When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you?”-John 13:12
After Jesus finished washing the disciples’ feet, he dressed and rejoined them at the table. I imagine that the men were experiencing a myriad of sensations, thoughts, feelings, images, and questions. “What just happened?” “What did Jesus mean when he said ‘you are completely clean?’” “Who was he talking about when he said ‘but not all of you?’” “Why is Peter always running his mouth?”
Patiently, Jesus looked at each of the men and asked “Do you understand what I have done to you?” Some of them probably thought, “Why yes, Jesus, you washed our feet.” Often, we miss the meaning behind what a person says or does. Some of them likely thought “I have no idea what you did!” That would be the honest response, but if they were like many of us, they kept quiet. We are reluctant to voice our confusion to God and others. We have come to believe godly people should have all the right answers, and so we avoid revealing our naïveté.
Each of us must answer Jesus’s question, “Do you understand what I have done for you? Do you know what I have done on your behalf? Do understand the significance of my life, death, and resurrection, and how that affects your life now?”
As we get to know Jesus better, we begin to understand why he came and what he did on our behalf. He came to save us from the penalty of sin, but he also came to show us a new way to live.
Prayer
Jesus, your earthly life was a demonstration of Kingdom living, built on other-centered love. Open my eyes that I might understand what you have done for me and in me, so that I might live with gratitude today. Amen.