Sunday, August 28, 2016

       John 13:3 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist.

            This morning as I was reading this really struck me and the feeling of wanting to write again came over me.    I know it has been a while since I have written anything. I just haven't had anything to write.   I am not sure if that is the exact case though,   but I'm writing today. As I'm reading this morning in John chapter 13 where Jesus washes the disciple’s feet it just dawned on me that Jesus is going to be washing the man's feet that is going to later betray him.  He breaks bread with the one who is going to betray him. Might this be what forgiveness looks like?  forgiving the man who you know is going to betray you before he is going to betray you. Yet you still wash his feet and you still break bread with him?

  Think about this for a moment.  What if you knew that someone who you loved was going to betray you before they actually betrayed you?   When I think back at times in my life where I have held back forgiveness because of what someone did to me after they did it.   Jesus loved Judas right where he was at...... unconditionally.   Even after the betrayal happened Jesus never held un-forgiveness towards Judas.  He never said, “you owe me, you need to say you’re sorry, you need to ask for my forgiveness, you need to pay me back for what you did to me!”   He never said any of those things.  What He said was, “it is finished.”  So my question to you is ……. Who owes you?   Who needs to say I am sorry for what I did to you?   If there is someone in your life that you feel needs to come to you and say some of these things, then you need to search your own heart.   If this person is deceased, then they will never be able to say I am sorry.   What does that say about you?   What does that say about the condition of your own heart?

Kevin