The full extent

21May

John begins his account of the last hours before the crucifixion with one sentence in Greek, two in some translations.

It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father.

Let me break it up a bit.

The story is set just before the Passover, the most significant feast in the Old Testament.
Jesus knows that his time on earth is almost done.
Jesus knows that he is going back to his Father.
Jesus has loved his disciples, his friends.

This is a significant moment. Imagine spending 3 years on a Peace Corps project with a team and sitting around at Christmas, knowing that they are staying and you are leaving.

Imagine spending three years with a group of college roommates. Classes together, pranks together, the most difficult exams together. And it’s the night before graduation.

Imagine working undercover for three years, knowing that you are doing the right thing and knowing that the authorities want to kill you.

Imagine it’s a night in Memphis and you know you are going to die tomorrow.

Here’s the second sentence:

Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.

Then he washes their feet. Hours later he dies.

The full extent of love was serving all the way through to the end. The full extent of his love meant washing a dozen feet that would first walk, then run away from these hands, this heart.

The fact that the end of the story wasn’t the end doesn’t diminish the sacrifice. That night marked the end of the first volume of the trilogy, The fellowship was broken. The ringbearer was, this time, alone.

The full extent meant finishing.

10 thoughts on “The full extent”

Rich Dixon
May 21, 2012 at 6:27 am

“Imagine it’s a night in Memphis and you know you are going to die tomorrow.”

Except he didn’t HAVE to die tomorrow. He could have left town and lived another four decades. But living as long as possible wasn’t the vision.

Garden or motel room, I guess we all choose between comfort and character.

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1. Jon Swanson
  May 21, 2012 at 3:13 pm
  
  i love this, rich. Living as long as possible wasn’t the vision.
  
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cjhinx
May 21, 2012 at 7:12 am

and the finishing was harder than any other part of his ministry. How will we finish? and will we walk away before we finish?

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1. Jon Swanson
  May 21, 2012 at 3:14 pm
  
  yes. there was no coasting to the line.
  
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Frank Reed
May 21, 2012 at 7:48 am

Finishing well, fighting until the ‘end’, wondering when that end might be …….

These have all been very active themes in my life as of late. None of them are easy. Thankfully I have a model of a finisher, someone who took life to its designed end with a servant’s heart.

I am weak but He has done these things so He can prop me up. I am not experiencing anything that He hasn’t already or that He is caught off guard by.

I take comfort in that today because today is all I am given.

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1. Jon Swanson
  May 21, 2012 at 3:15 pm
  
  this is a great summary, Frank. Thank you.
  
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joseph ruiz
May 21, 2012 at 8:03 am

Powerful words this morning, Rich you nailed it comfort or character. Guess that’s why we are exhorted to run the race with perseverance. I am also reminded of the scripture “He who began a good work in you will be faithul to complete it” As we have seen today our God is a finisher. Thanks for the thoughts – Grace and Peace

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1. Jon Swanson
  May 21, 2012 at 3:16 pm
  
  thanks Joe. good reference to philippians 1:6. perfect.
  
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Jill
May 21, 2012 at 10:54 am

The fact that the end of the story wasn’t the end doesn’t diminish the sacrifice.

I think this is where I (we all) lose the impact of the actions, and it’s one of those circular arguments that causes us to give up the focus upon it. If this was the end, the story would be pointless. Because this isn’t the end, we lose the impact…and we pick up the argument…could it have been accomplished in another way? Would we believe if it were written another way? Instead of accepting the story as it is, we wonder, and we lose the impact?

Interesting that this story was written to be part of a trilogy, but the people who were walking through this story had no idea of that. It was what it was…I think we do the same thing…that was then, this is now. Is there a purpose for the third book? Who will read it? And if there is no one there to read it, what is the point of writing it?

Which is sort of how I feel about my blog. But that’s another story, or perhaps just a common in book number two. I’m a comma, hoping to be a connecting word.

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1. Jon Swanson
  May 21, 2012 at 3:18 pm
  
  I think, Jill, that the writing is the calling often, not the reading. Even if there were no readers, at least sometimes, obeying is the writing.
  
  thanks for helping me think about this.
  
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