John 13:8. We’ve been looking at Jesus’ loving service to His disciples in washing their feet. Peter offered some resistance. Peter said to Him, "Never shall You wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me."

There’s obviously much more to this foot-washing than meets the eye. Peter’s rejection of Jesus’ help at this point is tantamount to being an outcast. “If I do not wash you, you can have no part with me.” I think Jesus meant that Peter could have no part in living to love with Jesus. One can’t live to love with Jesus as a part of His body if he hasn’t experienced Jesus’ cleansing power. How can we serve in His name if we don’t know what His name is or what it means? He will say to them later, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.“So if we don’t have a part with Jesus, we will be apart from Him. Therefore we cannot live to love with Him. May we experience Jesus’ cleansing today of all that defiles us from holiness so we can participate in His loving service to His body.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com