Family worship (9) Title: Jesus Washing His Disciples' Feet
Bible:
When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!” They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this. A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have stood by me in my trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
If anyone wishes to listen to the Japanese voice recording, click next file.
Dad：
Today is Easter, the day Jesus was resurrected. Everybody knows about Christmas and celebrates it even if they are not Christian, but Easter may not be well known.
Mom:
Today's message is the story of the Last Supper, part of the "Passion". I found a nice video, so we'll do the picture storytelling next. It's in English, but there is a Japanese translation below.
Grace:
I guess we will understand better in English, but we can understand Japanese, too.
James:
Mom, you work hard because you always prepare messages and praises in English and Japanese.
Mom:
Yes, I do. However, I have good helpers. Mrs.Hakozaki proofreads my Japanese each time, and your three uncles and Athlee take turns proofreading my English, so they help me a lot. Dad manages my website, too. I am grateful for all these people.
Sophia:
It's a good thing that everyone helps each other.
Mom:
Yes, it is. Now, let's praise God and watch the video.
Prelude: "We Believe"
Video:
If anyone wishes to listen to the Japanese voice recording, click next file
Dad:
It was the night of Jesus' last meal with his disciples, one day before he was crucified.
Mom:
We had Holy Communion on Thursday in the chapel.
Sophia:
Yes, it was bread and grape juice. I would have liked to drink a little more juice. Why were the bread pieces and juice cups so small?
James:
Sophia, you are a glutton. That wasn't a meal. It was a ceremony to remember that Jesus' body was broken and His blood was shed.
Dad:
The disciples were arguing about where to sit at the meal. Why did they do that?
James:
They all wanted to sit near Jesus.
Sophia:
I want to sit by Jesus, too.
Grace:
It seems that the seats were decided based on who was the best disciple of Jesus. I think Jesus must have been very sad when He saw the disciples arguing. But this is the same all over the world even today.
James:
Did Jesus try to set an example for them? The disciples were very surprised because Jesus acted like a slave. The disciple named Peter said, " Lord, Please don't do that." I would say the same.
Sophia:
I would not be comfortable with Jesus washing my dirty feet. But, when I was younger, I was happy to have Mom wash my feet.
Grace:
Peter said to Jesus, "Please don't wash my feet."
Jesus said, "If I do not wash your feet, I will have nothing to do with you," Then, Peter asked Jesus, "Wash my body as well as my feet." It is funny to me that Peter would say the opposite and want more.
Dad:
Hahaha. I guess maybe Peter was a simple and impulsive man.
Mom:
Now, what is Jesus trying to teach His disciples here?
Sophia：
It is very important to help each other.
Dad:
You are right, Sophia. Jesus tells us to love each other.
James:
But that's easier said than done, isn't it?
Mom:
It is true, James. But why can't we do that?
Grace:
I think it's because of jealousy. We tend to be arrogant and think we are better than others. Or, we tend to feel inferior when we lose, don't we?
I am competitive, too. I try to be the best in my class. That is not a bad thing because it is good to try hard for something, but when I come in second or third place, it is very frustrating. I sometimes feel jealous of people who are better than me.
Dad:
Hahaha, Grace is just like me. Ever since I was a child, I always strived to be in the first place, too. But after I became a Christian and learned that I don't need to compare myself with others, I felt at peace. I should make an effort, but I should focus on my personal growth, not on comparisons with others.
But, sometimes my old personality comes out again.
Mom:
We can say this world is a comparison. We tend to seek success or excellence in any field. There is a saying, "winners and losers." In the spirit of "catch up and overtake," Japan's post-World War II economic development and the creation of a more convenient society can be seen as an achievement in its effort, but it is also a serious reality that distortions have resulted. Some politicians believe that each country must spend more money to build a strong defense system to protect themselves. But is this true? Development can cause some disasters.
In our kid’s era, Japan was mainly a middle-class society, but nowadays, the gap between the rich and the poor is becoming bigger. Persecution and discrimination against different ethnic groups are becoming more serious. We have forgotten the spirit of "living together" and only think about the economy of our own country, and wars due to ideological differences or religious differences have been repeated many times in our history. I believe that the root cause of these things stems from the "sin" of human beings.
Dad:
I believe that Jesus treats each of us as important.
The other day Mom and I went to see cherry blossoms deep in the mountains and We saw the cherry blossoms shining in a place where hardly anyone would enter. I realized that even in places where no one can see them, God is pouring out His love and blessing them. We also knew that such cherry blossoms were happy and doing their best to bloom. We should be wary of judging others by comparing ourselves with them or envying them. We want to aim to take pleasure in the good qualities of others.
James:
I have a question. Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, didn't he? Jesus knew about that. Did Judas have his feet washed, too?
Dad:
Yes, James. Jesus washed Judas' feet, too. At that time, I imagine Judas probably felt guilty. I hoped that Judas would have repented, but he couldn’t.
Grace:
Jesus was very sympathetic to Judas. He would rather Judas had never been born. Judas was so sorry for what he had done that he went to return the money, but he couldn't give it back and finally committed suicide. I think he was miserable.
Mom:
Judas certainly betrayed Jesus. I think it was a very serious sin. But Judas was not the only sinner. Even Peter and the other disciples ran away. Peter told Jesus, "I will follow Jesus no matter what happens.” But three times he denied Jesus. He said, "I don't know Jesus."
Jesus asked God on the cross, “Father, please forgive them. Because they don't know what they are doing." You may think that this is something only people at that time did and it is irrelevant to us today, but it is not.
Easter is the day Jesus was resurrected. Let us have joy and gratitude. Grace, please pray for us.
Grace:
Yes. I will. Thank you, Jesus, for coming to this world to save all people. Thank you, Jesus, for taking our place because of our sins and hanging on the cross. Guide us to remember, in our hearts, Jesus' desire for us to wash each other's feet. I pray in the name of the victorious Jesus. Amen.
Postlude: "Remember me"
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