Q4, S01 Receive
Question 10:
Will You Remain?
In John 13-17, Jesus is preparing his disciples for life without him. These are the final things he will teach them, his final moments alone with them. In this conversation, he lays out the essence of what it looks like to remain connected to him and to thrive in his physical absence. This conversation is just as critical for us today as it was for the twelve; the path of following Jesus transpires over years and years. One of the greatest dangers to the believer isn’t just that they fall into sin or overtly denounce Jesus, but that time and distance allow us to detach from Jesus, the true source of life.
Sitting in on this conversation, we can see four key elements to remaining in Jesus. These four elements are essential reminders that the difficulty that lies ahead is less about what we produce and much more about the tendency we have to disconnect and quit.
Tool: The Plant
The tool has us picture a plant, such as a tree, which consists of roots, trunk, branches, and fruit. The point of this tool is seeing the flow of life from water that enters the roots, moves through the tree, and produces sweet fruit on the branches. This is the life of God flowing through us as growing plants. Remaining in Jesus is what it means for his life to flow through us. We can break this down into smaller elements.
The Roots
The roots are the basis for the tree, the foundation. The tree has no way to absorb water but through the root system. Think about God’s word as living water that provides life to people who saturate themselves in the truths of God (Psalm 1). Think also of Jesus’ statement that he is in fact the living water, a source of life that flows forever and ever (John 4). The roots of the tree are rooted, then, in Jesus. We are constantly absorbing his words, works, and ways.
As plants, we have to be rooted in order to live. We are simply not self-sufficient. As human beings, we are our own problems; the solution does not come from our own ability to clean or wash or cover our own errors. We have to be rooted in Jesus, allowing his life to flow through us, allowing him to resolve our problems. In one of the passages we’ll discuss, Peter didn’t want his feet to be washed by Jesus, but Jesus told him that if he did not wash Peter, then Peter had no part with him. Being rooted means allowing ourselves to be washed and nourished by Jesus.
The Fruit
Think about what fruit really is. Somehow, a tree takes water from the ground and transforms it into a sweet, seed-bearing orb. To remain in Jesus is to expect that God will take selfish human beings and through his love and grace and washing, turn us into people who are sweet and kind and who will reproduce his love in the lives of others. So the telos, the end goal, of God’s work in the life of a disciple is to transform her from someone who puts herself into the place of God, at the expense of others, to a person who receives the love of God and dispenses that love to the world around them. That is the fruit. In John 14, we get a glimpse of this idea when Jesus reminds the disciples that they will be known by their love for one another.
The Trunk and Branches
In John 15, Jesus says that he is the vine. He is the connection and source of life to every branch. The transformation of muddy water into sweet, edible fruit is dependent upon the connection between the trunk and the branches. If these systems remain connected, then the branch remains healthy. If not, it withers.
The Flow
The flow is a magical process orchestrated by the process of photosynthesis in a tree. Photosynthesis transforms carbon dioxide and water into glucose (sugar) and oxygen. This process enables cellular development, growth, and ultimately fruit. Corresponding to this, the Holy Spirit is the helper in the life of the disciple. He enables and empowers the process of transformation. While all life flows from Jesus, the miraculous transformation of a heart and mind is the work of the Holy Spirit. In John 14–16, Jesus describes the Spirit as a helper, given to help each and every disciple grow up from needing foot washing to becoming foot washers, from receiving love to overflowing with love for others.
One Living Organism
The metaphor of “remaining” is a powerful one. John concludes the story of Jesus’ last supper with his disciples by recording Jesus’ prayer that while his disciples live in the world they not be of the world. He is desperate to see the body of Christ operate in unison, each complimenting the work of the others, just as every branch of every tree plays a vital and yet different function in the life of the entire organism. We have a tendency to think of ourselves as individual Christians, on our own journeys with Jesus. But in the last supper, Jesus wanted to make sure that his followers stayed together, that they would not inhibit the flow of God’s love and transformation.
Quarter 4, Session 1: Washing the Disciples’ Feet
WILL YOU RECEIVE FROM ME?
Passage
John 13
Concept
This session falls under Jesus’ tenth question: Will you remain? Before his crucifixion, Jesus gathered his disciples for a Passover meal. To begin this rich time together, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet: an act of humility and service that underscored their need to be cleansed by him. If we are going to be true followers of him, we have to embrace the reality that we need to be served and loved by Jesus, we have to learn to receive from him.
Key Question
How have you been receiving from Jesus lately?
The Plant Tool
Do you see our Plant tool being played out in John 13? With whom? How so?
Washing the Disciples’ Feet
When you break something or make a mess, do you prefer to clean it up yourself or have someone else clean it up for you? Depending on the context and relationships involved, you may feel awkward having someone else help you. “It’s my mess, I can handle it.”
Sometimes this line of thinking can bleed into our relationship with Jesus. We’re so thankful for what he’s done for us, and we want to devote our lives to serving him. And that’s important. But there’s also an ongoing reality where we need to continually receive from him. As John 13 shows, if we’re not able to receive from Jesus, we actually have nothing at all to do with him.
1. Read John 13. Right off the bat, what strikes you about this passage? What do you find interesting or challenging or confusing?
You Will Never Wash My Feet
As the disciples gathered with Jesus for their last night together, Jesus took on the role of a servant and washed his disciples’ feet. This gives us a vivid image that’s essential for understanding our relationship to Jesus. Reading the story, we can feel the room growing awkward. This was weird for the disciples; they didn’t know what to do when Jesus took on such a humble role. It’s not comfortable to have your feet washed by someone.
But Jesus insists that this foot washing is essential. Notice that Jesus says, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me” (v. 8). He does NOT say, “If you don’t wash others, you have no share with me.” As important as it is to be a servant of Jesus and to serve others in his name, Jesus is making it clear that we must be served by him if we will be his disciples.
There is actually a significant gospel connection here. Jesus comes and cleans us up. He cleans up our messes. That’s the gospel. It’s humbling to need someone else to fix what we have broken, but that’s exactly the point. It’s what Jesus is all about. It’s exactly why we needed Jesus to come.
We actually see this same concept from another angle a little later in Jesus’ discussion here. Jesus explains that they cannot follow him to where he is going. Jesus is alluding to the fact that he is going to die on the cross. That is something Jesus himself needed to do. It’s not something anyone else can do in the way Jesus did. Our sin and brokenness and rebellion against God is not a problem that we can solve. Jesus had to die in our place, there’s no other way for us to be right with God.
The whole point is that we have to be able to receive from Jesus. There is simply no other way. If you are going to be a follower of Jesus, it requires that you see your own brokenness and inadequacy, and that you recognize that Jesus is the only one who can help, fix, and save you. That’s what the gospel is all about.
2. How have you been receiving from Jesus lately?
3. Do you find yourself resistant to receiving from people in general? How so? Why do you think that is?
4. Does that resistance to receiving extend to your relationship with Jesus in any way? How so? Why do you think that is?
5. Why is it essential that we receive from Jesus rather than simply serving him?
Presence Vs. Allegiance
There is another interesting dynamic in this passage where Jesus points out the coming betrayal of two of his disciples: Judas and Peter. The difference between these two men is very instructive.
First, Jesus points out that Judas is about to betray him. The crazy thing is that Judas has been right there with Jesus the entire time. Throughout his entire ministry, Judas has been so close to Jesus. But his betrayal illustrates that in reality, he was so far from him. Judas was present, but he hadn’t given his allegiance to Jesus. Judas was right there in all of the action, but Jesus didn’t have his heart.
A little bit later, Jesus tells Peter that he, too, will deny Jesus. This was impossible for Peter to believe. Throughout Jesus’ ministry, Peter was all over the map in his enthusiasm. As we watch Peter in the gospels, there’s a mess he leaves behind in his zeal to follow Jesus. But Jesus absolutely had Peter’s heart. Peter gave Jesus his allegiance. So even though Peter wavered and went off track, his heart belonged to Jesus the entire time, and that made all the difference.
There is an important lesson here for us. Even though we are in the church and around Jesus all the time, we could still be like either Peter or Judas. You can be involved in every Christian thing available, but at the end of the day, Jesus either has your heart or he doesn’t. He has your allegiance or not. Giving Jesus your heart and allegiance is what it means to be pursuing Jesus. It doesn’t matter where you’re at on the path, it’s about the direction you’re heading. Are you actually moving toward Jesus? Do you actually love him? Proximity is not the point. Allegiance is.
6. We’ve talked about this in previous sessions, but use this opportunity to revisit the question: Does Jesus have your heart, your allegiance? Regardless of your location on the path, are you pointed in the right direction?
Known by Love
In this chapter, Jesus says that his disciples would be known for their love for one another. This is an important reminder, because it helps us clarify what it means to receive from Jesus. We must first receive Jesus’ love. Then, the love we receive from Jesus flows out to the people around us.
Think of a lake. It’s a collection of water that will eventually flow out into rivers and streams that bring that water to other locations. The lake is good in itself for many reasons, and the outlets of the lake bring life to other regions. But vital to any lake is its inlet. The inlet to a lake ensures that it doesn’t dry up. Without an inlet—a stream or spring—you simply don’t have a lake.
It’s easy for us to get so caught up in trying to love the people around us that we begin to dry up. The solution to this is not to stop loving, but to make sure we are first basking in God’s love for us. We can’t be serving all of the time. We need to realize that Jesus came to serve us as well. We simply cannot be Jesus’ disciples if we are not being served by him. If we are unwilling to receive from Jesus, then we really have nothing to do with Jesus.
7. Can you see a direct corelation between the love you receive from Jesus and the love that flows out to the people around you? What does that look like?
8. Spend some time in prayer. Ask God for the grace to simply receive from him. Take some time to thank God for his washing, his forgiveness, and the love he pours into your life.
Key Question
How have you been receiving from Jesus lately?