1. Overflow in Mission - John 13:1-17
Nuts and Bolts
Overflow in Mission - John 13:1-17

3. Jesus washes the disciples feet …
Illustrate:
The water, the dirt, the bowl, towel and humbled kneeing position. Jesus takes the role of a gentile servant … lower than even a Hebrew servant.
Philippians 2
John expresses the sentiment and action of Jesus … this is Jesus showing the full extent of his love, or how much he loved his disciples to the end. The meaning has a duality here. It can quite justifiably be taken both ways.
This is the limit of what we will explore today. The full extent of Jesus’ love…or how he loved them (his disciples) to the end.

4. Jesus loved them to the end – Jesus showed them his unfailing and faithful love. That Jesus’ love will last until his death and beyond.
Jesus showed them the full extent of his love – the depth and breadth of his love. That Jesus’ love is broad and deep in its impact on the lives of his disciples and indeed all people.
You might say that Jesus was overflowing with love for his disciples. Love (delight in, enjoyment, passion for, interest in) exuded from every part of who Jesus was.
Let’s explore this overflow of his love, this full extent of his love so as we as the people of God in this place feed on him and are filled up with his living water might overflow with love, show the full extent of our love, love others to the end.

5. Jesus Loved them (his disciples) to the end …
… Even to the cross and death …
Expressed here is the unfailing faithful quality to the Love that Jesus has for people, for his disciples, for those who trust in him…
Despite all
Despite the knowledge of all that he would endure – physically and spiritually … the sin, rejection and condemnation
Despite his desire that there might be another way
Despite his innocence of any crime or rejection of God
Despite his perfectly expressed Kingship, Priesthood and Prophet nature.
Despite the abandonment and betrayal of those around him and close to him.
Despite his knowledge that death would come and he would be separated from God … cast out of the eternal perfect loving community of God.
As we reflect on this unfailing and faithful love of Jesus then we ask that God’s spirit might sustain us in unfailing and faithful love to the end … That we might run the race of love and life set before us.
Despite the hardship, the rejection, the pain, the suffering.
Despite the knowledge that there might be an easier way
Despite the accusations that come against us
Despite the rejection that we might encounter
Even

6. Run the race of love and life
As we reflect on this unfailing and faithful love of Jesus then we ask that God’s spirit might sustain us in unfailing and faithful love to the end … That we might run the race of love and life set before us with perseverance and endurance…
Despite the hardship, the rejection, the pain, the suffering.
Despite the knowledge that there might be (what might seem to be) an easier way
Despite the accusations that come against us
Despite the rejection that we might encounter
Even to the very end’s of our lives … we don’t retire from living lives of love, lives that strive for the unfailing and faithful love that Jesus showed to the very end of his life.
Run the race of love and life

7. Jesus showed them the full extent of his love …
… Even to taking the very place of a (Gentile) servant …
Now he showed them the full extent of his love. The full depth and breadth of his love. The implication of the verse is that not only is Jesus’ love unfailing and faithful to the very end but that it is deep and broad in its expression… it reaches indeed to the very ends of the earth … (Acts 1:8)
Jesus places himself in the role of the lowest of all servants – the gentile servant. He washes the disciples feet and declares them clean, pure, right, restored. Yet indeed he does this for all that allow him to … he places himself in the position of the least that he might be able to serve all … there is absolutely no one that is lower than him at this point…and indeed there is absolutely no place that Jesus won’t go to that he might reach them with his cleansing, restoring love.
Read: Philippians 2 – as well as being the majestic, righteous and powerful King, Priest and Prophet of all the universe here is one that makes himself lower than all (even to the point of death) that he might raise them up to life in all its fullness for all eternity … that upon him all might stand as their righteousness.
And so we are called to reflect on our own love for others…
How broad and deep is our love for them?
Are we willing to humble ourselves before them in prayer and service that they in turn might stand upon Jesus and find life, restoration, reconciliation and rightness?
Are we prepared to deal with the dirt and grubbiness of not only our own lives but the lives of others as well?
Are really willing to consider others better than ourselves (Phil 2:1-4) … are we really willing to love them with a love that sees the dignity, value and worth in all people no matter who they are, or what they have done ... Even those who might betray us, even into the hands of those who might kill us?
This is the Love of Jesus … this is the full extent of his love…this is the love that Jesus calls us to daily … to take our cross of love and follow in his way.