Jesus Loved Them to the End

The sermon begins by emphasizing the importance of love and being loved in human life. From birth to the end of life, everyone desires to have someone to love and to be loved in return, for without love, life becomes lonely, empty, and meaningless. However, not all love is the same; most relationships today are based on economic interests and external factors such as beauty, character, and talent. When these things are lost, love also disappears. But genuine love is always inseparable from sacrifice, and the life-changing love that God has for those who are saved requires the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

The sermon continues by exploring the deep meaning of foot-washing through identifying the nature and status of the One who washes feet. Jesus is not an ordinary person; He is the Second Person of the Trinity, the One who has the authority to forgive sins, grant eternal life, judge the entire world, and is the only One worthy of worship. Yet despite such exalted status, He performs the work of the lowliest servant—washing the feet of His disciples. This is completely contrary to pride; His actions, conduct, attitude, and words are entirely humble. Jesus interacted with the most lowly people in society, healed everyone He met, forgave sinners, and showed mercy, love, and forgiveness even to those despised by society such as foreigners and women.

The sermon clarifies that those who belong to Jesus in the world include even those who will betray, deny, and abandon Him. Although Jesus knew that Judas Iscariot would sell Him, Peter would deny knowing Him, and the other disciples would flee to save their lives, He still loved and washed the feet of even Judas—the traitor who would lead soldiers to arrest and kill Him. Moreover, Jesus performed this act of love while knowing that He would be betrayed, denied, arrested, judged, tortured, insulted, mocked, abandoned by the Father, and crucified to death. While humans, when suffering, typically think only of themselves and how to escape their pain, Jesus continued to think of His disciples' needs.

The sermon's central message emphasizes the unconditional nature of God's love. Jesus loved His disciples and those who belong to Him not because they were righteous, holy, faithful, or obedient to the law, but solely because God Himself is perfect, holy, and faithful. Just as God chose the Israelites not because they were greater or more virtuous than other nations, but only because God loved them, Jesus' love for His disciples is entirely independent of their righteousness but completely dependent on God's righteousness. This unconditional, unchanging love moved and transformed the lives of the disciples, with the exception of Judas. The eleven feet of those who abandoned Jesus, washed by Him, would become eleven feet carrying the Gospel of this love and redemption to the ends of the earth.

The sermon concludes by affirming that nothing can separate a person from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Whether it be tribulation, distress, persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger, or the sword; whether it be death, life, angels, authorities, present things, future things, or any other creature, nothing can separate the believer from this love. This is the profound message about God's boundless love—a love that is unconditional, unchanging, and eternal.