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That's connectwithskip.com. Now let's get into today's teaching from Pastor Skip Heitzig. When it came to picking me up at school, he was always late. There were other things he kept, you know, he was busy and he had his business and he was on time for. But when it came to, when I heard my mom say, honey, would you pick the boys up today from school?
I thought, oh, you know, I could, I have an hour to spare. He was often late, always late. When he picked us up, I could bank on it. That was my earthly father. My heavenly father's never late. He's always on time.
The Lord is not slack, Peter said, concerning his promises. He keeps him right on time. This is the hour.
This is what Jesus looked forward to his whole life was this moment. He was marching toward that hour. Now, he has been accused of being late.
Two chapters before this, he comes to Bethany with Mary and Martha, Lazarus is dead. And they basically say, you're late. Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn't have died. IE, you're late. Jesus looks at his little watch and says, I'm not late.
I'm perfectly on time. He's dead, right? Good. He's been dead four days.
Perfect. I'm right on time. You wanted a resuscitation. Hey, I got a resurrection.
Right on time. It says, having loved those who were in the world, he loved them to the end. Or as I believe the NIV puts it, maybe other modern translations, he wanted to show to them the full extent of his love.
How does he do that? The supper has ended. The devil has already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, verse two, Simon's son, to betray him. If you know your Bibles, you know that in Matthew 26, this has been prearranged. Judas Iscariot has already received the money, 30 pieces of silver, and arranged for a time of betrayal. And what is that time? His hour. Not according to Judas's timetable. He thinks, I got a plan.
I got the right time. He doesn't know he's on God's timetable, as you will see. Jesus knowing, verse three, that the Father had given all things into his hands, a very important phrase. Knowing that the Father has given him full and absolute authority, it literally means. Or he has all power.
Now just think about that. Here is Jesus, here is God in a body of flesh. He has all power at his fingertips given to him by God the Father. And he knows it. He knows he has ultimate power, ultimate authority. He can do anything he wants to. He can turn water into wine. He can walk on the water. He can raise dead people. He has all the power at his disposal. What are you going to do with all that power?
He washed his feet with all that power. When I work out at the gym, there's one portion of the gym where the free weights are. And it's where the buff guys hang out. I see them over there. I look at them and I notice them. And they're gnarly. Some of them are tough. They got big, defined muscles. And they're just like hanging out. They even have a snarl sometimes.
It's not a tumor. They're big. And I one time ask one of them. I said, man, you got a lot of muscle. What do you do with all those muscles? And he looked at me like, well, watch. Flex.
I said, yeah, that's cool. But what do you do with all those muscles? You know, again, he wanted to show me what he did with them. And that's all he did with them. So what does Jesus, God in human flesh, do with all of that incredible, ultimate, spiritual, unlimited muscle power?
And that's what I want you to see. Knowing that he had all authority, he acted like a slave, a servant. Now, here's something you don't know by reading John.
You have to read Luke. Something is going on that night that you may not know about. They have been arguing.
They have been arguing about who's going to be the greatest in the kingdom. Now, typically, when you would walk to a place for Passover, well, when you'd walk anywhere, for that matter. You didn't have closed toed shoes. All of you that I can see have closed toed shoes tonight.
For a good reason. It's stinking cold out there. But in the Middle East, you had sandals and your toes were exposed. Your feet were exposed.
So walking on those roads, all dirt, all dust. By the time you got to the place where you were going to eat supper, you had gnarly looking feet. So to cure the gnarly feet syndrome, in every place where there was a meal, there was a pitcher of water and a towel. And it was the job of the household servant to wash the feet of the guests to prepare the guests for a meal. If there wasn't a servant in that house, probably that is the case here, they would do it to each other. That was just protocol. Or they would do it for themselves.
But typically, you would do it to one another. But they are so preoccupied with who's the greatest in the kingdom, nobody's doing it. They're arguing about who's going to be the greatest.
They're not thinking about serving. They're thinking about being a sensation. And so the greatest sensation of history, Jesus becomes a servant to show them, this is how it's done, boys. God didn't save you to be a sensation. He saved you to be a servant. You get down and you wash feet. Wash feet? You're the Messiah.
You have all power? You're going to wash feet? I mean, that's like the president cleaning the toilets in the White House. Or it'd be like the Queen of England doing the laundry at Buckingham Palace. Elvis tuning his own guitar.
Or, that's outdated, John Mayer tuning his own guitar. You have people to do those things. But those people weren't doing those things. So the sensation becomes the servant. And there's a hush that falls over the room.
As Jesus takes out the towel and begins to wash feet. Now, I believe there's a principle here. When you have all power and you know it, you're secure, right? You don't have to prove it to anybody, right? When you know who you are, you don't have to prove who you are.
I want you to hear this. When you know who you are, you don't have to prove. Let me prove who I am. Let me show you who I am. Let me tell you about my degrees. Let me tell you about my education.
Just serve. It's more dramatic when you do. So, your security comes from your identity. I know who I am. I know where I've come from.
I know where I'm going. I'm going to wash their feet. It says, He rose from the supper. He laid aside his garments. He took a towel, girded himself. And after that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded. And then he came to Simon Peter and Peter said to him, Lord, are you washing my feet? Boy, this guy has a keen eye for the obvious, doesn't he?
It's like, I'd want to say, duh. What was the first clue? Did it take four or five disciples for you to figure that out before he got to you? Oh, yeah, he's washing feet.
Lord, are you washing my feet? No, but he means that in a different way. Jesus answered and said to him, What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will know after this. What Jesus did that night was more than just an example of humility. It was a parable. It was a parable, not just an example. And the parable is that what he did on that night is what he did in greater fashion at the cross.
He rose from supper. That's an act of your will. That's voluntary.
Nobody forces you to do that. You decide in your head, in your heart, I'm going to stand up and I'm going to do something. It's an act of your will. Jesus coming to this earth.
It's not like the Father, Son and Holy Spirit drew straws and whoever got the short one had to do the job. This is something Jesus voluntarily came to do. He rose up in heaven. He rose to the occasion, you might say.
Notice the language as it goes on. He laid aside his garments. What does Philippians chapter two tell us that he did?
He emptied himself. He laid aside his garments of glory, his prerogatives of deity. He laid aside the heavenly garments, so to speak, and took on garment of flesh.
He was clothed in skin. And here Jesus wraps that towel around him as a servant would. He poured water, verse five, into a basin. In a greater way, he will pour out his blood in a few hours, not to wash feet, but to wash souls. He began to wash his disciples' feet and, I like this, wipe them with the towel with which he was girded. In other words, Jesus finished the job. It would be one thing to pour water on the feet and then just sort of leave their feet dripping, dripping wet, and not finish the task.
But, you know, if you've got wet feet, you want them dried. So what I love is that Jesus not only washed them, but he dried them. You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before we return to Skip's teaching, start 2025 off right. Exploring the richness of God's word with Pastor Skip's book, The Bible from 30,000 Feet, and accompanying workbook. These resources offer an aerial view of scripture covering all 66 books of the Bible with a unique flight plan, facts, landmarks, itinerary, gospel, history, and travel tips.
They're a perfect tool to help you enrich your Bible study and apply its teachings to your daily life. You'll explore every book of the Bible with Pastor Skip's insightful flight plan, while the workbook provides exercises and questions to guide your reflection. We'll send you The Bible from 30,000 Feet book and workbook as our thanks for your gift of $50 or more to reach more people with God's love through Connect with Skip Heitzig.
Go to connectwithskip.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888 and request your copy when you give. Now let's get back to Skip for more of today's teaching. He finished the job. I have come to do the will of the Father and he said to finish it, to complete it, to do all the work that is necessary. But he comes to Simon.
We just read that. And then look at verse 8. Peter said to him, You shall never wash my feet. Jesus answered, If I do not wash you, you have no part with me. Simon Peter said to him, Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head. Jesus said to him, You know, calm down, boy, down, down. Jesus said to him, He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean and you are clean, but not all of you.
For he knew who would betray him. Therefore, he said, You are not all clean. And when he had washed their feet, taken his garments and sat down, he said to them, Do you know what I have done to you? I imagine when Jesus began the process, there was a quiet that fell over the room.
Everybody's going, Oh, is he doing what I think he's doing? And then he comes to Peter and those big old fisherman feet, size 13D, probably calloused, unattractive, are sitting out there. Jesus begins to wash and Peter protests. Now, one thing we know about Peter, I don't want to be too hard on him, but I need to be a little hard on him here. He always tried to be Joe spiritual, right?
Right? He did. He was a guy in Matthew 16 when Jesus said, I'm going to Jerusalem, they're going to arrest me. I'm going to go to a cross and die, but I'll raise the third day. He said, Not going to happen. We're not going to let that happen. Jesus had to say, Get behind me, Satan. So that, you know, shut that conversation down pretty quick. But he thought, I'm going to rescue Jesus.
He doesn't know what he's talking about. Peter to the rescue. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he will try to prevent the arrest of Jesus by trying to cut off a guy's head missing and cutting off his ear instead, trying to rescue God again. Don't worry, God, I got you covered.
You can count on me. So he's always trying to do this. Now, I know some of you might read this goes, Oh, this is just humility. He's just being humble. Listen, you don't disobey what God says and call that humble.
You call it disobedient. This is a pattern with Peter. You know, he says, No way, Lord. Now, he'll do that again in Acts chapter 10 when a sheet gets let down from heaven and he sees all sorts of unkosher things in it. And the Lord says, Rise, Peter, kill and eat. He goes, No way, Lord.
Not so not going to happen. That's a pattern with him. He always thinks he knows better than God. And God is gentle with him, puts him in his place, and Peter will go on.
Now, he swings the pendulum. You know, first it goes, It's not going to happen. It's a double negative. It's this will never happen. No, never. I'm not going to let this happen. It's a double negative.
It's very strong. Then Jesus said, Then you'll have no part with me. So now he swings the pendulum to the other side and says, Well, then not only my feet, but also my hands and my head. That's when Jesus said, He who is now watch this word bathed. See the word bathed? It's the Greek word luo, and luo means a complete washing. He who is bathed, luo, needs only to wash different word niptoe his feet, which means to wash a portion apart.
You've already been luoed, Peter. You've bathed all over. You bathed before you came to Passover meal tonight. So the only thing that's dirty is your feet. You've got to wash the feet. Now, he's drawing a spiritual corollary to this, but you're already clean and you are clean, except not all of you. Speaking of Judas.
But he says, But you only need to wash your feet. Here is the spiritual analogy. You believe in Christ, you who trust Jesus, you're saved. You're saved.
It's not like don't wake up from a go. I don't know if I'm saved. I was saved yesterday, but I think I got unsaved between yesterday and today. No, he did it.
It's done deal. If you're saved, you're saved. You don't get unsaved, but you do get soiled.
You're saved, but you do walk in this world and in walking in this world, you pick up a little dirt. You pick it up every day. You pick it up in conversations. You pick it up driving.
You pick it up in a number of ways. And so you need to keep your feet clean. You need you need to first John Chapter one.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He's saying that to believers who are already luod. Right. They're already bathed. They're already born again. They're already saved. They're already clean, but they need to be niptoed. They need to confess their sins.
They need to say, Lord, I failed in this area in that area. Forgive me of my sins. Cleanse me from my unrighteousness.
You need your feet cleansed. And so in verse 12, when he washed their feet, taken off, took up his garments, sat down again, he said to them, Do you know what I have done? You call me teacher and Lord, and you say, well, for so I am. If I then your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.
If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. I don't believe that Jesus was saying I am officially inaugurating a weekly foot washing ceremony. And I think it's important that when you gather together in my name, have a Bible study and a foot washing ceremony. I don't I don't see that because if that were the case, you would see that in the early church. You'd see it repeatedly in the Book of Acts. You'd see Paul the Apostle highlighting it, elucidating it.
But you don't. You find the Lord's Supper mentioned that way. But you don't find foot washing. And he wasn't, I don't think, intending that we literally wash each other's feet.
There's nothing wrong with that. I know some traditions have that and it's quite beautiful. But his ideas I want you to do as I've done. This is an example of servanthood. Be a servant to people. Be a servant to people. One of the great needs of the church is to have feet washed. Serve people, encourage people, mature people, train people, love on people, forgive people, talk to people, pray with people, wash their feet.
You've been saved. But now when I say a great need, here's the deal. You can study the scripture and I'm a huge advocate of study of the Bible, as you know. But but in studying the Bible and in looking at Greek and outlining text and going deep and all of that, you can you can stimulate your mind. You can satisfy your heart, but you still have dirty feet.
And look what Jesus said in that last little section, verse 17. If you know these things, blessed are you if you what? If you do them. Please note that. He didn't say if you know these things, happy are you if you know them. Oh, you know these things. You're so awesome. You know stuff. You're so smart. You're so wise.
Sagacity pours out from your mouth. You are awesome. We said you want to be really blessed or happy. Do it.
Do it. The key to happiness is humbleness. You want to be blessed. You want to be truly happy. You do what you read. You do what it says.
And when you put it into practice, that's where the joy factor comes in. If you know these things, happy, blessed are you if you do them. Let me give you a little advice.
If you're going to wash somebody's feet, if you're going to help somebody long, do it gently. We all sin. We all blow it. We all have issues.
All of us do. Every day of our lives, we do. And so we need people to counsel with, to talk to, to pray with, etc. But this is what the Bible says in terms of gentleness. Galatians chapter six, verse one. If anyone is overtaken in any fault or any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness. Humility, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted.
That's how you wash feet. Let's say you help a person. You do it in humility. You do it in meekness.
You don't do it. I'm better than you. I'm smarter than you. I'm wiser than you. Listen up.
You're about to get schooled. You humble yourself. You get underneath them. You become people of the towel. People of the towel. Grab the towel.
Do it gently. Some people love to wash feet with ice cold water. You know what I'm saying? They're formal. They're cold and aloof. Other people try to wash feet with scalding hot water criticism. Oh, you're really horrible. I hope you feel bad because you are bad. I mean, it's just that snobbery superiority.
But then even worse than cold water and hot water, some people don't like some people don't even use water. They just hit hard. It's like, you know, scraping the dirt off somebody's feet.
Do it gently. Become a person of the towel. If you know these things, happier you if you do them. We're glad you joined us today. Before you go, remember that when you give $50 or more to help reach more people with the gospel through Connect with Skip Heitzig, we'll send you Pastor Skip's book, The Bible from 30,000 Feet, and companion workbook to help you dive into scripture in the coming year. This sweeping aerial view of God's word will help you understand the big picture with greater clarity and gain a deeper appreciation for God's timeless truths.
To request your copy, call 800-922-1888. That's 800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com slash donate. For more from Skip, be sure to check out the many resources available at connectwithskip.com slash store. Come back next time for more verse by verse teaching of God's word here on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Make a connection, make a connection at the foot of the cross and cast your burdens on His word.
Make a connection, a connection. Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times. Now, we want to let you know about an exciting opportunity coming up soon in Southern California.
Hi, Pastor Skip here. I'm heading to Menifee, California, to teach at Revival Christian Fellowship's Nuts and Bolts of Expository Preaching Conference in January. I'll be teaching alongside my very good friend and fellow expositor, Pastor John Miller. Join us to deepen your knowledge and ignite or reignite a lasting passion to teach the Bible expositionally.
I hope to see you there. So check out the link and claim your spot to learn more about the nuts and bolts and to register. Visit expositorypreaching.org. That's expositorypreaching.org.
