Day 82 – Divine Oversight

JOHN CHAPTER 13

Read: John 13:1-5

The disciples had planned for what they didn't know would be their last meal with Jesus. The room was secured, the food was prepared, the disciples had gathered, everything was perfect -- well, almost everything. As they entered the room and began the meal, the disciples would have immediately recognized one small yet significant oversight. No one had secured the household servant to wash the feet of those entering the room. The streets of Jerusalem were dusty and sandal-clad feet were dirty. This was going to be a problem.

The menial task of washing feet was customarily the responsibility of the lowest, non-Jewish servant in the house.  Having borrowed the room for their Passover celebration, the disciples might have overlooked this minor, but important, detail. Finding no servant available had likely cast a cloud over the gathering.  Who had forgotten to secure the servant? Which one of them would perform this lowly task?  The evening progressed, the meal was served, and still no one volunteered to do what was certainly beneath even the least among them. The disciples were all too willing to jockey for positions of power (see Mark 10:37 and Matthew 20:21), but were reluctant to stoop to such an ignoble position as “chief foot washer.” 

After supper, Jesus seized the awkward moment and began to do what everyone knew should have been done, but no one was willing to do themselves.  By doing so, Jesus offered a convincing demonstration of one of the defining distinctions of His Kingdom. The image of Jesus washing the disciples' feet is the picture of what it means to be a servant leader. And all this because someone dropped the ball!

Our “oversights” often serve as opportunities for God to teach us better ways to live. I wonder if in our rush to fix, cover, recover, blame, and dodge, we are missing the point?  God uses our faux pas and failures to demonstrate and teach us about His grace and sufficiency. For it is in our weakness that His strength is made perfect. It is in our foolishness that His wisdom is made known. It is through our failures that we discover the sufficiency of His grace (1 Corinthians 1:25 and 3:19; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Sure, someone should have scheduled a foot-washer for the Passover celebration, but think about what we would have missed if they had. Maybe God is doing the same kind of work in your own mistakes and mishaps.

Jesus,

Thank You for redeeming my mistakes, oversights, and missteps.

Thank You that Your strength is made perfect in my weakness.

Help me to lay aside the pride that tempts me to cover up, blame and dodge my failures, and in so doing, miss the redemption You have already planned for me.

Amen