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Thursday, July 2, 2020 - Join Pastor John for a Daily Devotional

July 2, 2020 by Rev. John Hartman

“The Kneeling King”

On this Thursday, I thought I would take you back to Maundy Thursday, the night of the Last Supper, and the night that Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. On that night, Jesus and the disciples are sitting around a candle lit meal. There is a sense of familiarity, something they have done before, -- but there is also an air of tension in the room. Something unusual is about to happen. It is something the disciples will never forget. Jesus gets a towel and a basin of water, bends to one knee, and begins to wash the disciples’ feet. They are confused, and even try to deny this act of service from Jesus, but they warm to the idea when Jesus explains that unless he washes them, they can’t be part of him (John 13:8).

There is a lot of chatter going on in sports about “kneeling” these days. Will players stand for the national anthem when NFL football starts back in the fall, or are they going to take a knee? There is a range of views on this, from it being a disrespect to the flag of our country (and to those who serve in the military), to it as a symbolic demonstration to highlight racial injustices in our country.

Today, I would rather think about kneeling in a different way. Imagine Jesus is kneeling in front of you. He is not doing this as a form of patriotism or protest, but he is washing your feet, and making you clean. It’s an act of service that becomes sacred, -- especially when it is he who is kneeling before us. Jesus is making us spiritually clean, and he is doing it out of love. It’s how he sees us, -- as we are. It’s not as we see ourselves, but as he sees us, and yet he does it any way.

Finally, this kneeling of Jesus is also a call from him to serve others. Jesus set an example that we should do as he has done for us. Jesus says, “Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them” (John 13:16). Whatever your feeling on kneeling, just remember that Jesus Christ, the “Kneeling King,” sees you and loves you as you are, so go and do likewise in love and service to others.