a Reflection on "Service" (IV)
--continuing
Now we realized that "to serve" the Lord goes along with "to Love" the Lord. And by this Love we find our desire.
How does service and Love related to one another? I still remember the time when I reflect this, and it was during the Holy Week, the day before Good Friday, it was on Holy Thursday. I entered the church for the celebration, and the Gospel was taken from John, the Washing of Feet.
you can read the passage at here.
As I reflect on John 13, I realized that God speaks about Love and service. Most of the time we read the passage of Washing of Feet only in the context of service, and not in the context of Love. But John started the story in the context of Love.
1 Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
John 13:1
Love must begin the story. Love was the motive. Love was the reason. It is because Jesus Loves us who are in this world, He loves us to the end.
What story to begin then? is it the washing of feet? No, It's the story of the greatest sacrifice. It is the story when Jesus gave Himself to us, body and blood.
You might be wondering why do I say this. In Holy Thursday, we celebrated the Feast of the institution of the Eucharist. It is the Feast when Jesus gave Himself, body and blood, out of Love.
It is surprising that John never told the story of the Institution of the Eucharist itself. The other Gospels wrote about the institution of the Eucharist when Jesus said, "This is my Body...This is my Blood". Instead, John replace it with the story of Washing of Feet. And the more surprising is that during the Feast of the Institution of the Eucharist it is the Gospel of John that is being read.
I then realized that the story of Washing of Feet, the story of service, is actually the story of Sacrifice, it is the story of Love.
Joh 15:13 Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
There is no Love when there is no sacrifice. Love shows it self not in rommance, but in sacrifices.
Mat 20:28 even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
I often read the verse in Mat 20 as something seperate. That Jesus came to serve and to give His life. But I never realized that actually Jesus said about the same thing. This is His service, to give His Life as a ransom for many.
Bishop Fulton Sheen once said that Jesus did not come only to teach or to do miracles, but Jesus came to die on the Cross.
This life giving is His service.
"the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
That day, the Holy Thursday, is the day of sacrifice, is the day of Love. On that day, He started the sacrifice which He completed on Good Friday. The washing of feet is the giving of His body and blood. The story of service is actually the story of Life Giving. The reason is simply Love. Because He loves us to the end.
And this what Jesus told us after He washed the disciples' feet.
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. "
John 13:34
To Love as Jesus has loved us, to Love by giving our Life as Jesus gave His Life.
Next: Closing >>
---to be continued.
Now we realized that "to serve" the Lord goes along with "to Love" the Lord. And by this Love we find our desire.
How does service and Love related to one another? I still remember the time when I reflect this, and it was during the Holy Week, the day before Good Friday, it was on Holy Thursday. I entered the church for the celebration, and the Gospel was taken from John, the Washing of Feet.
you can read the passage at here.
As I reflect on John 13, I realized that God speaks about Love and service. Most of the time we read the passage of Washing of Feet only in the context of service, and not in the context of Love. But John started the story in the context of Love.
1 Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
John 13:1
Love must begin the story. Love was the motive. Love was the reason. It is because Jesus Loves us who are in this world, He loves us to the end.
What story to begin then? is it the washing of feet? No, It's the story of the greatest sacrifice. It is the story when Jesus gave Himself to us, body and blood.
You might be wondering why do I say this. In Holy Thursday, we celebrated the Feast of the institution of the Eucharist. It is the Feast when Jesus gave Himself, body and blood, out of Love.
It is surprising that John never told the story of the Institution of the Eucharist itself. The other Gospels wrote about the institution of the Eucharist when Jesus said, "This is my Body...This is my Blood". Instead, John replace it with the story of Washing of Feet. And the more surprising is that during the Feast of the Institution of the Eucharist it is the Gospel of John that is being read.
I then realized that the story of Washing of Feet, the story of service, is actually the story of Sacrifice, it is the story of Love.
Joh 15:13 Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
There is no Love when there is no sacrifice. Love shows it self not in rommance, but in sacrifices.
Mat 20:28 even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
I often read the verse in Mat 20 as something seperate. That Jesus came to serve and to give His life. But I never realized that actually Jesus said about the same thing. This is His service, to give His Life as a ransom for many.
Bishop Fulton Sheen once said that Jesus did not come only to teach or to do miracles, but Jesus came to die on the Cross.
This life giving is His service.
"the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
That day, the Holy Thursday, is the day of sacrifice, is the day of Love. On that day, He started the sacrifice which He completed on Good Friday. The washing of feet is the giving of His body and blood. The story of service is actually the story of Life Giving. The reason is simply Love. Because He loves us to the end.
And this what Jesus told us after He washed the disciples' feet.
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. "
John 13:34
To Love as Jesus has loved us, to Love by giving our Life as Jesus gave His Life.
Next: Closing >>
---to be continued.
posted by Oka | 8:27 pm
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