Has anyone ever said to you “what were you thinking?” Or you might have said it to someone yourself. The problem is we have no earthly idea what someone else is thinking, we have no way of reading minds. What if we could know what someone else was thinking, wonder how we would react if we knew they were thinking wrong thoughts about you. What if we knew what someone else was about to do and that something included a wrong action toward you? How would the look on your face be? As you looked them in their eye would you have a different look on your face? In John chapter 13 we see Jesus knowing and forgiving. There is no way that you and I can know what others are thinking let alone know what someone is about to do. Jesus knew His disciples thoughts and what the future held and knowing that He did something we need to learn to do.
John 13:12So after he had washed their feet, Now that’s interesting! The first set of feet Jesus came to was Peter’s the man that in just a few hours would curse Jesus.
John 13:5After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
John 13:6Then cometh he to Simon Peter: He also washed Thomas‘s feet knowing that this man would question the resurrection? He bows before Judas Iscariot and picks up his feet and washes them, no different than any of the other disciples. Even knowing that in just a few hours he himself would bring a group to the garden and they would arrest Jesus. Jesus knew that this man Judas would betray Him with a kiss.
Luke 22:48But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?
Jesus knowing what would take place forgave their sin before they even committed it. He offered mercy before they even sought it. You know what? He’s done the same for you and me. He not only loves us He likes us and He forgives us. There is only one sad thing to this event and that was Judas, he left the room.
John 13:30He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.
Judas went out and the Bible tells us that it was night. This was the darkest night of Judas’s life, it was a night where he could have been forgiven and he left. Peter was forgiven, Thomas was forgiven and I believe Judas could have also been forgiven but he refused and ran away from the one who was more than willing to forgive him. We should all learn to have a forgiving heart. I wonder if it was hard to forgive the ones you poured your life into. I guess it would have been but remember Jesus knew what would happen in days to come. He was able to see past that night of betrayal and saw a Peter that would stand strong and lead men to the saving knowledge of a great savior. I’m afraid we stop way too short for we only see the wrong done to us not what the power of forgiveness will do in the future. We rob ourselves by holding on to a hurt feeling, the idea that I have been treated wrongly. Sure we all can say we’ve been done wrong but have we not treated Jesus wrongly also and He forgave. Now you and I need to mirror the same in our lives.
