Cleansed by a King

Teacher, Lord, what have you done for me
to wash the parts of me that were the most unclean?
Teacher, Lord what else can I do
than bow and worship You?
No one is greater than You.

Tonight at Connexion (Evangelical Community Church's college service), Pastor Bob talked about the paradoxical and unpredictable life of following Christ. The Scripture reference he used was when Jesus washes the feet of the disciples. I could go into the whole sermon, but the Lord was making connections elsewhere in the Bible that just blew me away. He's been doing that a lot lately :) So here's the breakdown:

"It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie." (John 1:27)

"On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, "Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel." (John 12:12-13)

"So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. (John 13:12-14)

So here's the breakdown: The first verse is spoken by John the Baptist, explaining that he is unworthy to untie the sandal of the Messiah. As I understand it, it was the lowest servants job to touch the feet of their Master, to wash all the crap and filth before entering the house (they didn't have Nike or Reebok back then). Then we see the people of Jerusalem creating this huge procession for Jesus, calling Him the King of Israel. Then we see Jesus washing the feet of His disciples.

This is what blew me away: The One whose feet we're unworthy to wash is washing our feet.

Jesus Christ, King of the Jews and Gentiles and whole world, deserving of all glory, honor, and praise, whom deserves all of our hearts, mind, and body, attention and focus, actions and pursuit, is taking on the role of the LOWEST servant, and washing the most unclean part of someone's body in that time. I cannot help but worship this paradox.

The paradox is furthur solidified in the Crucifixion. Jesus Christ is subjected to the most humiliating and mortifiying death. He is killed with theives and murderers, yet the blood from His death gives us victory over death. The blood pouring from His body because of man's sin cleanses us from our filthiest sin, making us without sin in the eyes of the Lord. Or as the Holy Bible says, "Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins." (Hebrews 9:14)

Oh and something else I just thought of: Blood stains. It STAINS, and you can't get it out. Even if you bleach it where you can't see it anymore, the stain is still there. So if you have been washed by the blood of Christ, where sin once stained you, the blood of Jesus now stains you. Nothing will take it away. I knew my obsession with Law and Order: SVU would furthur the kingdom eventually.

He washed our feet. He washes our conscience. He washes our hearts.

How can anyone not love this King?