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Being Loved by Jesus

Jesus showed the "full extent of his love" by becoming a servant for his disciples. Sometimes out of false humility we refuse to be loved by Jesus. Life could be full of small and big things where Jesus shows his love for us. To love Jesus is one thing, but it is equally important to accept Jesus' love showed on the cross and also the love he shows everyday in our life. It is wonderful to have a loving relationship with Jesus.

The act of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples is considered as part of his teaching on serving each other. I would not contend on that. however, there is still another side that we ignore in that incident. The Gospel of John chapter 13 verse 1 says, "having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love" (NIV). This sentence is the introduction to the feetwashing that follows.

The act of washing the feet of his disciples was act of his love. If we go by the NIV translation "the full extent of his love" (other translations: "he loved them to the last") it means that this act is the climax of his acts of love. Throughout his earthly ministry Jesus was involved in acts that showed his love for God's people. Though cross is where God showed "so loved the world" (John 3:16) Jesus earthly ministry was acts of his love. Cross is God's expression of his love for the world which includes the disciples, however, washing the feet is the expression of his full love to his friends the apostles who were gathered in that room for the Passover meal.

However, Peter was not willing to let Jesus to wash his feet because he misunderstood the purpose of what Jesus was doing. For Peter, Jesus should not do what a servant or an inferior person usually do. Jesus' reply is remarkable: "Unless I wash you, you have no part in me" (John 13:8b). Jesus was using the tactic of mild threatening which friends usually use. That sentence is the words of a friend begging another friend to let him show his love.

Jesus showed the "full extent of his love" by becoming a servant for his disciples. Sometimes out of false humility we ignore and sometimes refuse to be loved by Jesus. Life could be full of small and big things where Jesus shows his love for us. To love Jesus is one thing, but it is equally important to accept Jesus' love showed on the cross and also what he shows everyday in our loves. It is wonderful to have a loving relationship with Jesus.

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