“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” (John 13:8, NIV)
You don’t need me to list all the stereotypes of golfers for you, but I do want to bring one to mind today: the advice-giver.
We all know that one of the best ways to improve your swing is to find a teacher who speaks your language, put down the money for a series of lessons, and build foundational or next-level habits into the motions that will produce good shots for you more frequently. You put your trust in this instructor and listen to what he or she says.
This is not the same as listening to the advice-giver. Here is the uninvited visitor on the range—and sometimes on the course—who, without any real qualifications that anyone knows of, starts telling you what adjustments you can make to “really take off.” It’s not only that this fellow (aren’t most of them men?) has no eye for what you’re doing wrong, but he also has a tongue for something he read late last night in Golf Digest, and he’s sure it’s the magic you need. Have you ever tried harder to say, “Thanks but no thanks”?
Saying no, it turns out, is very hard or very easy. If you don’t want to upset someone or seem like a downer, it can be hard. But if the person is suggesting something crazy, wrong, or untimely, you might say no without hesitation.
Now what if the one doing the asking is God? It is among the sad truths about our nature that we could find things to say no to God about. Yet we do. Just like Peter.
It was a blessing. You might even call it a rite—a form of inclusion. And Peter turned it down.
Peter had not so long before the events of John 13 declared Jesus to be the sole carrier of the words of life. He was, in Peter’s exact words, “The Messiah, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16). So Peter evidently thought he was doing the right thing when he disdained the Lord’s move to wash Peter’s feet. Washing feet was something a servant did. Not the Messiah. Not God. No way would Peter let Jesus wash his feet. So he said to Jesus, “No. Not now, not ever.”
Let’s be clear. This was apparently not a command. This was not Jesus saying, “You must obey me by letting me wash your feet.” Rather it was a blessing. You might even call it a rite—a form of inclusion. And Peter turned it down.
Good thing for Peter that Jesus was insistent. The heart of his words leaned in this direction: “I know you love me, Peter, and you want to be part of me. So you’re going to want this.” And when Peter understood, he wanted it very much. “Wash all of me!” he cried in his over-the-top way of attacking the world. Jesus settled him down a bit, but the point had been made: If you want to be part of me, you’re going to want what I have to give you.
I know I have turned down God’s blessings at times in my life. You probably have, too. We have dinner plans, or we can handle this problem ourselves, or we would just rather curl up and read a good book or watch the football game. We settle for a solid meal when Jesus offers us a feast. Here’s how we change: Let’s look for the blessings that are walking our way and let’s seize them. They’re from Jesus, for Pete(r)’s sake! What could be better?
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Jeff Hopper
August 17, 2021
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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