CHURCH OF GOD FAITH FELLOWSHIP
  • Home
    • Spring Feast 2022
    • FOT 2018 >
      • Accommodations
      • Location and Directions
      • Feast Activities
      • Feast Schedule
      • Feast messages
  • Essays
    • Psalms of Ascent
    • Yes, There Is Good News!
    • Timely Comments - Blog
    • Christian Walk
    • Holy Days >
      • Passover >
        • children's lessons
      • Days of Unleavened Bread >
        • children's lessons
      • Pentecost >
        • children's lessons
      • Trumpets >
        • children's lessons
      • Atonement >
        • children's lessons
      • Feast of Tabernacles >
        • children's lessons
      • Eighth Day >
        • children's lessons
    • Holidays
  • Current Sabbath School
    • Sabbath School 2022
    • Sabbath School 2021
    • Sabbath school 2020
    • Sabbath School 2019
    • Sabbath school 2018
    • Sabbath School 2017
    • Sabbath School 2016
    • Sabbath School - 2015
    • Sabbath School 2014
    • Sabbath School: July-December 2013
  • 2022 Calendar
    • 2021 Calendar
    • 2020 Calendar
    • 2019 Calendar
    • 2018 Calendar
    • 2017 Calendar
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
    • 2013
  • Newsletter
    • 2022 Newsletters
    • 2021 Newsletters
    • 2020 Newsletters
    • 2019 newsletters
    • 2018 Newsletter archives
    • 2017 Newsletter archives
    • 2016 Newsletter archives
    • 2015 Newsletter archives
    • 2014 Newsletter Archives
    • 2013 Newsletter archives
  • Hebron
    • Hebron - 2014 >
      • April 2014 - Michael Deering's visit >
        • Photos from Michael
      • May 2014 - Tom Benzen's visit >
        • Gardening photos
      • July 2014 - Apples >
        • More Apple Photos
      • August 2014 - New orphans
      • September 2014 - Education >
        • September photos
      • October 2014 - Cyclone
      • December 2014
    • Hebron - 2015 >
      • January 2015
      • March 2015
      • April 2015 - Passover
      • October 2015 >
        • Ice Cream photos
    • Hebron - 2016 >
      • January 2016 photos
      • Passover 2016 >
        • Passover photos
      • Pentecost photos 2016
      • July 2016 - Evening Prayers
      • Apples - July 2016
      • Aug 2016
    • Hebron Building Project >
      • photos of building project
    • Hebron 2017 >
      • Pentecost 2017 photos
      • July 2017 lunch photos
      • Nursing/regular students
      • Lunchtime - Oct 2017
      • Feast of Tabernacles photos
      • October Thank You
      • Nursing Students
      • December photos
    • Hebron 2018 >
      • Passover 2018
      • Baby boy!!
      • Feast of Tabernacles 2018 >
        • Feast photos
    • Hebron 2021 >
      • Photos January 2021
      • February photos
      • December photos
    • Hebron 2022
  • Career Direct

Yes! There Is Good News!

Bill Rollins has been publishing each week a column in the local Elk Horn, Iowa paper for the past several years.
Note the original publication date on each blog post

Yes! There is Good News!                          March 10, 2018

1/28/2021

0 Comments

 

“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:53) We ended our previous article by quoting this scripture which comes at the end of John 16. The appearance of these words at this point is quite significant.

But, let’s go back to the very start of this whole episode and see where Luke, the writer of the third gospel, begins. Luke 22:8, “Jesus sent Peter and John saying, ‘Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.’ … When the hour came, Jesus and His apostles reclined at the table. And He said to them, ‘With eagerness have I desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer’.”

As we piece this story together, we see from John 13 that about the first thing Jesus did, before the Passover meal, was to wash His disciple’s feet. What was meant by this act? Well, when Jesus finished this task, He says in verse 14, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet, I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” So Jesus sets an example for us.

Today, in the 21st century, we have many means of keeping our feet clean. His admonition to us, who read these words today, must have much more meaning than making sure our brethren have clean feet! Let’s go back and take a deeper look at this activity.

In the process of washing feet, Jesus came to Peter who questioned his Lord’s actions. First of all, in ancient Jewish traditions, this just was not done. A disciple was not to question the actions or motivation of the Rabbi! But Jesus was very gentle with Peter as He answered him, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but after you will understand.”  In today’s vernacular, I suppose we might say that Peter was always quick to “open mouth – insert foot”. Peter replied, “No, you shall never wash my feet.” If questioning a Rabbi was a dubious action, commanding the Rabbi was quite unheard of!

Again Jesus was gentle but firm (Don’t we wish our bosses today were as gentle as the Savior was?), “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” Uh-oh! “Don’t stop with my feet, but wash my hands and head as well,” was Peter’s reply.

Many have said that this foot washing was done to show the humility Jesus was exampling for us and there is something to that. This task was to be accomplished by the lowest servant of the house. But I believe that there is more to it. Jesus said to Peter that he had already had a bath (a reference to baptism) and so “his whole body was clean” (13:10). Friends, there is a profound lesson for us here, but we must (God willing) leave it for the next article.

Remember, in Christ Jesus we have PEACE!!
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Bill Rollins resides in Elk Horn, IA, with his wife, Sally, and has pastored the Church of God of Omaha, NE for more than 35 years.

    Archives

    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
    • Spring Feast 2022
    • FOT 2018 >
      • Accommodations
      • Location and Directions
      • Feast Activities
      • Feast Schedule
      • Feast messages
  • Essays
    • Psalms of Ascent
    • Yes, There Is Good News!
    • Timely Comments - Blog
    • Christian Walk
    • Holy Days >
      • Passover >
        • children's lessons
      • Days of Unleavened Bread >
        • children's lessons
      • Pentecost >
        • children's lessons
      • Trumpets >
        • children's lessons
      • Atonement >
        • children's lessons
      • Feast of Tabernacles >
        • children's lessons
      • Eighth Day >
        • children's lessons
    • Holidays
  • Current Sabbath School
    • Sabbath School 2022
    • Sabbath School 2021
    • Sabbath school 2020
    • Sabbath School 2019
    • Sabbath school 2018
    • Sabbath School 2017
    • Sabbath School 2016
    • Sabbath School - 2015
    • Sabbath School 2014
    • Sabbath School: July-December 2013
  • 2022 Calendar
    • 2021 Calendar
    • 2020 Calendar
    • 2019 Calendar
    • 2018 Calendar
    • 2017 Calendar
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
    • 2013
  • Newsletter
    • 2022 Newsletters
    • 2021 Newsletters
    • 2020 Newsletters
    • 2019 newsletters
    • 2018 Newsletter archives
    • 2017 Newsletter archives
    • 2016 Newsletter archives
    • 2015 Newsletter archives
    • 2014 Newsletter Archives
    • 2013 Newsletter archives
  • Hebron
    • Hebron - 2014 >
      • April 2014 - Michael Deering's visit >
        • Photos from Michael
      • May 2014 - Tom Benzen's visit >
        • Gardening photos
      • July 2014 - Apples >
        • More Apple Photos
      • August 2014 - New orphans
      • September 2014 - Education >
        • September photos
      • October 2014 - Cyclone
      • December 2014
    • Hebron - 2015 >
      • January 2015
      • March 2015
      • April 2015 - Passover
      • October 2015 >
        • Ice Cream photos
    • Hebron - 2016 >
      • January 2016 photos
      • Passover 2016 >
        • Passover photos
      • Pentecost photos 2016
      • July 2016 - Evening Prayers
      • Apples - July 2016
      • Aug 2016
    • Hebron Building Project >
      • photos of building project
    • Hebron 2017 >
      • Pentecost 2017 photos
      • July 2017 lunch photos
      • Nursing/regular students
      • Lunchtime - Oct 2017
      • Feast of Tabernacles photos
      • October Thank You
      • Nursing Students
      • December photos
    • Hebron 2018 >
      • Passover 2018
      • Baby boy!!
      • Feast of Tabernacles 2018 >
        • Feast photos
    • Hebron 2021 >
      • Photos January 2021
      • February photos
      • December photos
    • Hebron 2022
  • Career Direct