My wife and I were invited out for supper yesterday, and of course we zealously said yes. A professor of the university gave us a warm invitation. And so we came. We went, we enjoyed the delicious, delectable food, the great friendship, and it was just a good experience. We would do it again.
If Jesus invited you to His table, would you come? For supper? Tonight? What if you were invited to Jesus home? For supper? Well, let me tell you, this is supper time, right now. And you’re invited. And you came. What a privilege for those who are Christians. What a wonderful experience to be here rather than out languishing at our… somewhere else, we’re here at Jesus’ table. Numerous times I have experienced the communion service. I love it. Because I’m sitting at Jesus’ table. I think it’s so sweet.
But for years I’ve been baffled because I have noticed that people do not attend our Communion Sabbath as much as they do on other Sabbaths. And I think, “Why would that be?” If you were invited over to somebody's house, you would come. You would quickly rise to the occasion. But not at Jesus’ table. What does that say? Why should folks choose that time to not come? What does that tell Jesus? What does it say about you?
If you did come how would you feel when Jesus cooked all the food Himself? Well, you would think, “Well, that would be normal. He’s inviting me to His home.” And what if Jesus offered to wash your feet while you were there? That didn’t happen to us last night. How would you feel?
Look here at John 13. There’s an interesting verse. Verse four. Sometimes we miss the meaning of verse four. I want you to read verse four. It says, “So He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist.” Do you see anything in there that you might have missed in the past? In that verse. During the meal, Jesus interrupted the meal. Got up in the middle of the meal and washed their feet. When should their feet have been washed? At the beginning of the meal. When did He wash them? In the middle of the meal. Had you ever thought about that before? That’s what all the commentaries tell me. That’s the meaning of this verse. He got up during the meal. Interesting. Feet should be washed at the beginning, but nobody volunteered. Finally, during the meal, Jesus got up, and in true humility He began washing feet. That tells me a lot about Jesus. What about you?
Jesus had the full knowledge that He had just come from Heaven and that He was going back to Heaven. You think of the great contrast between those two locations. Heaven and Palestine. Rocky, dusty Palestine. The only two places that He had ever lived.
Up in Heaven all was bright, but here it was dull and grey.
There, He wore a crown. Well, He wore a crown here too. Only the difference was His crown was made of thorns.
There, He lived in a golden capitol, but here He was homeless.
There, He was the King of kings, but here He was a Servant.
There He owned everything, and here He owned nothing.
There He had a mansion, and here on that Thursday night at the Last Supper He had a borrowed room.
In Heaven, millions of Angels served Him, But here, He took a common towel and poured water into a basin and became a servant.
If ever somebody was truly humiliated, it was Jesus. And we call this the Ordinance of Humility. We’re thinking about ourselves, aren’t we? We’re thinking, “Oh this is so humbling to have to wash somebody else's feet.” We’re not the ones that were humbled. He is the Person who was humble. He humiliated Himself. That’s why we call it the Ordinance of His Humility. He was lowered to become one with us. Desire of Ages says, "The whole life of Christ had been a life of unselfish service.”
He lowered Himself. He was our Servant. He lowered Himself down to this world that He might save us. And the first indeed became the last in order that we might become the first.
Now Jesus could have easily said to Peter: "Peter, would you wash the… I notice that nobody’s feet got washed.” And Peter would have quickly risen to the occasion and would have washed everybody’s feet. Peter was like that. He would have jumped to the duty. But instead Jesus did the humble act. He did this to teach that Christians should become servants. The longer I serve Him, the sweeter it grows.
I want to tell you it is a joy to serve this congregation. I regard myself as your servant. Your pastor servant. Second Sabbath of August, it’ll be 20 years, right here at this church. It’s been wonderful. You are my family. I love you. And what a privilege to serve you. What an awesome privilege.
When I was a boy, I didn’t know much about the communion. I walked into a church of another denomination that I had never been in in my entire life. And for the first time I saw a cross there with a life-size figure of Jesus hanging on the cross. Hanging there, wearing nothing but a loin cloth. And it was painted, the statue or image or whatever it was, in full color, with all the blood dripping down His forehead, running down His face and running down His body. And I was shocked. I was horrified. Immediately I turned away. I did not like what I saw.
I still don't like to look at that scene and would never consider buying one of those things. But there is something that I have learned since that day that indicates that every artist or sculptor has incorrectly portrayed that event. When Jesus hung there He didn’t have a loin cloth on! He was totally humiliated, that we might be saved. And He invites me to His table.
And the least I can do is come to His table and allow Him to be my Servant. And allow my sins to be washed away. And that’s why we’re here today. To sit at His table. To have Him wash our feet. I want to tell you, enter into this service. Enter into it with your heart. Provisions have been made for you. Today. Seek and find His salvation. Savor the Saviour’s Bread. Taste and see. Psalm 34, verse eight, “Oh taste and see that the Lord is” what? “He’s good.” Drink His drink and see that it’s savory. Taste His salvation. Accept Him as your Servant. As your Saviour. And accept Him forevermore. What a privilege to be a Christian today. A Divine privilege. And what a privilege to sit here at His table and eat His food today.
Before we separate, I would like for us to have prayer together. Shall we bow our heads.
Dear Father in Heaven. We are going to separate for what we call the Ordinance of Humility. Help us to sense what a humiliating experience Jesus did when He came and became our Servant. And as our feet are washed, may our sins be washed away, and not only washed away, but replaced with the full quality righteousness of Jesus Christ. For we ask it in Jesus’ name, Amen.
[ ...after footwashing, Re-Assembled in Sanctuary ]
I’m reading from Luke, chapter 22, verse 14. I’m reading from the New King James. “And when the hour had come, He sat down and the 12 apostles with Him. Then He said to them, ‘With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.’ Then He took the cup and gave thanks and said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves, for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine 'til the Kingdom of God comes.’ And He took bread, gave thanks, and broke it and gave it to them saying, ‘This is My Body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.’ Likewise also, He took the cup after supper saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.’”
I would like to invite the congregation to please kneel as we pray over these emblems of Christ’s death.
Our gracious, loving, heavenly Father. We have come to Your table to accept Your invitation. We thank you for the washing that You have provided for us. And we contemplate the greatest Gift that could ever be given to us. As You sent Your Son, and as we sit at this table and are about to partake of the Bread and of the Wine, we contemplate His life represented in the bread. No yeast in the bread, no sin in the life. A perfect life lived out on our behalf. And as we take it in, we wish to take in Jesus Christ, that that perfect Life may be in us. And as we contemplate the fruit of the vine, the Blood that was shed for our sins, the price that was paid, we thank You that through it we have forgiveness of our sins. And we can be at peace with You. Lord, we want to take in Jesus Christ today, and as we do so through these symbols, may it be a reality in our lives and may others see Jesus as a result in our words, our acts, and in our thoughts. In His name we pray. Amen.
You are holding in your hands, two very important Symbols, both representing Jesus. I used to think that the juice was more important than the bread. Because the grape juice represents the cleansing, forgiveness of sins. That’s more important, isn’t it? But the bread represents the power to live the Christian life. I want my sins forgiven, but I want power to be a Christian. I don’t know which is the most important, but together they’re dynamic. First of all, Jesus said, concerning the Bread, “Take and eat.”
Amen.
And then secondly, we take the cup, and as we do, as I do, I pray that God will forgive my sins. And also, in a way, the cup represents power as well, because there’s power in the Blood. That’s a dual significance. Jesus said, “Drink ye all of it.”
Amen.
I hope that you will go forth from this place today as a forgiven and empowered Christian. Changed! From having sat at the supper table of Jesus Christ.
Hymn of Praise: #43, When Morning Gilds the Skies Scripture: John 13:3-5 Hymn of Response: #407, Sent Forth by God's Blessing
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McDonald Road Sermon transcribed by Steve Foster 7/2/07