Voice 1
Hello. Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Joshua Leo.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
How clean is your house? This is the name of a television programme in the UK. Two women called Kym and Aggie present the programme. Each week they visit a house that is very dirty and help the people living there to clean it. But do not worry. Kym and Aggie do not just arrive at anyone’s house and ask if they can come in! They are invited because the people in the house know they have a big problem.
Voice 2
Often the problem is clutter. The house if so full of things that it is impossible to clean. The floors and all the furniture are completely covered with things. Kym and Aggie begin by taking all the clutter out of the house. Then they make the owners of the house give away all the things they do not really need.
Voice 1
At last they can go inside the house and clean everything! They advise on the best way to clean different kinds of surfaces and materials. Then they put back into the house only those things that are necessary. Everyone is usually very pleased with the result.
Voice 2
Most people do not need such expert help to clean their homes. But some times even the cleanest house needs something extra. Perhaps for a wedding or some other special celebration. Everyone wants the house to look its best. Everything is cleaned and prepared for the great day. And some times, cleaning is more than just preparation. It is part of the celebration.
Voice 1
Jewish women clean their houses with extra care as part of the celebration of Passover. During the week of celebrations, they will not be permitted to eat particular foods. These are foods raised with air, like bread. The mother carefully removes most of this food. But then, the children hide small pieces of these foods around the house. Together, the whole family searches for these hidden foods. When they find the foods, they carefully remove the food from the house. Then, the father burns the food. The house is ready for Passover! This act of cleaning has been part of Jewish celebrations for thousands of years.
Voice 2
One story about a Passover celebration comes from the Christian Bible. Cleaning is important to this story, but in a different way. In this story, Jesus and his followers were looking for a place to celebrate Passover together.
Voice 1
Jesus sent his friends to prepare a place for them to celebrate. The text of the Christian Bible does not say how they prepared. But they probably cleaned and prepared food and drink. Then they gathered together. They enjoyed the special Passover meal together. Then Jesus did a very unusual thing. At that time in Israel it was the custom for a servant to wash the feet of guests when they arrived at the house.
Voice 2
Instead, Jesus got a bowl of water and a towel. He knelt on the floor, on his knees. And he began to wash the feet of his friends. But one of his friends, Peter, protested. Jesus was their leader. Peter believed that Jesus was the son of God. Peter thought it was wrong for this holy person to be on the floor, washing feet.
Voice 1
Jesus said, ‘You do not understand what I am doing now but you will understand later’.
But Peter still said, ‘No! You will never wash my feet’.
Jesus told him, ‘If I do not wash your feet then you are not one of my people’.
Peter wanted very much to belong to Jesus so he changed his mind. ‘Do not only wash my feet. Wash my hands and my head too!’
But Jesus told him, ‘People who have a bath are clean all over. They only need to wash their feet’.
Voice 2
Jesus then explained why he was washing their feet. He told his friends that they should be willing to serve one another just as he had served them. They should not think they were more important than anyone else. Followers of Jesus should be willing to do anything, even clean dirty feet. Jesus was cleaning the bodies of his disciples, but he was also talking about their hearts.
Voice 1
How can you clean your heart? This is a difficult idea. Christians believe that the only way to have a pure heart is through the sacrifice of blood. This what Jesus meant when he told Peter, “You will understand later.”
Voice 2
After Jesus finished washing his followers’ feet, he went away to pray to God. Then he was secretly arrested because he claimed to be the son of God. He was put in prison. The next day, he was publicly killed.
Voice 1
Christians believe that Jesus told the truth. They believe that he was the son of God. They believe that he was innocent of any wrong-doing. And when he died, he accepted the punishment for all the evil of all people. They believe that three days later, after he died, he returned to life. Then, after some time, he returned to heaven to live with God.
Voice 2
Chemical cleaners can clean a house. Soap and water can wash feet. But Christians believe that only Jesus can clean our hearts. A clean house can make us feel good. Clean feet can make us feel refreshed. But a clean heart will change our lives.
Voice 1
Christians remember these events especially at the season of Easter. They celebrate with great happiness. They feel like the people whose houses were full of clutter and are now clean. But instead of their house, it is their hearts. They celebrate how their hearts were full of darkness, but though Jesus’ death, they have new, clean hearts. They believe that Jesus washes them inside, in their spirit. This cleaning is for all people. This is what the friends of Jesus only understood later - after he had risen from the dead.
Voice 2
After Jesus had gone to heaven, Peter spoke to a crowd about Jesus promise of a clean heart. He said,
Voice 3
“For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
Voice 1
We asked a question at the beginning of the programme - How clean is your house? It may be this question has two meanings. What do you think?
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