The Gospel of John was written…
“…So that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” (20:31)
John was a master with his words, and there is a reason he wrote the words he did; they were to point us to the character and nature of Christ, who is God, in order for us to believe. As you read the book, you see all the different situations Jesus was in, and how He was in control of it all. He had authority over sickness and disease, nature, and death. The disciples, after being around him for three years, should have been able to trust Christ completely. However, it was not until after He had died, was buried, and risen from the dead that they really began to. They still had moments, prior, where they would question the Messiah in what He was doing.
In John 13, where Jesus washes the disciples’ feet, Christ makes His way around the disciples and comes to Peter. Peter questions Christ as to why He was washing his feet. Christ says in John 13:7, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” What Christ was referring to was the atonement. The blood of Christ washes the sinner clean, and they are justified in the eyes of God, and God has also made daily provisions for us to wash our feet as we walk through this dirty and sinful world, as we grow in our sanctification. What Christ was doing to the disciples was showing the disciples, symbolically, what was going to take place in just a few short hours after their dinner.
Christ’s words got me thinking. There are times in our life where things happen that do not make sense to us. We may lose a job, a loved one, there are a multitude of things that could happen. We can and should, trust that God is in control. He is sovereign and He knows exactly what it is He is doing. It will all work out. We should remember that God is most concerned about His glory. All He does is for His glory. He made us for His glory. Therefore, the best thing that could ever happen for us is to glorify God, for in that we experience true joy. God is using you, whether you think so or not. He has given you a job to do, even in those tough situations. It does not mean that everything will always get better in this life, it may not. God has put you where you are in the situations you are in so that His name be glorified. That is your purpose, “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). Life is not, has not, and will never be about us. We were created by God for God. To God alone be the glory!