Jesus replied,“A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean." - John 13:10a (NLT)
A couple weeks ago, I made a vow that I was going to do a traditional seder for myself on Passover. I had done traditional Passover meals with friends and family in the past and had always enjoyed them. But because of the lock down, I chose to do one all by myself. I researched the best ways to prepare the meal and all the things I needed to do to get ready for Passover - including fasting and removing all yeast from my home. Finally, I went out and bought everything I would need to make the meal for myself. I got the meat, the kosher matzo, and the bitter herbs. I was all set to go.
Finally, Passover morning rolled around. I woke up out of bed as normal and started my "fast." My husband made coffee as he usually does. I was doing my normal routine when I noticed a whole loaf of bread still sitting out on the counter. "Oh no!" I thought. "It's Passover, and I completely forgot to get rid of that!" But it didn't take me long to realize that I had actually forgotten to get rid of all the yeast out of my house. I had been so preoccupied working at my church and preparing for Easter, that I had completely failed to remove the yeast.There was still bread in my cabinets. There was still frozen pizzas in my freezer. There was still... well... yeast... in my pantry. Also, by this point, the smell of the coffee was really tempting me!
I tried to justify it in my mind. "Well," I thought, "It's too late to get rid of everything now. I will just make sure not to eat anything with yeast in it today... Oh," I added, "I will still fast until this evening, but coffee will be excluded from that!"
Fast forward to about nine o'clock at night. I am shoving handfuls of Flaming Hot Doritos in my mouth while watching a TV show with my husband. Suddenly, I thought, "Hmmm, I wonder if Doritos have yeast in them? Nah... they're made of corn... right?" I looked down at the package and read the ingredients.
Yeast.
I had a sinking feeling... But I still shoved ten more chips in my mouth before putting away the bag.
Still chewing, I started feeling like the worst person on the planet. I retreated to my bedroom and prayed.
"God, I am so sorry! I wanted to fast today to remember the death of Your Son, Jesus, but I failed. I wanted to celebrate Passover to commemorate You, but I made a mess out of everything. I couldn't even follow simple instructions. I couldn't even stick to my own rules. Please forgive me for making a joke of this holiday!"
Feeling like a total failure, I turned to the book of John and read chapter 13. Jesus said at the beginning of verse ten, "A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean."
That's when it hit me. I was already washed in the blood of Jesus when He died on the cross
2,000 years ago. I was forgiven because of the wonderful sacrifice that Jesus made.
Dear friend, God does not fail His promises. He knew that because of our sin, we were unable to follow the rules He had given us in the Old Testament Law. Humanity broke them time and time again. But in order that we can still have eternal life, God sent His Son to die as a sacrifice for our sins. Our sins are washed in that blood, and by that blood, we are made clean.
My failed Passover attempt was a strong reminder to me how much I needed a Savior. I couldn't even follow my own rules let alone God's. But because Jesus became my Savior, all I needed to do to be forgiven was to ask for forgiveness. For as it says in John 13:10, I only have to wash my feet in order to be clean, because a Savior named Jesus has already taken away my sin when He lovingly game Himself up for me.
Let's remember today what Easter is really about. It is a love story between God and humanity. Even though humanity failed and rebelled time and time again, God still had grace and gave us a beautiful gift - His one and only Son, Jesus.
Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross for us 2000 years ago. Thank You for beating death on the third day so that we may have new life in You. We love You.
In Your name we pray,
Amen
Comments