He loved them until the end.

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
(Joh 13:1)

This amazes me. Jesus...loved...them...until the end. Being able to read, being raised in America and being a Christian, I know to "whatever end" He loved me till. Yes, He loved ME...YOU...until the end.

Perhaps this verse captures my heart because there is really no such thing as an 'end' until God declares, "It is finished." This was just prior to that end. "The End...", in the cartoons we all know that the end is really only until next Saturday, or if we're lucky until tomorrow and the next episode comes on. It does have a certain finality to it coming from the Word. The. End.

Maybe this verse captures my attention because of what it precedes. This is a preface to one of the last acts of love (and probably the most powerful) he could do for the disciples before his crucifixion. True to his nature, not only does he perform a miracle (maybe it's just me...but God Himself washing feet is as much miracle as a healing), He also uses that love to teach the disciples one last time.

I can almost hear his voice; now pleading, now commanding, chuckling at Peter's response to washing his feet until the infamous prophecy of rejection. What it must have been to see the King of Kings washing his servant's (and friends) feet...would I have caught on to it? Nope, no more than they did.

I think I see Jesus's humanity more in these verses than I do anywhere else, even in the Garden. (Isn't it interesting how the Fall of Man happened in the Garden and now the Redeemer of Men is now betrayed in a garden?) Reading the next couple of chapters is like hearing a last effort at teaching them...like an old soldier sending his son off to war...like a lover departing his new bride for unknown and dangerous lands...like a King issuing final commands before riding into a battle that he knows will end his life.

Thank you, Lord.