Following Jesus: I am a Disciple
John 13:34-35
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Good morning, friends! Welcome to week two of our sermon series “Following Jesus” – what it means to be a follower of Christ in this Easter season. Now is a good time to pull out your bulletin and turn to your sermon quiz! See if you can make an A+! You may even want to keep count of just how many times I say the word “love!” Last week, Dr. Bell took us on a journey to discover what it means to be a Christian, a believer. Today, we’re focusing on the words from the Gospel of John chapter 13 and what it means to be a disciple. And who is my favorite disciple? John, the beloved disciple, of course!
But! You can’t help but love Peter. He’s a disciple who was transparent. Perhaps we’re drawn to him, because like us, he constantly makes mistakes and needs grace and forgiveness. The Gospels tell us a lot about Peter. He was known to be boisterous. He had an impulsive enthusiasm for his good intentions, and his posture waved back and forth between self-confidence and egotism.
Scripture tells us Peter was a master fisherman on the Sea of Galilee and one of the earliest disciples of Jesus. He was the first to recognize, and verbally confess, Jesus as the Messiah. He had full access to Peter’s boat and house. It was on Peter’s boat that Jesus spoke to the crowds on the shore. It was Peter and his brother, Andrew, who, after a fruitless night of fishing, listened to Jesus and cast their nets on the right side of the boat for their remarkable catch. Peter was often the spokesperson for the disciples, and he was in Jesus’ inner circle – which made him privy to seeing the mayor’s daughter raised from the dead, and Jesus’ Transfiguration. And though his eyelids got heavy, and he fell asleep at times, he watched as Jesus prayed for His cup to be removed.
With all that said, Peter got it wrong… a lot. Peter was the one who walked on water, and then he started to overthink it… and doubt...and, well, we all know what happened next. Whether it was shoo-ing away children from Jesus, or arguing with the other disciples over who was the greatest, Peter consistently jumped at the wrong answer, ready to act, when he should have been listening and learning. So, it comes as no real surprise at all that Peter is the one who voices his uneasiness and disapproval toward what Jesus was doing in the Upper Room.
Peter saw Jesus get up from the table, take off His outer robe, and tie a towel around Himself. Then He watched as Jesus poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet. You can almost hear the wheels turning in Peter’s mind as Jesus bends down to dry the wet feet.
He probably had flashbacks. He may have thought:
· Oh, if I had just had enough faith to continue walking on that water... maybe I would be worthy for Him to wash my feet.
· Or maybe I should have kept quiet and listened more. Maybe that would have made me worthy for the Son of God, my Messiah, to wash my feet.
· Maybe I shouldn’t have outed him and called him Messiah...
· Oh, I’m definitely not worthy. I am a sinner.
By the time Jesus set the basin in front of him, Peter was in the midst of a full-blown anxiety attack. He had totally convinced himself of how unworthy he was. His natural response, in his impulsive, enthusiastic way, is:
· “No way, Jesus! No way am I letting you wash my feet...
· I should be washing Your feet!...
· You are the Lord... I am your servant.
· Unworthy! Let me wash yours...”
We get like that with Jesus, too, don’t we?
We remind Jesus of our shortcomings, of the things we didn’t do, or can’t do, or don’t do well. When in actuality, Jesus wants to show His love for us by washing our feet. Jesus wants to teach us, wants to serve us, wants to make us partners in His work. We convince ourselves that, because of our pasts, because of our failings, we’re unworthy. We don’t allow Christ to wash our feet. We refuse to humble ourselves enough to let the Master serve us.
It’s important to note here that generally it was the servants’ job to wash their master’s feet, not the other way around. So perhaps Peter was not only feeling unworthy, but perhaps he was also rebuffing His Rabbi’s example. And, that’s where I can most definitely identify with Peter.
There seems to be something about us humans that aims to impress those we respect. It’s difficult for us to receive when we want to prove ourselves. Similarly, when we see ourselves as superior to participating in a particular action, (oh, I’m too good for that) it’s troubling to see someone we admire do it with humility, without pause.
In all likelihood, Peter could’ve never imagined himself performing this act. To see Jesus doing it must have been deeply troubling. But it’s just like Jesus... just like our Lord… just in His nature… to upset social norms, isn’t it?
Though Jesus was likely shaking His head and rolling His eyes at Peter, He never rejected Peter. He only continued to teach Peter. “Listen,” He said, “unless I wash you, you won’t belong to Me.”
Well, that was it. This changed everything for Peter. If foot washing is a sign of being a disciple of Jesus, then he wanted to be drenched – soaked from head to toe.
Oh, Peter, Jesus must have thought, as He put His robe back on and returned to the table. Though Peter and the disciples didn’t know it at the time, this was the night before Jesus was to die. And Jesus just wanted to have a meal with His friends and use this last evening to re-teach, re-emphasize His most important lessons, one… more… time.
In case they missed the significance of the foot washing, Jesus pointed out their whole purpose was to imitate their Rabbi. He said, “If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you should also wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”
This is where we expect Peter to strip off his outer robe and start working his way around the room, lathering up the other disciples. But this time, he seemed to understand something more was going on. This was more than a lesson about washing feet. Jesus was giving an example - an example of service - rather than a command to spend the day cleaning road grime off feet.
It might not have been the easiest lesson to teach, but Jesus clearly connected this message to servant leadership. Peter and the other disciples may have left the table still wondering about when and where they were to wash each other’s feet. But everything would change in just a few hours. When the disciples gathered again as a group, it would be to mourn the death of their rabbi and best friend.
Jesus had said, “You don’t understand now what I’m doing, but someday, you will.” That someday came sometime after the shock of Good Friday and the joy of Easter wore off. That foot-washing lesson finally sank in.
Can’t you imagine Peter and the others gathering to remember that Last Passover meal with their beloved Rabbi? They would have seen foot washing from the far side of the cross and the empty tomb. Having seen how complete their teacher’s love and commitment was, those final teaching words of Jesus must have sounded so different:
“I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. A newcommand I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Now, this command Jesus gave isn’t completely new. It was already there in the Old Testament. The greatest commandment is, of course, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And Leviticus 19:18 says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” And how often did we hear Jesus Himself speak of love, especially loving God and loving neighbor. Something John talks a lot about in his Gospel, especially at the end, is LOVE. The Greek words for “love” (agape, philia, storge and others) appear only 12 times in John chapters 1-12. But in chapters 13-21, we find these words for love 44 times.
The Rabbi had called Peter and his friends to a life of discipleship, and that call to ministry would involve much more than washing the feet of those he might have considered beneath him. What’s new with this command in John chapter 13 is that Jesus is upping the requirement. For Jesus, love didn’t mean a sweet sentimental feeling. It was a verb. It meant action. Being a disciple meant actively putting one’s love into real world activities.
Jesus’ life and example included even more than the humble act of washing feet. Jesus had been obedient unto death, even death on a cross. He had loved as God loves. He restored outcasts to community. He broke down the dividing walls between those who were “in” and those who were “out.” And in the process, Jesus so upset the status quo, that the various groups, who couldn’t agree about anything, agreed that Jesus must die. Jews and Romans alike knew they had to stop this new movement before it got out of hand. They had to keep their powerful influence and their own authority front and center. Yet Jesus would not give up on His revolutionary love, even when the price was torture and death.
The disciples, and Peter especially, did come to fully understand the actions of Jesus. Seeing the foot washing anew in the light of the crucifixion and resurrection, they came to understand the only real power and authority belongs to God. We, mortals, who spend our lives trying to build up that sense of control for ourselves, chase only an illusion. And here, all the paradoxes Jesus had been teaching could be heard afresh: the last shall be first; those who love their life, lose it; the master comes among us, as a servant.
Jesus did not call His disciples to lead in the same way that others led, by lording over them. Jesus called those, who would come after Him, to lead as He led, to serve as He served, and to love as He loved. In fact, that’s the core of what it means to be a disciple. The Greek term for “disciple” in the New Testament is mathetes, M-A-T-H-E-T-E-S, which basically means “student” or “learner.” But the Hebrew word for disciple is talmid. T-A-L-M-I-D. This word stresses the relationship between rabbi (the teacher or master) and disciple (the student). A talmid of Jesus' day would give up his entire life in order to be with his teacher. The disciple didn't only seek to know what the teacher knew. It was not enough just to know what the rabbi said, but the foremost goal of any talmid was to become like the rabbi, to imitate what the rabbi did. Discipleship requires a totally committed life. And keeping this new commandment – to love one another - is the identifying mark of discipleship because it’s a tangible sign of the disciples abiding in Christ.
And eventually, Peter heeded that call. Peter would come to live fully into Jesus’ example of loving others. He was part of that first band of disciples, who turned the world upside-down with a revolutionary way of loving. The disciples followed Jesus in working from the bottom up to help the world see outcasts and victims - not as those cursed by God, but those in need of God’s love and healing and redemption. They came to serve others, even the gentiles, who at first seemed well-outside the bounds of their mission.
Tradition tells us Peter became a scapegoat himself. The early historian Eusebius writes that Peter was put to death by the Roman Emperor Nero. It seems that following the burning of Rome, someone had to take the blame, and why not that new sect – Christians - who refused to offer sacrifices to the Roman gods?
Whereas Peter could have been labeled a fan of Jesus, not a follower; whereas he could have been accused of counterfeit discipleship, or faithfulness – having been willing to pull out his sword and kill for Christ, but not die for Him - Peter NOW went boldly to his death, not giving up on the love we are to have for others that Jesus taught in that humble act of washing feet on the night before He died.
In response to that self-giving love of Jesus, Peter gave up his own life willingly. Peter served others by giving the example of faithfulness unto death.
So, in the end, Peter got it right. Peter followed the example and command given by Jesus. He said “yes” to servant ministry, “yes” to the ministry of love and presence, “yes” to call to discipleship.
· Peter loved as Jesus loved, because Jesus loved him.
· Peter served as Jesus served, because Jesus served him.
And for us today, the same calling is true –
· to love as Jesus loved because He loves us,
· to serve as Jesus served because He has served us.
Friends, that’s the calling of true discipleship, where Jesus gave His people a new mandate. This act to love others, was, and is, a distinguishing mark of Christ’s followers, and will continue to be. Some would say a weakness of the church today is how many Christians don’t embody this commandment to love their neighbor. The church's witness in the world continues to be hurt and diminished by the hatred and lack of love that marks our dealings with one another. And I get it. It’s no easy task for us to love one another. In many ways, it’s easier to love our enemies, because we likely don’t have to deal with them every day. But Jesus promised the community's love for one another would be a signal to everyone everywhere that they were Jesus' disciples… And that signal is crippled by the divisions and discord within our community. Friends, we’ve got some work to do. If we are disciples of Jesus, then people should be able to look at how we love t0 know who we follow.
And maybe you’re not keen on dragging a water basin with you wherever you go to wash feet?! Let’s look at Scripture to see what it says about loving one another:
Romans 12:10: Be devoted to one another. Honor one another above yourselves.
Galatians 5:13-14: Serve one another in love.
Ephesians 4:32: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another as Christ forgave you.
Colossians 3:16: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and counsel one another with all wisdom.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11: "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.
Hebrews 10:25, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.
James 5:16 states “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other.”
Friends, loving people is hard. They’re difficult and messy. But let’s not forget… I am, too… we are, too! And despite our brokenness, Jesus still loved us and went to the cross for us. When we love people, particularly difficult and messy people, or as I like to say “extra grace required people,” we’re showing those around us the love of Christ is in us. It’s how we set ourselves apart from the world.
To love one another, as Jesus loves us, is to live a life thoroughly shaped by a love that knows no limits, by a love whose expression brings the believer closer into relationship with God, and with one another. It’s to live a love that carries with it a whole new concept of the possibilities of community. It’s to love the you beside you, to say the Christ in me sees the Christ in you.
By this, everyone will know that you are HIS disciples, just like Peter.
Let us pray:
O Good & Gracious God,
This new commandment truly sums up so many commandments in one simple sentence. In Your infinite wisdom, You have given us these words, which are exactly what we need. Our love for others, not to mention our love for You, is so imperfect and falls so short.
And yet among Your disciples, this love should be obvious. Forgive us for not loving Your followers as we should. Take away the judgmental attitudes, the pride, the propensity we have to always think well of our own motives, our own opinions and values, while assuming others don’t get this right.
Instead, fill us with the love You have for us, so we might express it to others. Help us to love others with a willingness to sacrifice ourselves for their benefit, even as You gave Yourself for us.
And let all people everywhere see this love in us. Let our love for Your people, and the mutual love among us, be obvious. Immerse us in Your love so that it might overflow from us toward our brothers and sisters in Christ. And let the end result of this love glorify You. Amen.
