Rev. Ronald C. Purkey,
Pastor
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The following Bible study outline was
prepared by Rev. Ronald C. Purkey for
the Adult Bible Class at Paul’s Chapel where
Rev. Purkey is the teacher.
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LOVE IN
ACTION
SCRIPTURE:
INTRODUCTION: “We try hard. We fail. We are sure we can succeed
if we try harder tomorrow. We fail again. And if we succeed, it is only half
success, half of what it would have been with God. We are all guilty. . . . The
world has yet to see what God can do with one man wholly committed to Him.”
Those words, spoken in the 1860s by Henry
Varley in a prayer meeting, burned into the heart of ex-shoe salesman Dwight L.
Moody. Moody was already involved in ministry in Chicago, but Varley’s words
changed the self-sufficient Moody into a humble, God-directed evangelist and
servant who went on to preach the Gospel to more people than anyone else in his
time. And even though his crusade hymnbook royalties amounted to a million
dollars, Moody lived on $120 a year, donating the rest to Christian charity and
education. – David C. Cook Publishers, Bible-in-Life
Teachers Guide
I. JESUS’
LOVE FOR HIS OWN. (John 13:1)
A. The Time.
(13:1a)
The day before the crucifixion, the Lord Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to die, to rise
again, and to go back to heaven. He had loved
His own, that is, those who were true believers.
B. The Love.
(13:1b)
Jesus loved them to the
end of His
earthly ministry, and will continue to love them throughout eternity. But He also loved them to an infinite degree, as He was about to demonstrate.
From the cradle to the grave, we all need love. How vividly
this is illustrated in the song "Jesus Loves Me" by Anna B. Warner
(1824-1915). She and her sister Susan were gifted novelists. Anna also
published many poems. The familiar lines of "Jesus Loves Me" were
penned in 1860 as a poem of comfort spoken to a dying child in one of Susan's
stories. Today it's sung by children and adults around the world.
When a famous theologian visited a leading
But why is Jesus' love so important? Because His love is not
some sentimental, easygoing acceptance of sinners. It's a sacrificial love that
absolved us from our guilt and took the burden of our sins when He died on the
cross for us (Romans 5:8).
Jesus' love is so important because He is God in the flesh. And
only He can meet our deepest longing -- our lifelong need for love. – Dennis J. De Haan, Our Daily Bread,
II. JESUS’
EXAMPLE OF SERVANTHOOD. (John 13:2-11)
Notice that this took place at the Feast of the
Passover. “Supper being ended” is literally “supper being in progress.” This is
not the Lord’s Supper. Actually John does not even record the Lord’s Supper.
A. Jesus Is
The Target Of Judas’ Betrayal. (13:2)
The devil sowed the thought in the heart of Judas that the time was
now ripe to betray Jesus. Judas
had plotted evil against the Lord long before this, but he was now given the
signal for carrying out his foul plans.
B. Jesus Is
On A
Verse 3 emphasizes who was performing a
slave’s task -- not just a rabbi or teacher, but Jesus Christ, who was conscious of His deity. He knew the work
that had been committed to Him; He knew that
He had come from God and that He was already on His journey back to God.
C. Jesus
Takes The Place Of A Servant. (13:4-5)
There is a threefold reason given to explain why He
washed their feet, and we shall note this as we read.
1. Jesus washed their feet
because He knew that He would “depart out of this world.” His ministry would
continue after He went back to heaven. He has identified Himself with His
people.
2. The second reason He
does this is that He loved His own. He loved them “unto the end.” He is going
to the Father because He loved His own. He died to save His own, and He lives
to keep them saved. We have a wonderful Savior, and He loves us right on
through to the very end. God loves us with an everlasting love; we cannot keep
Him from loving us.
3. The third reason is that
another person had entered into the room. There was an uninvited guest present.
His name was Satan. We speak of thirteen people in the Upper Room, but
actually, there were fourteen because Satan was there. Satan put into the heart
of Judas Iscariot to betray Him.
D. Jesus
Gives An Example Of Humility. (13:6-7)
Some people say that this is a sacrament and that
we should practice foot washing. I see nothing wrong with practicing this if
the spiritual meaning is not lost. Others say that this is a lesson in humility
and is an example to us. There is nothing wrong with that interpretation, but I
do not think it goes deep enough. Peter certainly could see this was an example
of humility; yet the Lord said, “What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt
know hereafter.”
E. Jesus
Makes An Important Statement. (13:8)
What did our Lord mean by that? He meant that
without this washing there can be no fellowship
with Him. This is the Passover Feast which speaks of His death. He arose from
the Passover Feast which speaks of His rising in resurrection and going back to
heaven. He is girded with the towel of service and He is saying to us, “If I
don’t wash you, you’ll have no part with me.” You cannot have fellowship with
Him, service with Him, without the washing.
How does Christ wash us today?
“Wherewithal
shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy
word” (Ps. 119:9). “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto
you” (John 15:3). “… even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for
it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the
word” (Eph.
And when we
sin, how are we cleansed? “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1
Too many
people treat sin as a light matter. My friend, may I say to you, the feet speak
of the walk, and when you and I become disobedient, we are not walking in His
way. That is sin, and that needs to be confessed. – J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible
F. Jesus
Makes Another Important Statement. (13:9-10)
Now Peter
shifted to the other extreme. A minute ago, he was saying, “Never.” Now he
said, “Wash me all over.”
On the way back from the public bath, a person’s
feet would get dirty again. He didn’t need another bath but did need to have
his feet washed. “He who is bathed
needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean.” There is a
difference between the bath and the basin.
The bath speaks of the cleansing received at
the time of one’s salvation. Cleansing from the penalty of sin through
the blood of Christ takes place only once.
The basin speaks of cleansing from the pollution
of sin and must take place continually through the Word of God. There is one
bath but many foot-washings.
G. Jesus Knew
That Judas Would Betray Him. (
Jesus knew that Judas had not taken a bath. In
other words, Judas had never been regenerated. That is why He said they were
not all clean. Yes, He knew that Judas would betray Him.
A. The
Question. (
It would seem that Christ washed the feet of all
the disciples. Then He put on His
outer garments and sat down again
to explain to them the spiritual meaning of what He had done. He opened the
conversation by asking a question. The questions of the Savior make an
interesting study. They form one of His most effective methods of teaching.
B. The
Meaning. (13:13-14)
The disciples had acknowledged Jesus to be their Teacher and Lord, and they were right
in doing so. But His example showed that the highest rank in the power
structure of the kingdom is that of servant.
If the Lord and Teacher had washed the disciples’ feet, what excuse could they have for
not washing one another’s feet? The
meaning here was spiritual. He was telling them that they should keep each
other clean by constant fellowship over the Word. If we see our brother growing
cold or worldly, we should lovingly exhort him from the Word of God.
C. The
Example. (13:15-16)
The Lord had given them an example,
an object lesson of what they should do
to one another spiritually.
If pride or personal animosities prevent us from
stooping to serve our brethren, we should remember that we are not greater than our Master. He humbled Himself to wash
those who were unworthy and unthankful, and He knew that one of them would
betray Him. Would you minister in a lowly way to a man if you knew he was about
to betray you for money? Those who were sent
(the disciples) should not consider themselves too lofty to do anything that
the One who sent them (the Lord
Jesus) had done.
D. The
Charge. (
To know
these truths concerning humility and unselfishness and service is one
thing, but we can know them and never practice them. The real value and
blessedness lie in doing them!
At the close of life, the question will not be,
“How much have you gotten?” but “How much have you given?”
Not
“How much have you won?” but “How much have you done?”
Not
“How much have you saved?” but “How much have you sacrificed?”
It will be
“How much have you loved and served,” not “How much were you
honored?”
-- Nathan C. Schaeffer, Bibliotheca Sacra
CONCLUSION: Jesus loved His disciples
so much that He even knelt before them and cleaned their feet. It was His way
of showing them how to love one another.
We should not allow our pride to dictate when, how,
or who we should love. Those around us are just waiting for us to show we can
be the loving servants God wants us to be.
THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: “Our love for God is seen in our love for others.”
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Telephone:
E-Mail: Pastor Ronald Purkey
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