Whomever God Chooses by Randy Rowley 3/14/23 ©
ByIn mid-December, my wife, Chris, and I went on a deer and hog hunt on the CZC Ranch near Mercury with my son, Ryan, and his girlfriend at the time, Beth.
On Saturday afternoon, Chris and I hunted from Tim Price’s stand. Around 30 minutes before sunset, about 15 hogs ran to Tim’s feeder and attacked the corn. I wanted to shoot one of the big hogs, but they constantly moved and were blocked by smaller ones. Believing I wouldn’t get a shot at a big hog, I chose to shoot a medium-sized boar at the front of the herd. I was given a broadside presentation and squeezed the trigger of my Remington Model 700 in .25-06. He fell without taking a step, as did a smaller boar behind him that we hadn’t seen.
As the FCS Facebook group members know, I’ve habitually posted frequent memes for years. Merriam-Webster defines a meme as “an amusing or interesting item (such as a captioned picture or video) or genre of items that is spread widely online especially through social media.” An example is ‘the grumpy cat meme,’ introduced in September 2012, with variations posted to this day.
One day while on Facebook, I encountered a series of simple drawings that spoke to me by an artist named Jess. Eight of the illustrations contained the same robed man and one other person. The robed man was kneeling over a wash basin, and each person’s foot was in it. He appeared to be washing their feet. All eight people were seated. One seemed to be wearing prison garb. He appeared sullen. Another seemed to be a homosexual, as he had a rainbow flag in his lap. He appeared to be grinning. Another was a young man holding a skateboard who seemed to be indifferent. Another was a woman dressed in nursing scrubs who appeared weary. Another was a man dressed as a police officer with both hands on his head who seemed overwhelmed. Another was a woman looking at her phone, who appeared indifferent. Another was a man who was holding what seemed to be a bottle of alcohol and appeared to be drunk. Another seemed to be the pope, who appeared to be crying.
The final drawing was of a person sitting on the floor, with their head bowed and their hands on their head. The robed man was sitting behind them, holding them in his arms.
I immediately knew that the robed man was intended to be Jesus. I interpreted Jess’ message to be that if Jesus had chosen to come to the earth today, instead of 33 BC, the people’s feet that he could wash might belong to many different sinners. I saved the illustrations to my phone and posted them on the FCS Facebook page.
Usually, people don’t react to my posts or just ‘like’ them. And if they respond, they typically do so with “Amen,” “Preach,” “Ain’t that the truth,” a verse that supports the meme, etc.
Before I made this post, the only time people took issue with my posts was with humorous ones due to their apparent complete rejection of God’s gift of a sense of humor or their suppression of it. Unfortunately, some people are wound so tight that they can’t see the humor in anything, but that’s another devotional. But on this day, I received a strongly worded response from an FCS Facebook group member, who said, “This is so ungodly. And satanic.”
Jesus washing his disciples’ feet was recounted in John 13:1–17. Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his time on earth was almost over, and he would return to God the Father in heaven. Jesus and his disciples sat down to eat what became known as ‘the last supper’ when something remarkable happened.
John 13:4-5 (NLT) says, “So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.” And John 13:12-17 (NLT) says, “After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.’”
Jesus and his disciples didn’t have hiking boots. Instead, they wore sandals while walking wherever they went. Also, they often ate with their feet exposed while reclining at low tables. Consequently, travelers’ feet needed to be washed before a shared meal. When Jesus rose from the dining table and began to wash his disciples’ undoubtedly filthy feet, he was doing the lowliest of servants’ work, which must have stunned his disciples.
By washing his disciples’ feet, Jesus displayed humility and servanthood. But his disciples still didn’t get it. To them (particularly Peter – see John 13:6-11), Jesus’ washing of their feet was contrary to the prevailing attitude at that time (which continues to this day) – ‘you get ahead by knocking others down, not elevating them.’ This was exemplified by John and James’ mother, who tried to arrange for her boys to have top honors in heaven by sitting on Jesus’ right and left (see Matthew 20:20-28). Jesus responded to them that he would be the host in heaven and God the Father would oversee the seating arrangements. What Jesus taught over and over was that what was important was getting to heaven and not being left out, not where people would be seated.
Jesus responded (paraphrased), “You want to sit next to me? OK, here’s the cost.” He then told them that working for his kingdom and suffering were ahead of them. Then he conveyed in Matthew 20:24-28 (NTL) what they should focus on instead – “But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.’”
For Christians, washing others’ feet is symbolic of our servanthood role in the body of Christ. Rather than being ungodly or satanic, washing others’ feet is what the true leader (Jesus) did, and we must also be servants if we desire to follow him.
But my spiritual gift of discernment and the process of elimination told me that rather than being bothered because he didn’t know the recount of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet, the man who made the ‘ungodly/satanic’ accusation was probably disturbed by whose feet Jesus was depicted to be washing in one of the drawings.
It’s unlikely he was bothered by the depiction of Jesus washing the prisoner’s feet. Jesus said to the thief on the cross next to him, who asked him to remember him when he came into his Kingdom, “‘I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.’” (Luke 23:43 (NLT).) Nor was he likely disturbed by the portrayal of Jesus washing the indifferent people’s feet, as Jesus encountered many indifferent people during his ministry and didn’t condemn them. Nor was he likely bothered by the depiction of Jesus washing the feet of the weary/overwhelmed nurse and police officer, as Jesus promised the tired that if they came to him, he would give them rest. (See Matthew 11:28-30.) Nor was he likely disturbed by the portrayal of Jesus washing the drunk man’s feet, as getting drunk is widely accepted in our society. Nor was he likely bothered by the depictions of Jesus washing the pope’s feet and Jesus hugging the undiscernible person. What probably disturbed him was the depiction of Jesus washing the feet of the man holding the rainbow flag.
News flash to him: when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, he wasn’t washing perfect people’s feet, and heaven will be populated by redeemed sinners – murderers, rapists, kidnappers, thieves, slanderers, gossipers, liars, homosexuals, and more! In his Parable of the Lost Sheep (see Luke 15:3-7), Jesus said in Luke 15:7 (NLT), “‘In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!’” And Jesus said in John 3:17, “‘For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.’”
People who have a problem with sharing heaven with redeemed sinners need to examine their hearts and determine if heaven is their destination. Those who have been redeemed will rejoice over other sinners coming to repentance, just as our Savior did.
Just as I choose which hog to shoot on that cold winter day, it is God’s prerogative to continue to choose whom he will serve. And if a redeemed person’s former sin is not to our liking, the problem is with us, not God.
Randy
