"No," said Peter, "You shall never wash my feet."I read the passage this morning from John 13 about Jesus washing the disciple's feet, and got thinking about Peter's words. Was his refusal noble or not? Humble or proud?
The way I have always understood it is simply that Peter rightly has a high view of Jesus, and to see Him lower Himself to this task shocks Peter. The passage follows this thread, as Jesus explains that He is doing it as an example. That if He can wash their feet (ie serve them), then they should in turn serve each other, and never think themselves too great to serve.
But I wonder if there was more behind Peter's initial reaction, than not wanting to see his master lower Himself. Was it also because of the way it would make him feel?
When somebody does something for you that is so undeserved, lowers themselves for you, I think as well as feeling grateful, you also feel uneasy and very humbled. Feeling so humbled is not always a pleasant experience. Our high view of ourselves, and our pride are suddenly blown away, and we are naked, seeing ourselves for what we really are. Unworthy.
"Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."
6 comments:
Could you explain to me brethra, why this makes un unworthy.
Does your father not drop what he is doing to tend to your needs when necessary? Does that make you unworthy? Your mum 'served' you all your life. Does that make you unworthy?
I don't understand the self deprecation that is always brought about by any interaction with our God.
I understand that He is the be all and end all but do we need to beat put ourselves down to such a level that we are described as unworthy?
If we are unworthy, would God bother with us? I don't think so. What i mean by that is I can't imagine our creator considering us, his love filled creation, as unworthy. Unworthy of what?
That reminds me of what the Catholic church always drummed into our heads. God is up here, we are down here(visualise my hands making levels!). Apart from the physicallity of the situation, why would God create, in his image, servants? Where we not created so he could heap his overwhelming love onto us and share his grace with us?
Answer me this please. What Father would ever want his child to consider themselves 'unworthy' of his love and adoration? Does this not breed lack of self worth and self esteem?
Thoughts?
You bring up a fair few things, I'll try and comment on what I feel able. I suspect you won't like my answer, but seeing as though your a glutten for punishment:)...
Why this makes me feel unworthy? I feel that I can live my own life, and make it on my own. What Jesus came to earth for, was esentially to say, 'you can't make it on your own, I need to do it ALL for you'. I was relating the idea of Jesus serving his disciples, as an illustration for how He does all the work. This is because we can not do it ourselves. You can't please God, or make yourself acceptable to Him. I know that rubs you the wrong way, but it is said repeatedly throughout the Bible. You are his child, but you have fallen away from him. There is a gulf between you and Him, that you can't bridge, because you are a sinful being. By GRACE, not because it is deserved, He came up with the remedy for that. Jesus.
this is why I feel unworthy. But you have to see, this is not a sad thing. It is a wonderful thing. Thouh I am completely undeserving, God heals the rift, and sees me as holy, IF i lean on Jesus as the bridge between us.
As long as you think you are worthy or acceptable as you are, just because God made you, and because you basicly try your best, you are not seeing the way the situation actually stands, and are deluding yourself. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you seem to have worked out your relationship with God based on how YOU see it to be, how YOU feel it to be, and how YOU have thought it out. The Bible is so crucial, because this is where God has said He will reveal the truth to us, and without reading it, you can't see things for how they really are.
You do need to be humbled, you do need to come to grips with being unworthy in order to know God.
getting back to your parent analogy, if I realise that my parents did take care of me 24-7, as I grew up, and served me, though I did little in return, well sure, yes I do feel unworthy of all that love. I feel humbled, and grateful. This is not a bad thing, it is understanding that without them I wouldn't have made it through my first day of life. It's knowing your place.
Why would God create servants? Look up John 13 and read throuh the passage, it explains this. He made HIMSELF a servant, to US. Does that not blow your mind? If He, who is God, made himself serve, how much more should we, his creations serve.?
And finally, does this breed low self esteem? No, the opposite. If God is willing to do all this for little me, to go to such excrutiating lengths to save ME, then boy, how special I must be to Him. How precious and loved I must be.
Should i open up a can of worms?....
Yes. here we go!
You still haven't answered my question. What is it you are unworthy of? Humbled, grateful, yes but unworthy? This by definition means not worthy of. If you do not feel worthy of His love, i can only imagine God being saddened at the fact that you don't embrace the life he has granted you and instead exist as submissive servants like a dog who is happy just to get a feed in between beatings because he knows he can never truly please his master. he loves him but must never assume or hope to ever be accepted by him...mmmmmmm nice.
Is there anyone here on this shitpile of sinners that is accepted by God? By what you say, there shouldn't be as we are all created equal, no?
You paint a picture of a jaded, bitter Creator that has frankly had enough and we are on thin ice. Would this be fair to assume?
I would like to add that the driving forces behind a lot of so called christian organisations would love you to think such things...
I understand humility. There is nothing more humbling than being in a position where your life could quite easily finish in the blink of an eye. Humbled, but enriched. Believe me, you know your place.
I would like to know how these people, that cite humility and lack of worth as a necesary part of being on the path to knowing God, actually experience these feelings and what happens that demonstrates this to them and subsequently pass them onto others. Words? Emotions? Feelings?
One thing saddens me. You mention that your parents devotion to you makes you feel unworthy of all that love. Why? You can love and be loved. Is there no better feeling than the true warmth of your parents love? But you don't think you deserve it? Does your daughter deserve your love? If he doesn't, why give it?
This is why I argue the basis of these teachings. i haven't opened the bible in years, granted, and thats probably something YOU need to be humble about but I know that if God made himself a servant to us (as you mentioned) then of course thats awesome. Enjoy it! Why would he do that then say, 'but hang on, you're all crap, I'll fix everything with this solution and you had better be grateful for ALL my son has done for you but.....you are not worthy of it, don't forget that. Not that you'll ever do anything to please me anyways'....
it just seems contradictory to me. (Thats odd eh? contradiction in religion?)this is aquote from whaty you wrote after explicitly saying thatyou can never please God or make yourself acceptable to him.
"If God is willing to do all this for little me, to go to such excrutiating lengths to save ME, then boy, how special I must be to Him. How precious and loved I must be."
but not really worthy, right?
I missed something..
Contradiction 2:
"You can't please God, or make yourself acceptable to Him."
"how special I must be to Him. How precious and loved I must be.
3#:
"There is a gulf between you and Him, that you can't bridge, because you are a sinful being. "
"God heals the rift, and sees me as holy.IF i lean on Jesus as the bridge between us.."
umm...
Theres fors and againsts in each area of argument that seems to suit a particular context..
I tell ya what though, I am gonna pick up that Bible and have a read.
I understand the level of fundamentalism varies greatly but...to what extent are we (in your opinion) to take the WORD as 'gospel' so to speak. just how literally/
The way you interpreted that passage you spoke about where Jesus washes the feet of Peter is indicative of your personality and way of thinking and completely different to how i would have interpreted the same.
So, my question to you is; Who decides whose interpretation is the correct one? With so many passages written, and lets face it, sometimes with a certain air of amibuity, how are we supposed to know we have interpreted them the right way?
This has caused many an argument for fundamentalism and just where is the line?
Awesome stuff to talk about.
* I did answer your question. I am unworthy of God's love and saving grace. This acknowledgement is not saddening to God, as you say, but rather the neccessary step to Him saving me. Humility. No, not like a dog. If He saw me as a dog, He wouldn't send his precious son to die for me, would he?
*Is there anyone worthy? No. Not my oppinion, or what'christian organisations' have invented, but straight out of the New Testament.
Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written:
'There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away... every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law, rather through the law we become conscious of sin. Romans 3
So you're right, this is a very dire situation. That is sobering, and very hard to swallow. No one will be declared righteous in his sight.
But the whole point of Christianity is that it does not end there..
But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known... This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.
This is wonderful news. Though I am unrighteous, I am declared righteous freely by grace. It is not something I can earn, or deservve, it is a free gift. But I have to be willing to accept that gift, and in order to do that, I have to see that I was considered unrighteous by God.
Romans is a good book for working through the logic of things, and a gospel like Mark is really good for a to the point account of Jesus' life, and what he was about.
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