A Glimpse of Jesus

I am reading another of Brennan Mannings books, "A Glimpse of Jesus: The Stranger to Self-Hatred" and so far it is not a let down. I read the "Ragamuffin Gospel" not long ago and it oozed with grace and so does this work. This morning, I was reading and I came across a story Brennan tells about a vision he had while on a spiritual retreat. I would like to transcribe it here for you to read. The context of this story is it follows the question, "But who do you say that I am?"(Matt. 16:15). This answers that question for me.
"Praying over the passage of the washing of the feet, I was suddenly transported in faith into the Upper Room, where I took Judas' place among the Twelve. The Servant, who had tied a towel round his waist, poured water from a pitcher into a copper basin and reached out to wash my feet. Involuntarily I pulled my foot back. I couldn't look at him. I had betrayed the vision, been unfaithful to my dream(and thus unfaithful to his plan for my life).
Sensing my dismay, he placed his hand on my knee and said, "Brennan, do you know what these years together have meant to me? You were being held even when you didn't believe I was holding you. I love you, my friend."
Tears rolled down my cheeks. "But Lord, my sins, my repeated failures, my weaknesses...."
"I understand. Brennan, I expected more failure from you than you expected from yourself." He smiled. "And you always came back. Nothing pleases me as much as when you trust me, when you allow that my compassion is bigger than your sinfulness."
"But Jesus, what about my irritating character defects-the boasting, the inflating of the truth, the pretense of being an intellectual, the impatience with people, and all the times I drank to excess?"
"What you are saying is true. But your love for me has never wavered: your heart has remained pure. What's more, even in darkness and confusion, you've always done something that overshadowed all the rest. You were kind to sinners. Now I'll go. I've washed your feet. Do the same for others. Serve my people humbly and lovingly. You will find happiness if you do. Peace, my friend."
After reading that, I had to re-read it. What a revelation of grace! What a beautiful answer to the question of who Jesus is to me. It's not what others have said Jesus is. Not the eloquent writers of scripture. It's not what the preacher said. It's not what the teacher said. It's not what any author has penned. It's a very personal answer that only we as individuals can answer. For me, Jesus is Grace.