Hi
Are you at all familiar with Jordan Pruitt’s lyrics for “Outside Looking In”? There’s a verse which says,
You don’t know how it feels
To be outside the crowd
You don’t know what it’s like
To be left out
And you don’t know how it feels
To be your own best friend on the outside looking in
It has long been argued (with limited/no opposition), that one of humanity’s greatest needs is a sense of belonging. And while Pruitt may not have received a Grammy for his song; he certainly captures that sense of aloneness one feels upon realising that one doesn’t belong.
What if you were to discover that you don’t belong to Jesus? That was almost a consideration for Peter, as we’ll discover in today’s Holy Nougat™
“No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” John 13:8 NLT
Occasionally, I try to stretch my brain and imagine why the act of washing the disciples’ feet became the seal of belonging to Jesus. Most of us draw the direct conclusion that it harkens that concept of Jesus being servant to us so that we might serve others. And that is fair. Further, there is the premise that foot-washing is symbolic of the healing mikvah baths or the rivers of baptism of Jewish tradition in that era. That is also a fair symbol.
But what if foot-washing by Jesus was further to symbolise the painting of the Blood over the doorposts in Egypt? A far stretch in one sense, and yet; if Jesus has washed us, the Angel of Death has NO PERMISSION to take residence in our lives. And in that sense, Jesus’ act takes in even more life-saving proportions.
Just think, in those days, one’s foot represented the most foul limb/member of one’s body. And Jesus was willing to wash away all the dust, muck, grime and scud from the Disciples’ feet.
Pretty daunting huh.
Until we realise that no matter where we are, Christ is willing to go there and get us, so that we might BELONG to the IN CROWD! Daily, Christ washes our minds through the Living Waters of renewal, enabling us to belong; allowing us to be whole again.
And, when sinful thoughts or desires try to overwhelm us, we’re able to overcome because of the Living Water! That’s the kind of belonging I like! It comes with protection.
So what say you; will you choose to belong to Jesus today?
Selah
In Christ’s love and grace . . .
