From Background Notes [BN] for March 24th/25th written by Pastor Bob Brown:
Not to be outdone, Peter figures if washing his feet will garner him a place in the coming kingdom alongside Jesus, then washing his hands and head would have to count for even more.
Still oblivious to the point Jesus wants to make, Peter looks for ways to reduce the humiliation of the "washing". He wants to include "head" and "hands,” certainly more "honorable" parts of the human anatomy than the "feet". Was Peter attempting to elevate the form of cleansing so as to minimize the humiliation involved? If so, we have yet another parallel to the act of foot-washing and the coming suffering and death of Jesus on the cross. For the cross was the ultimate instrument of "shame" and "humiliation,” so much so, that in the New Testament the writers spoke of the "scandal" or "stumbling block" of the cross (see Galatians 5:11; 1 Corinthians 1:23; 1 Peter 2:7-8; Hebrews 12:2). The Jewish community was scandalized when one of its own was executed on a cross by the Romans. That is why, in all likelihood, the Jewish leadership resisted Pilate's placing of the placard ("Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews") over Jesus' cross. They could scarcely bear the humiliation of seeing one of their own in this sorry condition lifted up as if he were their "king". In a similar sense, Peter could not countenance having Jesus lower himself to the level of a Gentile slave. What the Jews wanted was someone to be their "leader,” their "head and their hands,” so to speak, not a convicted criminal. In service to others, Jesus was willing to bear the shame. [BN,5]
Come join us this week for the Passion Play. It is titled I've Just Seen Jesus. Performance dates and times are as follows:
Come join us this week for the Passion Play. It is titled I've Just Seen Jesus. Performance dates and times are as follows:
Friday March 23 at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday March 24 at 6:00 p.m.
Sunday March 25 at 6:00 p.m.
No comments:
Post a Comment