Going through the oven (part 3)

:)
I don't think I did a very good job with yesterday's blog.
My attempt was to communicate the life-giving grace that I have been blessed with and instead it shared my pain.

Oh well, every day has a blank plate.

........

A couple of weeks ago we were examining the teen chapters of John. We were wondering what Peter felt when Jesus asked to clean his feet.
There are some widely accepted explanations on Peter's response, but the text always allows for a little reader-imagination :)

Anyway, I love when the word of God becomes so alive that it seems it must have been written just for you.

John 13:10 says: "Jesus said to him, 'Someone who has bathed only needs to have their feet washed, but is completely clean. You are clean (...)"

At the time, God was revealing to my heart the meaning of the prophecy that I had received years ago (see Going through the oven part 1) so my heart was out in the open about the cleanliness issue.

My first response was... don't wash his feet!! that will hurt! (Now, I am aware that most people wouldn't even have that thought crossing through their minds hehe and when I write it down it sounds so odd!) to my particular interpretation, getting his feet washed could mean undergoing suffering, and Peter's answer "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" (John 13:9) would show his personal willingness to go through suffering for Jesus' sake, so he could have part with him "Jesus answered him, 'If I don't wash you, you have no part with me.'" (John 13:8)

If/when my husband reads this, all his sense of ortodoxy will be alarmed. Now, understand that even though the scripture does not (most likely!!) intend my particular interpretation, that doesn't keep God from showing us His light for our personal life :)

Jesus says that "someone who has bathed..." I immediately think, Oh my! what if I haven't bathed in a while?! and He answers:

John 15:3 "You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you."

Talk about relief! Our cleanliness has little to do with something we do with ourselves, it is His word that cleanses us, His blood that washes us "whiter than the snow"


Then I wonder... how does "Going through the oven" has anything to do with something we do with ourselves? Maybe nothing.

We can go through difficult times without allowing the purifying Spirit of Christ to refine us. So it is ultimately Him who does the work in us. It is not the suffering that does wonders, it is God through the different circumstances surrounding our life who allows the cookies to be baked. He is who brings something good out of what seems to be just madness. It is Him who through His word cleanses us so we can participate of the wedding ceremonies of the Lamb.

Where do we take place? In saying "yes, I am willing to go through the narrow road", "yes, I am willing to lay my life down for you", "yes, I do want to take your cross and drink from your cup"

So in my own and very unorthodox explanation of those verses of John, Peter was willing to go through whatever necessary to parttake of Jesus. Jesus did the rest.

Matthew 8:2-3 Behold, a leper came to him and worshiped him, saying, "Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean." Jesus stretched out his hand, and touched him, saying, "I want to. Be made clean." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

I didn't have this in mind for the part 3 of "going through the oven" but I am feeling very pregnant and my mind takes over :) I think I will need to go through it again and make some sense of all the blabbering. In the midst of that, it is good to remember that we are in Jesus' hands, that He is the almighty and we are the clay vessels.

Hurray for the almighty!

Ceci