A table for twelve please

The Gospel of John sets the stage well for the last supper: Love
"Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love"

During the normal dinner talk, Jesus doesn't just casually mention how much he liked the apostles and He did more than just thank them for standing by His side throughout his his time when he was preaching to the crowds. No, the Gospel of John is very clear-  he gave them "....the fullest extent of His love". Wow!  I bet you could feel the love in the room that night as Jesus is surrounded by His closest friends. 

And speaking of close friends, the apostles have seen it all:  They were there when Jesus calmed a torturing sea; they were present when a  man blind at birth suddenly gain his sight.  They even witnessed first hand how a few fish and loaves became many.   Looking for a witness to give testimony to who the Son of God is?  They are the twelve over there standing next to Him. 

On this particular Sabbath evening, they were sitting next to him to share one last final meal together. I imagine the evening starting out much like our own meals- small talk about the day's events, some poking fun at each other. And Jesus probably just taking it all in, quietly reflecting on the short time he had with the Twelve.   Never one to play up his Messianic position as the Son of God, Jesus decides to illustrate his love for the disciples by washing their feet. So, the Master becomes the servant, washing the feet of His apostles. Drying them with the very towel that was wrapped around Him. 

Jesus shared more than just bread and wine and tough news about betrayal with the apostles that evening.  He promised not to permenantly leave them. While he's gone, He gave them the protection of the Holy Spirit.   He tells the apostle Phillip that we can can accomplish greater things than Jesus if we have faith in Him.

Like he did for the Apostles, Jesus wants to care for us. He wants to be a servant to us so that we can accomplish great things in His father's name. He only requirement: faith. I for one, can't imagine being empowered to do greater things than Jesus, but Jesus told us with faith it is possible.