of Judas, and so ineffable
his love was meet, that pity fill his great forgiving
heart, and tenderly to wash the traitor's feet,
who in his Lord had basely sold his part. Christ
washed the feet of Judas, and thus a girded servant
self -abased, taught that no wrong this side
of the gate of heaven. was ever too great to
wholly be effaced. And though unasked, in spirit
be forgiven. And so, if we have ever felt the
wrong of trampled rights, of caste, it matters
not. What e 'er the soul has felt or suffered
long, O heart, this one thing should not be forgot.
Christ washed the feet of Judas. As you're reading
that, I had my eyes closed and just soaking in
and trying to really focus on the words of this
poem. Because as soon as you start reading, I
was like, oh, this is going somewhere. Yeah.
And it did. And as I'm listening, I just keep
thinking that Jesus would have washed my feet.
Right. Because I think, and that's the thing,
is we... As you were alluding to earlier when
you were talking about yourself, we know who
we are. And that is why I continue to get so
overwhelmed of God's love for me. Because I would
not love someone like me like he does in the
way that he sacrifices and he puts in everything
he does for me. Yeah. And knowing fully who Judas
is. and what he was doing, it's just incredible.
Once again, this beautiful picture of this is
the God that I worship. Yes. This is part of
the reason why I worship my God, because he is
unlike anything else. He's unlike us. The line,
the stanza that just hit me was that, you know,
Thus a girded, self -abased servant, I'm not
rhyming anymore, taught that no wrong this side
of heaven was ever too great to be unforgiven.
That Jesus looking at Judas still looked at him
with love. Regardless of where Judas is now or
what he did then. And that love extends to us.
And that's a great reminder for anyone listening
to this. It is so easy for us, and I know this
because of the amount of people that I've had
this conversation with, that we hold on to things
either we've done or have been done to us. Yes.
And we think, I'm too dirty for Jesus. And even
though those words might not come out of your
mouth, it's deep in your heart. Even if you say
you believe the gospel, it's deep in your heart.
Yeah. And there's a lot of people that are walking
around and... You know, even in our churches,
but they still deep down don't believe Jesus
can clean them because of what has happened to
them and what they've done. And it is so far
from what is the actual truth. Absolutely. Absolutely.
You know what I love? What do you love? As we're
closing this out, if we just move on to one more
verse. Yeah. And verse 12, when Jesus had finished
or had washed their feet, he put on his outer
clothing. And he reclined again and said to them,
we'll just stop there. He reclined. I love this
picture of he's serving them, and then he sits
down and relaxes and gets in community with them.
I think that's a really cool picture of Jesus
serving, once again, serving them, but then being
in relationship in a way of, hey, let's talk.
Let's have this conversation. Hey, you know what?
I just did that because that's what he's about
to go into. He starts talking about what he just
did and the act of humility, but he's just reclining.
Once again, I don't think I could be able to
recline knowing what I was about to go through,
but he is relaxed because he knows going all
the way back to verse 2, he's loving them till
the end, and he's going to love us till the end
too. And he has and he will. Amen. Amen. Good
stuff, man. Good stuff. And, you know, just one
last little theological point to end on. If you've
seen the painting, they all did sit on one side
of the table. Yes, there's only one way they
did it in that culture, obviously, because it
was recorded. I mean, he, was it Michelangelo?
Yeah. Michelangelo absolutely just painted it
right there. Who lived 1 ,500 years after the
passion narrative. Oh, man. Well, hey. Jesus
loves you. We love you. We're going to keep pursuing
Jesus. We encourage you guys to do the same.
We'll catch you guys next week. I'm Ben Smith.
I'm Sean. Have a great week. Pursuing Jesus is
a ministry of Memorial Baptist Church in Norwood,
North Carolina. To learn more about our church,
please visit memorial4norwood .com.