The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-10-14
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON Fob
OCTOBER 1S.
Lesson Text: "Washing the Disciples
Feet" John xiii, 1-17-Golden
Text: Phil. ii. O.
Commentary.

eno HIS - GudG pdSSONel
ing which He had said that He heartily Ge
sired to eat it with them before He suffered
Nuke xxi, 15). When we read of the pass.
over we should always think OF the words,
Christ our passover is sacrificed for us" Il
Cor. ". y.
''Having loved His own which were in
the world, He loved them unto the end"
Knowing all about them, and how one would
deny Him and all forsake Him, yet He loved
them with an everlasting, unchanging love.
Judas never was really His, but the others,
with all their SINS were His own.
2. And supper being ended, the devil hav-
ing now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot,
Simon's son. to betray him. The revised
version says during supper" AS to the
character Of Judas from the very first, see
chapter vi, TO- Have I not chosen you
twelve, and one of you is devil?n Profess
ing to be disciple of Christ, he was in real
ity disciple Of the devil
8. Jesus knowing that the Father had
given all things into Bis hands, and that He
was come from God and went to God"
Nothing will enable us to havea true spirit
of humility like the consciousness that we
are the children Of God and joint heirs with
Christ one with Him who is possessor of
heaven and earth.
4. "He riseth from supper, and laid aside
His garments and took towel and girded
Himself" Jesus could not do anything i'm
perfectly. The laying aside of His garments
reminds Of IsraeTs high priest, VINO on the
day Of atonement laid aside his garments of
glory and beauty that, clothed only in white
linen, he might go into the holy Of holies to
make atonement for the sins of the nation
LEV. xvi, 81. 1t also suggests to US that
Jesus laid aside the glory which He had with
the Father before the world was that He
might become our atonement to cleanse US
from all sin I'll Cor. viii, 9; v. 2I.
5. AFTER that He poureth water into a
basin, and began to wash the disciples feet,
and to wipe them with the towel wherewith
He was girded." When John saw Him in
vision on the isle of Patmos He was still the
girded one, 'Girt about the breasts with a
golden girdle" REV. l., 49,. The girdle in
dicates service. When on earth in His hu-
initiation He said: II ain among you as He
that serveth"
6. "Then cometh He to Simon Peter, and
Peter saith unto Him, Lord, dost Thou wash
my feet" Peters thought probably was
that he could not think OF having his Lord
stoop to do for him somenial service. He
did not as yet know the true spirit of Christ.
That this feet washing was the most menial
service, see the request Of Abigail when
David offered to make her his wife Il Sam.
XIV, AZ.
z. "Jesus answered and said unto him,
What do thou knowest not now; but thou
shalt know hereafter" This verse is often
used to comfort those who are in perplexity
concerning Gods dealings with them in this
present life, and they are told that they shall
know hereatter-that is, in the world to
come It is all true that what is now dark
and mysterious shall be clearly known in the
kingdom, for '.Now we SEQ through glass
darkly, but then face to face; now we know
in part, but then shall we know even as we
are known" II Cor. xiii, 12). These words
to Peter may, however, have meant that he
would know little later that very evening,
after Jesus had finished the feet washing (see
verses IA, 15>.
8. Peter saith unto Him, Thou shalt
never wash my feet" This may seem like
humility, but it is in reality resisting the
loving and all wise Saviour. Rather
should Peter have said. "Re it unto me as
Thou wilt"
Jesus answered him, II wash thee now
thou hast no part with Me-" Whatever we
may be morally or orreligiously. il we are not
washed from our sins by His blood we have
no part with Him.
9. Simon Peter saith unto Him, Lord not
my feet only, but also my hands and my
head" The thought Of having to part with
Jesus makes Peter anxiousto be thoroughly
washed.
10. "Jesus saith unto him, He that is
washed neeieth not save to wash his feet,
butts clean every whit" When we receive
Jesus as cur Saviour we are Immediately ac-
cepted in Him, and are washed, justified and
sanctified, complete in Him, so that by His
finished work we are made perfectly whole
as to our standing before God and accept
ance with God.
10, II. "And ye are c;ean. but not all.
For He knew who should betray Him; there
fore said He, Ye are not all cean." Judas
never was clean: he was only disciple in
name: he was OF the number OF the twelve
luke xxii., 81, but never really OF the
twelve. AS to the other eleven, who were
disciples indeed, although in themselves weak
and sinful, yet in Christ they were clean,
and by His merits made meet for the in
heritance of the saints in light QCol. l., l2,.
12. $50 after He had washed their feet,
and had taken His garments, and was set
down again, He said unto them, Know ye
what have done to your He is now about
10 make good His word to Peter. Thou shalt
know hereafter or after these things tverse
q. Teaching by object lessons begun in Eden
with the Tree Of Life, Tie ch"rubim and the
flaming swcr.
IS I'VE call Me Master and Lord; and ye
say we'll, for so am" He had taught them
that He was their Master, and He only, and
(Math. xiii, S, l0,. Master signifies teacher,
and is so translate / in John iii, 2, and else
where Lord signifies ru er or possessor or
proprietor. In the Old Testament, Lord,
when all in capitals, is the great name Jeho-
yah, the self assistant the Righteous, but
when only the l. is capital and the ord
small letters, then it is Adonai. signifying
possessor or proprietor. and is first found in
Gen. XIV, y, in connection with Jehovah (for
~ Ill ,&,i. = alec Iaha rrha
Abraham recognizes the poSssSSor OF heaven
and earth as his possessor. VINO is right
eous.
IA. If I. then, your Lord and Master.
have washed your fee+, ye also ought To
wash one another's feet" Our whole busi-
ness here is to reproduce i'll these bodies
something of the life OF Jesus III Cor. iv.,
Ill., that He while unseen by the world may
be seen in Us. This can never he done by
any efforts OF ours, but only by yielding to
Him, that He may 1--we i'll us.
Is. For l have given you an example
that ye should do as | have done TO you"
We cannot be saved by trying to follow His
example, but being saved by His precious
blood we can then by His spirit in us follow
His example, for He left example that
we should follow Ills steps IL Pet L.. III.
As to this feet washing, We may do it by nd
moaishing each other o! faults and sins. We
may correct and cleanse each other by the
Word of Cos.
IL. Verify, verify, l say unto you. The
servant is not greater than his lori; neither
he that is sent greater than He tnat sent
him." We are to serve as the servants of
Chri;t. doing the will of God from the heart
tEph. vi. o. Being made free from sim and
become servants to God. we are to have our
fruit unto holiness (Ronl. vi, 22'.
II. If We know these things, nappy are ye
if ye do them" To know and not % do is
only to bring upon ourselves greater condem-
nation Luke xii, "a, 4S). The gospels are