John 13:6-11

John 13:6-11 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Remember how, when you were a kid, your parents told you to eat all your food because there are starving kids in Africa?  I doubt that it worked, because it's hard to relate.  I've never known what it means to truly be hungry.  I've missed a few meals, and fasted on occasion, but never to the point where I was literally starving, and I've been blessed so that I've always known where the next meal is coming from.  I've never known food insecurity.  I doubt that I appreciate the blessing of a full stomach the way that someone who has experienced that does.
  Jesus is still trying to wash feet, but Peter is refusing.  Peter thinks this act is beneath Jesus, and Peter thinks he isn't worthy of having his feet washed by Jesus.  But Jesus explains that Peter needs to be washed, or else Peter won't have a place with Jesus, and Peter suddenly catches a glimpse of what life without Jesus might be like.  Faced with the fear of losing the relationship, Peter eagerly wants Jesus to wash all of him, just to be safe.  (Peter's great -- his exuberance is wonderful)
  It's possible to take Jesus for granted, or to fail to appreciate how completely dependent we are upon him for our eternal place.  Without him and the atonement for sins we get through him, we are destined for a future without God.  When we realize this, truly realize that we cannot get by without Jesus, we appreciate him all the more. 
  When I think about modern, middle-class life, it's easy to lull ourselves into the place where we think we don't need anything.  One can imagine oneself to be self-sufficient, to be doing ok, keeping up with everything, without any real needs.  Our vision shortens to what's in front of us, and if nothing is glaringly wrong, need can disappear from our vocabulary.  But when we get sick or things take a downturn, suddenly we understand that we're not in control and are very fragile, and we're reminded how small we can feel.  Building a relationship now, one that teaches us how to depend on Jesus, can prepare us for whatever comes our way, keeping us calm in the face of the storms, knowing that all joy and pain in front of us can be handled through the confidence that Jesus is with us.