There are times that sitting in pews are convenient. However, that is not the way it was with Jesus and His 12 disciples when they sat down for their last Passover Meal (John 13). They were sitting in a circle – and that meant, nothing was hidden.
A mere six days earlier Jesus is in Bethany – at the house of His good friends. After supper, Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with very expensive ointment – and everyone notices. Now, this was a good thing – and you would think everyone was thinking good thoughts. But noooo, one of the twelve, Judas, goes to thinking obnoxious thoughts about this precious event (John 12:3-11). The point is, when you sit in a circle, you are vulnerable. Very little is hidden. And what is revealed will either illicit good or bad fruit.
You can come to church, sit down in a pew, and for years no one will notice that you have a love for VERY COLORFUL SOCKS. But, sit down in a circle, and all will be revealed. Similarly, stinky feet. Surely, at least one of Jesus’ close friends had VERY STINKY FEET. I can imagine that everyone knew who it was. And that everyone observed with dread as the first foot escaped, wiggled free from the hot clammy confines of the sandal – and then the second followed that scandalous path.
Surely all who observed were focused more on the obnoxious aroma than their precious Passover meal with Jesus. But Jesus was certainly not imbibing in this cup of stinking thinking. Instead, He puts on the clothes of a slave and approaches that obnoxious foot. Gently, He takes the most despicable part of mankind and carefully washes off our stinking shame. He repeats these washings 24 times.
1 Corinthians 6:9–11 (ESV) — 9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Judas revealed his heart to be in line with Satan, the “accuser of the brethren”. Friend, this ought not to be so with us. We have been cleansed. So, the next time the imperfections of the brethren are revealed, be kind by keeping your focus where it needs to be.
