For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
On the night of his arrest as he reclined at the table with the Twelve, Jesus expressed to them that his purpose at that place was more than the simple sharing of a meal. That meal was of supreme importance, of course, for it established for all time a fellowship among those who place their trust in Christ. It was a commemorative meal that would, ultimately, become celebratory. Yet beyond the meal – or, more accurately, in light of it – Jesus greatly desired to show his love for his disciples in a practical way. Thus he washed their feet. In that intimate act he expressed to them what he had earnestly longed for them to grasp all along – that their expressed, lived-out love for one another was his righteous demand. It also would be the very evidence to the world of their faith and trust in him. Love can be dismissed. It can be punished. It can be ridiculed and even marginalized. This is true even when it is genuine and sincere. Our world – just like the world in Jesus’s day – has little room for the authentic love of God. Yet regardless of worldly responses to the love that people of Christ show to others, we know that in Him the love we share is unbreakable and unconquerable. It cannot be moved. And not only can it not be moved – it is a practical articulation of the righteousness that we have been given in Christ. It does no wrong. It is the law in all its fullness. It is our Spirit-led demonstration of the presence of Christ in our hearts. Enjoy this day of worship.
–Ricky