May 12: John 13:16-20

Key Verse: John 13:20
Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.

Devotion:
Time and time again Jesus warned the Jews they should not take God for granted and they should believe what the scriptures say and not what man says; but I do like the way He ends this piece of text: if people are willing to accept the priests, bishops, leaders or just ordinary people who He sends, then they will be willing to accept Jesus; and if we are willing to accept Jesus, then we should be willing to accept the one who sent Jesus – God!

Jesus starts this passage by reminding us He comes as a servant – He is our servant hearted King. We lift Him up to the position of King of Kings, but He lowers Himself to the position of servant. He came to serve and to save us. He did not lift Himself up to be greater than God, but came as the Messenger delivering the final truth so we could know He came from God.

If we are willing to be more like Him and to lower ourselves to be in the position of servant to the people in our communities, then we are acting like Jesus did and we will be blessed by God for doing exactly this. But, even though we come as servants, there can always be a rotten apple amongst us, one who is acting as a servant but who is working for their own agenda instead of the God’s will.

Back in the book of Psalms, chapter 41, we read how there was one who shared bread with Jesus but ultimately turned against Him. Written hundreds of years before Christ came to be with us and hundreds of years before Judas Iscariot was born – these words were written because God knew what had to happen. But Jesus stepped forward willingly and made this all happen just as God had promised – because He loves us!

Points to Ponder:
Do you willingly step forward as a servant in your church?

Will you stop to help someone today?