“If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” vs17

We are blessed if we do the will of God, which is to love one another as He’s loved us.

First, Jesus has a special people who are in the world [vs1]. “Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” These are elect, chosen from the foundation of the world, and we can never perish. He loves us with SPECIAL LOVE, and He will show it for all eternity. This love redeemed us, chose us, and saved us. It is true: ONLY the elect shall be saved. Isa 43:4, “Because you are precious in My sight and honored, and I love you, I will give people in exchange for you and nations instead of your life.” God could have chosen Egypt, but He chose Israel. He chose Jacob and not Esau. He chose Paul and not Judas.

Secondly, This is the pride and gross hypocrisy that we all have [vs8]. “You will never wash my feet--ever!’ Peter said.” This is the sinfulness of the flesh, which says, “I’m better than others,” using religion and false humility to proclaim it. We seem to be pious, but a discerning eye knows that we are phony. Thank God for Jesus Christ and the tender mercy of the gospel [Luke 1:78]. Thank Him that He is gracious and kind. He lays the law down, but He forgives. “Jesus replied, ‘If I don’t wash you, you have no part with Me.” He tells the terms, but He receives us. He gives the word and persuades us to enter in.

This is the patience of our Lord Jesus Christ [vs10]. Let us exercise it. “One who has bathed,’ Jesus told him, ‘doesn’t need to wash anything except his feet, but he is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you.’” He didn’t banish Peter to hell. He didn’t condemn him. He didn’t take away His love, so as we deal with sinners, deal patiently. As we deal with saints, let us be loving and UNDERSTAND that we all have faults. Let us keep teaching, never compromising, but giving the truth. Love is more than being right; it is dealing with others rightly [2 Tim 2:24]. Let us use the gentle hand of Christ.

Thirdly, This is the whole reason why He’s doing this: He’s giving us an example [vs14]. “So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”

1. This is not a command. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are commanded. Jesus did many things as examples, such as teaching us to pray, but He never prayed so that we could repeat the words from rote memory, but to learn what prayer entails.

2. If you want to wash feet, then wash, but do not command it. We have no right to command things that Christ has not.

3. Let us take the example, however, and love each other. Let the strong serve the weak, the more faithful the less faithful, and let everyone take the example to serve each other. The local church is a place of love. Jude calls it the feast of love, where the saints gather, even though hypocrites come in, even though Judas is among us [Jude 1:12].

Finally, do these things, and you will be happy. You will show that you are blessed indeed [vs17]. “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” Wherever the gospel is PRACTICED, there is blessing. I’ve been deceived by some who do not practice the truth. I’ve seen the hypocrisy where Christ is not truly preached. There is no love, no gospel unction, and sound doctrine is held in the flesh. Likewise, many places seem loving, but there is no truth: They are slaughterhouses of souls and most dangerous. Yet, where the truth of sovereign grace is preached, where the Scriptures alone are held, and where love flows, you will see God glorified, because only He is able to produce this. If we love each other with the truth, then we have it all, and we will be happy, because He is with us.