Jesus is like a mommy

Jesus is a mother, or he is a mommy

 

(John 13; 1-9)

1. It was Just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love."

2. The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus.

3. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;

4. So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.

5. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

6. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash to my feet?"

7. Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

8. "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet,"

Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."

9. "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"

 

In the evening of one day before Passover, Jesus knew that the time has come for him to leave this world and go to the Father and did something to have prepared beforehand in order to bestow a meaning on the last evening meal with his disciples. That work is that he took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist, after that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

This process of Jesus' action is thoughtful enough not to forget drying disciples' feet with the towel.

But Jesus's action to wash his disciples' feet goes on naturally. It is so familiar and natural just as he did so many time. And most disciples didn’t reject or escape such an Jesus’ action because they felt fear or because they wanted to express their humility. But Only Peter refused Jesus' action

“You are my teacher, how can you wash my feet? My feet are so dirty and so dusky because a lot of dirt cling to my feet, No thanks, No way, I have to wash your feet, you don't have to wash my feet”

Peter felt himself piteous and fear because Jesus who Peter believes as Christ washed his dirty feet.

But Jesus said, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."

This words have interpreted as the meaning of salvation, forgiveness, purification, and baptism, But I tried to interpret differently, It means like this,

“Peter, do you think me as such? Isn't it the whole thing that you feel about me while you have lived along with me so far? We spent a lot of time together, we ate together and we slept together.

Don't you think me merely as a teacher? so you kept me at a distance. Look, other disciples! They do not keep me at a distance, for instance, they put forward their feet to have me wash them, even their hands and their heads. And they sometimes asked as reclining next to me and leaning back against me. What is the true relationship between you and I?

Thus we realize through these phrases that Jesus don't want that the relationship between he and his disciples stays merely in that between lord and servant, or teacher and disciples.

To add to this, “The relation between you and I is that between parents and son, It is not particular thing that a mother washes his son's feet. You are my bloodline, so there is no distance between you and I. It is natural thing that I wash your feet. To count the figure of the relation with relatives, you and I are the first relation. So if I don't wash your feet, the distance between you and I (or the relationship between you and I that you think) will not become narrow(will not become the first relation).

So far in the event of Jesus' washing his disciples' feet, the values like self-denying, serving and humility have been commonly told. But In my thinking, this event shows the true relationship between Jesus and his disciples that Jesus really wants. Jesus' action that he washed his disciples' feet must be an action of serving by self-denying. But this action is so natural and so intimate just as a mommy washes her child. (even when the children become old, we don't think the action that a mother wash her children unfamiliar-to emphasize this intimate relationship, I wrote mommy rather than mother)

Even though the action of mommy like this is obviously that of love and serving, we cannot realize that. The reason is that it is so natural and so intimate thing.

Therefore the relationship between Jesus and us is such that between mommy and child. Jesus' love is so familiar and so intimate to us just like mommy's love that we cannot realize and we hardly thank for it.