JESUS KNEW WHERE HE CAME FROM

John 13:3
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he came forth from God, and was going to God, (WEB)

I love this passage of Scripture. To set the backdrop to today's Bible reading, this took place during the Passover Supper, the night before Jesus would be crucified. Today's verse precedes Jesus washing His disciples' feet. Let's read the whole text from John 13:1-5...

1 Now before the feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his time had come that he would depart from this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he came forth from God, and was going to God, 4 arose from supper, and laid aside his outer garments. He took a towel, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (WEB)

Because our Elder Brother knew where He came from and where He was returning to, He was completely secure in His own identity. And that identity was that of the only begotten of the Father. Because He was loved from before the creation of the world, He could gladly take on the form of the lowest servant and wash His disciples' feet.

It is amazing the freedom that comes when we know where we came from and where we are going to. When we know we are loved by Almighty God, it is no longer our actions that define us. When we know we are loved beyond anything that we could imagine, we can be free to focus on the needs of others.

My prayer today is that we would all know how deeply the Father loves us. I pray that we would all be rooted and grounded in His love so that we could be a reflection of His love and humility in all that we do. Not because we have to, but simply because we choose to.

1 John 3:1
Behold, how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn’t know us, because it didn’t know him. (WEB)