Our video Bible Study posted today while we were driving to this week’s Revival Meeting in Newaygo, Michigan. Actually, I posted it from the car as we traveled!

But I forgot to say …

In John chapter 12 Jesus’ feet were reverently anointed. In John chapter 13 Jesus is washing 24 dirty feet!

Yes, Jesus would have His Disciples with clean feet! (A picture of purity and sanctification in their lives.) Jesus did this for them … even knowing they would deny Him (at His arrest), flee from Him (at His Crucifixion), go to sleep on Him (at Gethsemane), and fail Him in many other ways too. Yes, He loves them “to the end!”

The water that cleansed those feet … the Word of God!

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.” Psalm 119:9, God’s Word indeed cleanses our feet, our daily activities!

Here’s a good foot-washing prayer …

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24

John chapters 1-12 concentrated mainly on making Believers, getting souls saved. John chapters 13-21 concentrate mainly on maintaining Believers!

Judas did not need clean feet, but a new heart! He was not a sheep of the Lord’s pasture, but a dog returning to his vomit!

The “high cost” of dirty feet …

No “fellowship” with the Lord!

A very high cost indeed!

Did you watch the full lesson yet?

If not, here it is …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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And at this supper Judas is tempted (and yields to that allurement) to betray our Lord. (The non-Biblical “Gospel of Judas” makes this man a hero instead of a villain!) The sad verb the Gospel writers use for “betray” is “paradidomi.” Literally, it means “to hand over.”

In John 18:5 Judas handed over Jesus to the Pharisees!

In John 18:35 the Pharisees handed over Jesus to Pilate!

In John 19:16 Pilate handed over Jesus to the executioners!

And in John 19:30 Jesus handed over His Spirit to the Father!

A key word in John!

I did not know … not once in John’s Gospel does Jesus exorcise a demon! (No evil spirits cast out of a man or woman!)

But one great miraculous “casting out” of evil does occur! Jesus in John 12:31 tells us … “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” The devil himself … “cast out!”

When Jesus was dead, freshly dead, a soldier responded … “But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.” The Blood bringing eternal salvation to the lost! The water bringing daily cleansing to the saved soul, the child of God!

Jesus’ deed of footwashing … GRACE!

Jesus’ great Upper Room Sermon to follow … GRACE AND TRUTH!

Lots more to be studied …

If you will take the time and ingest the Lesson.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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In this Lesson we have come to the end of Jesus’ PUBLIC ministry. This Paragraph is, in fact, Jesus’ “whosoever” Sermon in which all the world is addressed.

Someone summed the book of John like this …

In the Gospel’s first half … Jesus lived in perfect obedience to His Father!

In the last half, Jesus died in perfect obedience to His Father!

Wow!

I called God the Father “invisible” in this Class! Why?

“God’s dear Son (Jesus) Who is the image of the INVISIBLE God, the firstborn of every creature.” Colossians 1:5

“Now unto the King eternal, immortal, INVISIBLE, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Timothy 1:17

Notice this …

While on earth Jesus was wooing lost souls unto Himself!

At the great White Throne judgment. Jesus will be judging lost souls who refused Him!

One more thing …

In our Text (John 12:44-50) Jesus introduces no new teaching! No new words appear either! Making this the most unusual Text in John’s whole Gospel!

Actually, John here may have collected a group of Jesus’ Sayings and formed them into an invitation to salvation!

Much like Matthew (in his 8th and 9th chapters) collected ten of Jesus miracles to show God’s Power, Love and Grace!

Well now, one more thing for sure!

The Line about someone seeing Jesus being the equivalent of one seeing the Father (verse 45) is particularly pertinent to John 10:38 …

“Though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.”

Reciprocal indwelling!

Just some thoughts I forgot to include in Class today …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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Let’s face it. There are some Bible Passages whose meanings will only be fully revealed in Heaven, in eternity!

I choose to confront these Paragraphs via “faith” rather than doubt or skepticism.

The aforementioned verse is Deuteronomy 29:29 … “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

Amen! Leave those unanswered questions in God’s Hands! Major on the Bible Truth that has been revealed to us!

Good advice.

Furthermore … I have learned from Romans chapter 1 that if a man (or women or family or society or nation) persists in sinning, willfully and stubbornly resisting the restraining Holy Spirit of God … God will “give them up” to their wicked passions! See Romans 1:24 and 26 and 28! Their hearts become progressively harder and harder!

Sobering verses …

“Seek ye the Lord WHILE HE MAY BE FOUND, call ye upon him WHILE HE IS NEAR.” Isaiah 55:6, seriously implying He may not always be accessible!

Luke 12:48 thunders … “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.”

These Pharisees had been given so much Light (“so many miracles done before them”) … that their responsibility before God had also grown, had multiplied!

The sum of this … reject Light, expect Darkness!

I sure did enjoy studying for this video Bible Class. May I invite you to watch it?

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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John 1:14 says of Jesus … “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus, God the eternal Son, was made “flesh!”

So, it is Biblical to speak of His Humanity. Part of our video lesson, John 12:27 speaks of Jesus being “troubled.” Disturbed, maybe even somewhat perturbed! (I think over the unbelief all around Him!)

Recall in John 4 that one day, after walking all morning, Jesus sat down by a well, “wearied!” (A Greek verb meaning “exhausted!”)

In Matthew 21:18 Jesus “hungered.” Luke 4:2 gives another instance of Jesus needing nourishment as well.

On the Cross, of all places, He was “thirsty!” John 19:28 … “After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.”

Was He ever lonely? Again, on the Cross! “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46

And perhaps the best all-round verse (excerpt) on Jesus’ Humanity is the Claim that our Lord was “touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” Hebrews 4:15, astounding!

Yet exhibiting all those “human traits,” Jesus was GOD! (He even thought it not “robbery” to be equal with God! See Philippians 2:6 for proof.)

I just did not have time to develop these thoughts in Class today! But I did get a good bit said!

Watch …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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