In this story of Jesus washing the feet of His disciples, we learn that we need to share in and share out the servant love of Jesus. We must allow ourselves to be washed completely clean by Jesus and to be served by our community. Further, we need to be willing to serve out of Jesus’ love to our community.

The big picture of John 12 shows the two ways that people respond to Jesus. Either He repulses us or we cannot help but be drawn to Him; when He speaks we either hear the simple rumblings of thunder or the voice of an angel.

Through the death and resurrection of Lazarus, John 11 illustrates God’s agenda of His own glory and how that contrasts against our own agendas for our lives. Jesus then causes us to question which agenda we really find ourselves believing in in our daily lives.

John 10 shows us that through Jesus, the Good Shepherd, we can have relationship, fulfillment, security and life. To fully see how the Good Shepherd provides these things we must see him as our everything and allow his gospel to transform our entire lives.

In John 9 Jesus speaks boldly into our state of suffering, saying that each trial has a specific purpose. More than that, all of the suffering we deal with will be used for God’s glory and to make us more like Jesus.

Whether we are willing to admit it or not, we are slaves to a master. There is something in our lives that we are willing to sacrifice anything to attain. The problem is that this slavery ultimately will destroy us. Only through trusting in the gospel can we be set free from the bondage of this slavery and be brought into the family of God.

Jesus’ claim that he is the light of the world has huge implications for our lives. As the light of the world, Jesus is the only source of true life and the only way that we are able to be in the presence of a holy God. Finally, Jesus as the light of the world calls us to live in light and truth with each other.

Although this familiar passage is often used to deter judgment, what we really see Jesus talking about is grace and obedience. First, the grace that comes from him taking our condemnation upon himself. Second, the obedience that flows from a life marked by this life changing grace.

As Jesus speaks again of living waters, we are reminded of our spiritual need and thirst. Once we are drawn by the Father and realize our thirst we see that drinking deeply of Jesus is the only way our thirst is satisfied.

As Jesus confronts his followers with hard teachings many of them turn back and no longer follow him. It’s much the same for us today. We would rather have truths that we can swallow than the hard discipleship Jesus calls us to. Though difficult we need to see that these truths ultimately free us from our idols.