"JESUS KNOWING"
Jim Marshall
I just feel impressed with two words, “Jesus knowing." It comes twice in chapter 13 and once in chapter 18. Generally speaking, men - we ourselves - do not know what is in front of us. As the scripture says, "thou knowest not what a day may bring forth", and in a certain sense it is perhaps well that it is that way, that we do not know. I remember a dear sister saying that she did not know what the future holds, but she knew the One that held the future. I think that is a fine thing to be able to say. It brings in comfort, but that was not so with the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus knew what was before Him. It says "knowing that his hour had come". I do not think that anybody else could speak like that; He is speaking of His departure, "knowing that his hour had come that he should depart out of this world to the Father". He knew that His time of departure was near. He also knew that He was going to the Father. I wonder how many of us are conscious that the time of departure is near. I think it is something that should have an effect upon us, that we are not here for ever. There is a time of departure, individually and collectively. It is something that should lay hold of us. It would loosen our grip on what is temporal and tighten our grip on what is eternal. Here is the Lord Jesus, "knowing that his hour had come that he should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, loved them to the end". Our brother has referred to touches of His love and I think it is a fine thing to get touches of His love. You can experience them privately, you can experience them collectively, householdly too, what it is to get a touch of His love. Here it is not only that He knew that the time of His departure was near, but it says also "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given him all things into his hands, and that he came out from God and was going to God, rises from supper and lays aside his garments". Then he "began to wash the feet of the disciples". I did not read it all, but I think it is a wonderful expression of His love, and I think he established something here, something that I feel was in His mind that it should continue. It was not just one isolated example, but He does it as an example that it may continue. What it is to wash one another's feet! It says in verse 12 "When therefore he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, having sat down again, he said to them, Do ye know what I have done to you?". That is a challenge, as to how much we know what the Lord has done. Here He has washed the feet of His disciples, and He means it to continue because it says, "Jesus answered him, Unless I wash thee, thou hast not part with me" (v 8). I think we are touching what is vital in regard to the testimonial setting and the service of God. It is a vital thing that this goes on, "unless I wash thee", as though He had in mind that He would continue to do it.
We have resources to do it, because we know what it is to have the water. I do not think we could wash one another's feet unless we did it in the power of the Spirit of God. That would be essential. Here is the Lord Jesus setting on this great matter of washing one another's feet. I suppose it would all be in view of the Lord going to the Father, that we might have part with Him in the Father's presence. It would also be in view of the testimonial setting so that we are speaking about something that is vital, something that the Lord set on and something that He means to continue. It is a wonderful thing that the One who was greatest among them washed their feet. There was no one greater than Jesus, and yet He washed their feet. He even washed Judas's feet. I think we need to know what it is to be intelligent in regard to feetwashing. It is based on love, you cannot wash a brother or sister's feet if you do not love them.
The Lord says "a new commandment I give unto you that ye love one another as I have loved you". I think that Paul in Corinth was one who sought to wash the feet of the saints. Amidst all their loftiness, he still sought to wash their feet. He took a low place amongst them, he speaks of being "less than the least of all the saints". That is the kind of man that would wash the saints' feet.
In John 18 we have this expression again, "Jesus therefore, knowing all things that were coming upon him". This was immeasurable pressure that was coming upon Him, pressure that you and I will never understand; it was so great. "Jesus therefore, knowing all things that were coming upon him". Think of what came upon Jesus; let your mind think what came upon Him. I think Peter had some understanding of it, because he says "who himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree". That is what came upon Jesus, One who was able to bear such a matter as the whole question of sin between God and man. It is something like what John says, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world". What a bearer He is, what a sufferer He is. It does not only say "knowing all things that were coming upon him", but He "went forth". I wonder if we know something of what it is to go forth, that we are not lackadaisical in our movements, there is a steadfastness in our movements, we do not just drag our feet when we are coming to the meetings. There is a going forth to Him “outside the camp", for instance. How do we regard these movements of ours, to what has been established outside the camp? Do we go forth to Him, or do we just come to the meeting? See that it is to Him, go forth to Him, that you do not come to the meeting in an apologetic kind of way, but that you are conscious that you are going to Him, as Peter says, "to whom coming". Peter says "to whom shall we go?". And so it says, "knowing all things that were coming upon him, went forth and said to them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus the Nazaraean. Jesus says to them, I am he". Judas was there. When He said "I am he", they went away backward" and fell to the ground". They could not stand in the presence of Jesus, the great I Am. That is the One who washed the disciples' feet, as a man. They could not stand in His presence, they fell away backward to the ground. It is interesting to notice persons who fall in the presence of Jesus. Saul of Tarsus fell to the ground. I think you have a sense in your mind and in your heart of the majesty of the One who is before you, and you just fall down because of His greatness.
Peter does not shine in John 13, he does not shine here either, he drew a sword. Do you know why Peter was marked with such failure? It is because he did not know what it was to have the Spirit of God, but when Peter was filled with the Spirit, he was a different man. He spoke differently, he acted differently, he looked different; he could say on one occasion "look on us", a man filled with the Spirit of God. Peter in John 13 speaks wrongly, in John 18 he acts wrongly, but we are often reminded that in Luke's gospel the Lord Jesus healed the bondman's ear, and then he says to Peter "put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given me, shall I not drink it?". Here is perfect suffering, perfect obedience, perfect submission to the Father's will. Every Lord's Day morning we drink a cup of blessing, but this cup which the Lord Jesus took from the Father - "shall I not drink it?", - was perfect submission in going through with everything that was involved in the will of God. I just pass on these simple impressions in regard to Jesus knowing. That is what is impressing me, Jesus knowing - He went forth knowing that His hour of departure had come, and then He washed the disciples’ feet.
May the Lord just bless these few simple remarks.
EDINBURGH
October 1997